Megastar Chiranjeevi has condoled the demise of Gollapudi Maruthi Rao. Describing him as a guru, the 'Sye Raa' actor has fondly recalled his association with the departed soul.

"It was in 1979 that the producer of one of my movies got me introduced to Gollapudi garu, who had been a renowned writer and journalist by then. His literary bent of mind used to amaze me. I was asked to learn the art of uttering dialogues from him. My bonding started with him in that way. Since he taught me how to pronounce words, I must say that he was my guru," Chiru said.

"In 1982, when Kodi Ramakrishna garu chose Gollapudi garu for a key role in 'Intlo Ramayya Veedhilo Krishnayya', I immediately seconded him. We later acted together in movies such as 'Aalaya Shikaram', 'Abhilasha', and 'Challenge'. He was a versatile actor who could get into the skin of any character that he played," Chiru added.