With this troupe, he performed in social plays like Only Daughter and Bhale Pelli across the Andhra and Nizam regions, alongside actress C.
[3] During this time, he also developed an interest in English plays through his involvement with the Young Men's Happy Club in Kakinada, where he worked with future film industry figures like Anjali Devi and P. Adinarayana Rao.
[1] Subba Rao's dedication to the arts led him to skip his final school exams, and without informing his family, he left for Calcutta (now Kolkata) to pursue a career in films.
[1] Subba Rao made his debut as a director and producer with Palletoori Pilla (1950), a joint venture between Sobhanachala Studios and his production company.
Palletoori Pilla was later remade in Hindi as Insaniyat (1955) by Gemini Pictures, featuring Dilip Kumar and Dev Anand.
His ability to adapt popular plays and collaborate with talented writers and composers helped solidify his reputation in the Telugu film industry.
[3] Later in life, Subba Rao faced financial difficulties, but his legacy remained intact due to the lasting impact of his films.
[6] Additionally, he introduced prominent actors like Vanisri and Dhulipala in Bhishma (1962) and provided early opportunities to S. V. Ranga Rao and Nandamuri Balakrishna.