BA Raju, the star PRO in the Telugu film industry, passed away due to health issues on May 11, 2021. A legendary publicist who came with years of journalistic experience, he was also a producer. Raju was known for being the foremost PRO in Tollywood for decades. He was a publicist for more than 1600 movies.
Incidentally, his industry guide Superstar Krishna passed away recently. It is said that the legendary actor used to hold Raju's insights and sense of judgment in high esteem. He also worked as a personal PRO for a lot of producers, directors, actors and heroines, besides talented technicians.
A lot of youngsters became film journalists with his encouragement. After working as a journalist for Andhra Jyothi, Jyothi Chitra, Udayam, Shiva Ranjani and other publications, he started Super Hit film magazine with his wife Jaya as a founder-editor in 1994.
As a lover of cinema, he was always engaged in the film trade and other information. He had the exceptional ability to accurately quote collections and box-office records during discussions without falling back on a journal or diary entry.
He was also one of the founding members of the Film Critics Association. Through the association, he stood by film journalists on the financial and other fronts.
