Veteran actor of Nuvvu Nenu fame, ‘Vizag’ Prasad, dies at 75

VISAKHAPATNAM: Veteran Telugu film and television actor ‘Vizag’ Prasad died of cardiac arrest in a hospital in Hyderabad early Sunday, the hospital announced. Prasad was 75.
Born Kollam Parvata Vara Prasad, he was given the screen name ‘Vizag’ Prasad by director Jandhyala Subramanya Sastry in his debut film, ‘Babai Abbai’, in the eighties.
A veteran stage, movie and TV actor, Prasad had acted in more than 375 Telugu films, various popular TV serials and plays.
His career as an actor spanned over three decades.
He was also a veteran stage artist who performed in many mythological and social dramas across AP.
However, it was the film ‘Nuvvu Nenu’, which helped him revive his career, after having taken up insignificant roles for over 17 years.
Prasad had been a former employee of Hindustan Shipyard here, but he had relocated to Hyderabad in 2001, after having tasted success with ‘Nuvvu Nenu’.
Noted members of the film and theatre fraternity from Visakhapatnam such as Narava Prakasa Rao, and S K Misro, a noted film and theatre actor said on Sunday that Prasad’s death was a great loss to them both personally and professionally.
“Prasad was generous and kind-hearted. He was also a keen and enthusiastic member of the Vizag Film Society. As joint secretary of the association, he played a key role in promoting film festivals,” Prakasa Rao said.
Misro said that Prasad was a “brilliant stage artist” whose talent was not properly utilised by the film industry.”