Giribabu, farmer’s son who played hero, villain and father in 600-plus films, dies

He came from a farming family in Prakasam district, and over five decades Giribabu appeared in more than 600 Telugu films. The actor, director and producer died in Hyderabad on Saturday, 14 November. He had been under treatment in a private hospital at Kondapur.

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu wrote on X, in Telugu, that the actor was born into an ordinary farming family in Prakasam district and had won over audiences as a villain, a comedian and a character artist. Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan and minister Nara Lokesh also condoled the death, and Governor S. Abdul Nazeer also expressed his grief. Pawan Kalyan recalled that he had made his mark as a villain, a protagonist and a character artiste, and his fine sense of humour.

From Prakasam to Madras

Like many young men of his generation, he left home for Madras to try his luck in cinema. His debut came with Jagame Maya, released in 1973. His early years were spent mostly in negative roles: Jyothi in 1976 and Dushasana in Kurukshetram in 1977. Nandamuri Balakrishna remembered that the two acted together in Annadammula Anubandham in 1975, at the very start of his own career.

Dongodochadu in 1987 showed audiences his comic timing. A younger audience came to know him as a father and elder in films such as Nuvve Kavali in 2000, Athadu in 2005 and Geetha Govindam in 2018. Audiences saw him for the last time in Anni Manchi Sakunamule in 2023.

Director and producer

He produced Simha Garjana in 1978 and Merupu Daadi in 1984, and turned director with Ranarangam in 1985. He both directed and produced Indrajith in 1990 and Nee Sukhame Ne Koruthunna in 2008.

YSR Congress Party president Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy, in a statement, described him as an active member of the party and a close friend of his father, the late Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy.

Colleagues spoke of the man as much as the actor. Mohan Babu said the two had been roommates in their early Madras days, that Giribabu entered films before him, and that each later acted in the other’s films. He called him “a large-hearted person”. Balakrishna said Giribabu “was not just a good actor but also a wonderful human being”. Chiranjeevi wrote that the news had shocked him and called the death “an irreparable loss to the Telugu film industry”.

His sons are the actor Raghu Babu and Bose Babu.