DR.GARIKAPATI RAJA RAO, a practicing doctor, stage actor, playwright, producer and director and above all a founding member of the Praja Natya Mandali and its organizer. Following the footsteps of some of his colleagues at Praja Natya Mandali, Raja Rao too stepped into films.
Dr. Garikapati Raja Rao Planned a movie by name PUTTILLU, 1953, Raja Rao looking for a fresh face to play the female lead role Jamuna got selected for the same. Debutante Jamuna, in Puttillu movie, whose mother tongue is not Telugu, but Kannada was born on August 30, 1936, at Hampi to Nippani Srinivasa Rao and Kousalya Devi a musician. She was named as JANA BAI and later Changed to Jamuna. Her family moved to Duggirala near Tenali when her father started an export business. Encouraged by her mother Jamuna started acting in stage plays at a young age. During her schooling at Duggirala Kongara Jaggaiah was her teacher. She would never have dreamt that one day she would be playing heroine to him. Allu Ramalingaiah also debuted through this movie.
