Veteran actor Dhulipala Seetharama Sastry, known for his memorable roles in mythological films passed away at Guntur on Friday after a brief illness, family sources said.
Dhulipala, 87, was admitted to a private hospital in Guntur, about 250 km from Hyderabad with respiratory problems a few days ago.
The actor has a wife, two sons and three daughters.
The legendary actor, who was popular for his epic characters like Sakuni and Dhuryodana, acted in more than 300 Telugu and Tamil films spanning four decades.
He was born on September 24, 1920 at Dachepalli village in Palnadu region of Guntur district.
After completing Intermediate, Dhulipala got trained in Vedic studies. Despite his interest in acting, he had to work as a clerk with an advocate.
In 1935, he joined theatre groups and performed many plays across the Madras Presidency and established his own theatre group during 1940s.
He made the film debut in 1962 with "Bheeshma", in which late N T Rama Rao was the protagonist. His last film was Mahesh Babu-starrer "Murari".
He later took renunciation under the Jayendra Saraswathi of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham and called himself Maruthi Sevendra Saraswathi.
Leading a reclusive life, he established a spiritual centre "Maruthi Sevendra Saraswathi Peetham" in Guntur in 2001. He also established a Vedic school in the premises of the peetham.
He later took renunciation under the Jayendra Saraswathi of Kanchi Kamakoti Peetham and called himself Maruthi Sevendra Saraswathi.
Leading a reclusive life, he established a spiritual centre "Maruthi Sevendra Saraswathi Peetham" in Guntur in 2001. He also established a Vedic school in the premises of the peetham.