Renowned writer Akella Venkata Suryanarayana passed away on Thursday night at his Hyderabad residence. The writer, who was 75 years old, worked as a screenwriter on more than 70 films, writing and stories for some iconic films like Swathi Muthyam and Sirivennela among others.
Born on February 10, 1950 in Kakinada, Suryanarayana began his artistic journey as a theatre actor during his school laters. Later he began writing stories for magazines. Suryanarayana’s film career began with the 1983 film titled Magamaharaju, which starred Chiranjeevi in the lead role and was directed by Vijay Bapineedu. Some of the more prominent titles in his filmography include Aadade Aadaram, Anaki Diwan, Illu Illalu Balu, O Bhavya Katha, Shrutilayalu, Srimati Okka Pamphu, Nagadevata, Chilakapacha Kapuram, and Aunanna Kadanna. Satyanarayana also ventured into film direction with the 1992 comedy Ayyayyo Brahmayya.
Akella Suryanarayana was also a writer of 20 novels and hundreds of episodes for TV shows. His works largely explored stories of women, social issues and historical themes. His first play ‘Kaki Engli,’ won the Sahitya Akademi Award. Satyanarayana was also the recipient of 13 Nandi awards, for his work both in cinema and theatre, and served as the General Secretary of the Telugu Writers' Association for nearly 15 years.
Suryanarayana is survived by his wife Ramalakshmi and five children. His last rites will be held in Nizampet on Saturday.
