One of the pioneers of Telugu cinema, Rao plunged into drama and did a few stage plays before moving to Kolhapur and Bombay to act in silent films.[2] R. S. Prakash Rao, son of Raghupathi Venkaiah Naidu, cast him as lead actor in many silent films like Garuda Garva Bhangam, Gajendra Moksham, and Rose of Rajasthan. Rao moved into film direction and made silent films like Pandava Nirvana (1930), Pandava Agnathavaas (1930) and Hari Maya (1932). In 1940 he directed the Telugu magnum opus Viswa Mohini.Rao and, R. S. Prakash have established a long-lasting precedent of producing films exclusively on religious themes; Nandanar, Gajendra Moksham, and Matsyavatar, three of their Telugu productions, centred on religious figures, parables, and morals.