Popular actor, screenplay writer and director Gollapudi Maruthi Rao, who has acted in many Tamil and Telugu movies, passed away today in Chennai. The actor had been receiving treatment for his illness in a private hospital in Chennai, he was 80.

Gollapudi Maruthi Rao has acted in many movies in supporting roles like Sippikul Muthu, Anushka starrer Inji Iduppazhagi, Telugu movies like Challenge, Leader, Abhilasha and had been a theatre artist as well as playwright who has penned many stage plays.

It must be noted that Gollapudi Maruthi Rao was the director of the Telugu movie Prema Pusthakam, which was the debut movie of Thala Ajith. The movie was supposed to be Maruthi Rao's son Srinivas' debut, but he passed away due to a giant wave, and Maruthi Rao completed the movie, and had been encouraging debutant directors every year with Gollapudi Srinivas awards.