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.
Raghu was born as Kotturu Chikkarangappa Raghunath on 17 April 1965, as the ninth child to Chikkarangaiah and Veeramma, in a village Kotturu, in Pavagada taluk of the Tumkur district of the erstwhile Mysore State (now Karnataka).
1988
Prior to acting in films, he worked as a stage actor with B. V. Karanth's theatre group Rangayana, from 1988 to 1999.
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.
1995
He made his debut in films in 1995 with Suggi, which got shelved.
He made his film debut in the 1995 Kannada-language film Suggi directed by Hamsalekha that eventually got shelved.
2002
Raghu got his major break in films after appearing as an antagonist in Dhumm (2002).
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.
2006
His other notable roles came in Cyanide (2006), Raam (2009), Olave Mandara (2011) and Jayammana Maga (2013).
2007
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.
2014
In 2014, his wife Mangala and he started Sanchari Theatre, a theatre training institute for children.
2018
Raghu made his debut in Tulu films in 2018 with My Name is Annappa.
