He was known for playing female characters and was a recipient of a Padma Sri Award.
His depiction of the Sringara rasa as Satyabhama in Srikrishna tulabharam kept audiences spellbound.
Equally enchanting performances in Roshanara, Deva Devi in Vipranarayana and the eponymous Chintamani made his place in Telugu theater permanent.
His most memorable acting, however, was as Madhuravani in Gurajada Appa Rao's comedy Kanyasulkam.
He entered the theatre in 1920 and, rigorously trained by Veeraraghava Swamy, played for the Rama Vilasa Sabha of nearby Tenali.