Producer RR Venkat no more

Famous film producer and distributor Dr JV Phanindra Reddy, popularly known as RR Venkat, (54) died in Hyderabad on Monday. He was ill for the past few days and breathed his last while undergoing treatment for a kidney ailment at a private hospital in Hyderabad. 

RR Venkat produced over 14 films and served in the Telugu film industry for more than two decades. Through his RR Film Distributors, he distributed several films including Jr NTR's Andhrawala, Ravi Teja's Mirapakay, and Naga Chaitanya's Autonagar Surya among others.

As a producer, some of his blockbuster hits include Samanyudu, Prema Kavali, Don Seenu, and Mahesh Babu-starrer Businessman. RR Venkat has also remade director SV Krishna Reddy's Maavidakulu in Hollywood. Titled Divorce Invitation, the film featured Jonathan Bennett and Jamie-Lynn Sigler in the lead roles. Venkat has collaborated with filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma and bankrolled Hindi films like James and Ek Hasina Thi.

RR Venkat was honoured with an honorary doctorate in Philanthropy from the Open International University for Complementary Medicines, Colombo.