Hyderabad: The passing away of the 78-year-old actor-producer-director, who was the uncrowned  monarch of the Telugu film world for four decades, has shocked not only the film industry but also politicians.

Following his death after 3 pm today, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara  Chandrababu Naidu condoled the suden demise and said, "It is an irreparable loss to the Telugu film industry."

Others who expressed their shock include the entire Akkineni family, Shraddha Das, Navdeep, Mahesh S Koneru, Sundeep Kishan, Manchu Manoj, Mohan Babu M, Vennela Kishore, Allari Naresh, Ram Pothineni, Paruchuri GK and PL Narayana.