Don't be too surprised if you see yesteryear Tollywood screen legends — Bhanumanthi, SV Ranga Rao and Allu Ramalingaiah — on postal stamps. That's because the government of India has decided to immortalise 50 matinee idols from across the country by issuing postal stamps as an acknowledgement of their contribution to Indian cinema. President Pranab Mukherjee released the stamps on Friday commemorating 50 iconic film personalities who brought changes to Indian cinema at the 60th National Film Awards.
Actor, director, producer, singer, poet, song writer, editor and studio owner, all rolled into one, Bhanumathi is a colossus of Telugu cinema. A superstar in her own right, Bhanumanthi made her debut in 1935 and went on to act in over 200 films in her career.
Known for his natural style of acting, SV Ranga Rao was best known for his memorable performances playing mythological characters like Ravana, Ghatotkacha, Duryodhana, Kamsa and Kichaka in many hit films. He was known as the Vishwanata Chakravarthi. A veteran of over 1,000 films, Allu Ramalingaiah is among one of the finest comedians of Telugu cinema. He was a qualified homeopathic doctor and also took part in the Indian freedom fighters.
Among other South Indian matinee idols who were also awarded the same honour are CV Sridhar, Kannadasan, Vishnuvardhan Nagesh and TR Sundaram. The list includes Bollywood legends like Ashok Kumar, Dev Anand, Yash Chopra, Smita Patil, Rajesh Khanna, Shammi Kapoor, Geeta Dutt, and Tapan Sinha among others.
