Rangayana Raghu

Rangayana Raghu
Raghu during the shoot of Ishtakamya, 2015
Born	(1965-04-17) 17 April 1965 (age 51) Kotturu, Pavagada, Tumkur, Mysore State (now Karnataka), India
Nationality	Indian
Occupation	Actor
Years active	1995–present
Height	5 ft 10 in (178 cm)
Spouse(s)	Mangala
Children	1

Kotturu Chikkarangappa Raghunath (born 17 April 1965), known by his screen name Rangayana Raghu, is an Indian film and stage actor, known for his work in Kannada cinema. Portraying mostly comic and negative-shaded characters, he has appeared in over 250 films. Prior to acting in films, he worked as a stage actor with B. V. Karanth's theatre group Rangayana, from 1988 to 1999. He made his debut in films in 1995 with Suggi, which got shelved.

Raghu got his major break in films after appearing as an antagonist in Dhumm (2002). He is best noted for his performance in the 2007 film Duniya which won him his second Karnataka State Film Award for Best Supporting Actor. His other notable roles came in Cyanide (2006), Raam (2009), Olave Mandara (2011) and Jayammana Maga (2013).

Raghu was born as Kotturu Chikkarangappa Raghunath on 17 April 1965, as the ninth child to Chikkarangaiah and Veeramma, in a village Kottutu, in Pavagada taluk of the Tumkur district of the erstwhile Mysore State (now Karnataka).

Raghu began his acting career as a theatre artist when he joined the Rangayana theatre group in Mysore in 1988, where he received ₹800 as the monthly salary. He made his film debut in the 1995 Kannada-language film Suggi directed by Hamsalekha that eventually got shelved. He then appeared in the 2002 film Dhumm followed by minor roles in Megha Banthu Megha and Aryabhata. His major breakthrough was Yogaraj Bhat's debut directorial venture Mani. He received critical acclaim for his performances in films like Ranga SSLC, Duniya, Alemari,Modalasala, and Director's Special.