Sobhan Babu (born Uppu Sobhana Chalapathi Rao; 14 January 1937 – 20 March 2008) was an Indian actor known for his works in Telugu cinema.[1][2] He made his film debut in Bhakta Sabari (1959), but Daiva Balam (1959) released earlier.[3][4] He garnered four Filmfare Awards South for Best Actor, and Special mention for Bangaru Panjaram (1969) at the 4th International Film Festival of India.[5][6] Sobhan Babu was featured in National Award winning films such as Sita Rama Kalyanam (1961), Mahamantri Timmarusu (1962), Lava Kusa (1963), Nartanasala (1963), featured at the 3rd Afro-Asian Film Festival, and Desamante Manushuloyi (1970).[3][7][8] He is often referred to as Nata Bushana.[9]

Sobhan Babu
Born	Uppu Sobhana Chalapathi Rao (1937-01-14)14 January 1937 Krishna District, Madras Presidency, British India (now Andhra Pradesh, India)
Died	20 March 2008(2008-03-20) (aged 71) Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Other names	Natabhushana
Years active	1959–1996
Spouse	Santha Kumari ​ (m. 1958)​
Children	4

In a film career as a matinee idol, spanning more than thirty five years, Sobhan Babu starred in more than 200 feature films in a variety of roles in films such as Veerabhimanyu (1965), Manushulu Marali (1969), Tara Sasankam (1969), Kalyana Mandapam (1971), Chelleli Kapuram (1971), Sampoorna Ramayanam (1972), Sarada (1973), Manchi Manushulu (1974), Jeevana Jyothi (1975), Soggadu (1976), Kurukshetram (1977), Mallepoovu (1978), Gorintaku (1979), Karthika Deepam, (1979), Mosagadu (1980), Devatha (1982), and Mundadugu (1983).[10]

Background

Sobhan Babu was born to Uppu Suryanarayana Rao and had four siblings, three sisters, Dhanaranga, Jhansi and Nirmala, and a brother, Sambasiva Rao. Sobhan Babu completed his initial schooling at Kuntamukkula, Mylavaram. He pursued his Intermediate in Krishna District.[1][2] He completed B.Sc degree in Physics at Andhra Christian College, Guntur. After that he opted for a Law degree in Madras to pursue his cinema career.

Struggles and Success

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During the initial days of his career, Sobhan Babu[11] had gone through a lot of struggles. He was offered small roles with very little remuneration and he couldn't meet the expenses of living. At this point, he decided to quit movies, but his career was changed when he was selected for Veerabhimanyu (1965), his first film[11] in a lead role. On the first day of the shoot, he was nervous and couldn't deliver his dialogue. Director V. Madhusudhan Rao decided to shoot a fight scene to reduce his nervousness. Babu's confidence was completely low and the next day he decided to inform his director and quit movies. However, he didn't get a chance to talk to the director that day so he decided to try for one last time. He gave his best performance, leaving everyone in the sets spellbound. He never looked back after that and went on to act in many memorable films.

Personal life

He married Santha Kumari on May 15, 1958. They had a son and three daughters.[12]

Death

Sobhan Babu died on 20 March 2008, aged 71, from a heart attack.[5][1][2]

Awards

Filmfare Awards South

• Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Telugu – Khaidi Baabayi (1974)
• Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Telugu – Jeevana Jyothi (1975)
• Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Telugu - Soggadu (1976)
• Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Telugu - Karthika Deepam (1979)

Filmography

References

External links

• Sobhan Babu at IMDb