Rangarao

Ranga Rao

M. Ranga Rao (26 April 1932 – 3 August 1990) was a prominent Indian composer who predominantly worked in Kannada cinema. Rao was known for his mellifluous scores and lilting tunes backed with strong classical nuances. Rao composed tunes for approximately 100 films in Kannada cinema. Personal life Early life Ranga Rao was born in a small village in Andhra Pradesh on 15 October 1932. He learnt the...

M. Ranga Rao (26 April 1932 – 3 August 1990) was a prominent Indian composer who predominantly worked in Kannada cinema. Rao was known for his mellifluous scores and lilting tunes backed with strong classical nuances. Rao composed tunes for approximately 100 films in Kannada cinema. Personal life Early life Ranga Rao was born in a small village in Andhra Pradesh on 15 October 1932. He learnt the art of playing Veena instrument at a very young age. His inspiration was his mother, Rangamma. He graduated with Diploma in Mechanical Engineering stream. Family M. Ranga Rao was married to Syamala Devi and they have two sons and two daughters. His wife, Syamala, died five months after her husband's death in 1991. Career Rao entered the film industry as a small-time actor in the films Swarga Seema (1945) and Yogi Vemana (1947). He worked a Veena player in the 1946 released film Tyagayya. However, he entered the Kannada film industry as a full-fledged composer of the film Nakkare Ade Swarga in 1967. This also marked the beginning of the legendary playback singer S. P. Balasubrahmanyam. He had a long association with noted singer Bangalore Latha. Ranga Rao introduced Balasubramanyam to Kannada films by offering him a duet song alongside the veteran singer P. Susheela. Ranga Rao also worked as an assistant music director to veteran ace musician P. Adinarayana Rao. Along with composing numerous songs in Kannada, he also composed a few in Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam languages, most of them being the dubbed works of his Kannada songs. Death Ranga Rao died of cancer on 2 August 1990, aged 58. He was cremated in a crematorium in Bengaluru. He and his wife are survived by their four children, children-in-law and grandchildren. Awards 1969 – Karnataka State Film Award for Best Music Director – Hannele Chiguridaga 1982 – Karnataka State Film Award for Best Music Director – Hosa Belaku 1984 – Karnataka State Film Award for Best Music Director – Bandhana Discography Kannada Telugu Sardar Dharmanna (1987) Tamil Kudumbam Oru Koyil (1986) See also M. Ranga Rao on Saregama M. Ranga Rao on Apple Music References