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Popular Tollywood choreographer Rakesh Master dies at 53

Rakesh Master debuted as a choreographer in Telugu cinema with Venu Thottempudi-Prema's 'Chiru Navvutho' in 2000.

Prakash Pecheti

Published Jun 19, 2023 | 11:37 AM ⚊ Updated Aug 10, 2023 | 2:35 PM

Choreographer Rakesh Master

Choreographer Rakesh Master. (Twitter)

Popular Tollywood choreographer Rakesh Master, who trained Rebel Star Prabhas during his initial years in the industry, passed away due to severe health complications on Sunday evening, 18 June, at Gandhi Hospital here in Hyderabad.

He was 53. He is survived by his wife Lakshmi, son Charan and daughter Sreeja who reside in the Borabanda locality.

Spanning more than two and half decades of career in choreography in Telugu cinema, Rakesh Master was more popular on social media platforms.

He appeared in various television debates on issues pertaining to Tollywood. His videos and reels on Instagram, YouTube and Twitter kept entertaining audiences. His punchlines, memes and reels evoked laughter in the Telugu comedy show Jabardasth.

Also Read: Sricharan Pakala gets candid about today’s music scene in Tollywood

Early life and career

Born as S Ramarao in the temple town of Tirupati, in a family of seven siblings, Rakesh had a penchant for dancing since his childhood.

choreographer rakesh master teaching dance

An old pic of choreographer later Rakesh Master teaching dance to budding talents. (Twitter)

From 1990-1995, he frequently participated in weeklong dance concerts at local municipal parks in the temple town before moving to Hyderabad with his entire family.

He worked as an assistant with prominent choreographer Mukku Raju and gradually earned a name for himself as a dance tutor.

Rakesh Master made his debut as a choreographer with Venu Thottempudi-Prema’s Chiru Navvutho in 2000. Later, he became popular with dance shows like Dhee.

Young choreographers like Satya Master and other new entrants in Tollywood learned the ropes under Rakesh Master. He also trained actor Prabhas, Venu Thottempudi and actress Mani Chandana during the initial days of their careers.

Also Read: Veteran Malayalam actor Poojappura Ravi is no more

Fell sick post shoot

Rakesh Master fell sick soon after taking part in a shooting in Visakhapatnam a couple of weeks ago. His health deteriorated further and was shifted to Gandhi Hospital in Hyderabad, a few days ago. He was in an unconscious state when he was brought to Gandhi.

According to the staff, Rakesh Master was put on a ventilator soon after he was admitted to the hospital. It is learnt that he had severe complications of diabetes. Sugar levels plummeted, the doctors at Gandhi Hospital said.

Meanwhile, rumours surfaced that Rakesh Master fell sick after he had been hit by sunstroke.

The family members made all arrangements for the last rights on Monday, 19 June. Several small screen actors and technicians expressed grief over the sudden demise.

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