Ramoji Rao, founder of Ramoji Film City, no more

Ramoji Rao, the head of Ramoji Group and ETV Network, passed away on Saturday. He was 87. He was admitted to a hospital in Hyderabad a few days back after suffering from high blood pressure and breathlessness.  

Under the Ramoji Group, he owns the world's largest film production facility, Ramoji Film City. He is also the owner of Eenadu newspaper, ETV Network of TV channels, and film production company Usha Kiran Movies. 

He is the recipient of 4 Filmfare Awards South, 5 Nandi Awards and the National Film Award for his contributions to the Telugu cinema. In 2016, he was honoured with  Padma Vibhushan. 

Rao's legacy is vast, encompassing numerous successful business ventures and media productions. Under his leadership, Eenadu became a major force in Telugu media.

His other business ventures include the film production house Usha Kiran Movies, the film distribution company Mayuri Film Distributors, the financial services firm Margadarsi Chit Fund, and the hotel chain Dolphin Group of Hotels. He was also the head of the ETV Network of television channels.

The mortal remains were shifted to his residence in the Ramoji Film city on the city outskirts.