| T. Chalapathi Rao | |
| Birth Name: | Tatineni Chalapathi Rao |
| Birth Date: | 22 December 1920 |
| Birth Place: | Vuyyuru, Krishna, Madras Presidency, British India |
| Death Place: | Madras, Tamil Nadu, India |
| Occupation: | Composer, music director |
| Years Active: | 1953-1984 |
Tatineni Chalapathi Rao (22 December 1920 – 22 February 1994) was an Indian music composer who worked in Telugu cinema. His career spanned more than three decades from early 1950s, till 1980s. He was the cousin of T. Prakash Rao.
Born to Dronavilli Manikyamma and Rattayya in the village of Vuyyuru in the Krishna district of Andhra Pradesh on 22 December 1920, but he was adopted by Tatineni Koteswara Rao and his wife Kotamma. He was the cousin of T. Prakash Rao.
His first film as music director was the Telugu film Puttillu in 1953 jointly with another music director, Mohan Das. His first independent work was for the Tamil film Amara Deepam (1956). Thereafter until 1984 he scored music for around 125 films mostly in Telugu and some in Tamil.
He created many popular songs for films starring Akkineni Nageswara Rao. Through the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, Chalapathi Rao and Nageswara Rao gave innumerable hits. Notable among them are Illarikam (1959), Punarjanma (1963), Manushulu Mamatalu (1965), Navaratri (1966), Dharma Daata (1970) and Srimanthudu (1971); together with some real chartbusters in 1972 which include Datta Putrudu, Manchi Rojulu Vachhayi and Raithu Kutumbam. To the end the pair continued to create music for films including Kanna Koduku (1973), Palletoori Baava (1973), Aalu Magalu (1977) and Sri Rama Raksha (1978).
T. Chalapathi Rao's hit scores with other Telugu heroes including Manchi Rojulu Vachchayi, Amma Nanna, Manchi Manasu and Kamalamma Kamatam with Krishnam Raju, Lakshadhikari, Ramuni Minchina Ramudu, Kalavaari Kodalu with N. T. Rama Rao and films such as Goodhachari 116, Asadhyudu with Krishna.
The last film he scored music for was Janam Manam in 1984.
He was married to Annapurna with whom he did not have children and later married Dr Jamuna with whom he had two sons and a daughter.
| Year | Film | Language | Director | Banner | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1953 | Puttilu | Dr. Raja Rao | Raja Productions | with C. Mohandas | ||
| 1954 | Telugu | Janata Pictures | with C. Mohandas | |||
| 1956 | Venus Pictures | G. Ramanathan & G. N. Balasubramaniam | ||||
| 1956 | Telugu | Venus Pictures | G. Ramanathan | |||
| 1958 | Pathi Bakthi | Telugu | Buddha Pictures | |||
| 1958 | Telugu | Venus Pictures | G. Ramanathan | |||
| 1959 | Illarikam | Telugu | ||||
| 1959 | Tamil | D. S. Rajagopal | Narasu Studios | |||
| 1959 | Uthami Petra Rathinam | Tamil | Amara Productions | |||
| 1960 | Maa Babu | Telugu | Pragathi Art Productions | |||
| 1960 | Meenda Sorgam | Tamil | Madhuram Pictures | |||
| 1961 | Anbu Magan | Tamil | Pragathi Art Productions | |||
| 1961 | Punar Jenmam | Tamil | R. S. Mani | Vijaya Films | ||
| 1961 | Thandrulu Kodukulu | Telugu | K. Hemabharadara Rao | Raghuramayya Creations | ||
| 1962 | Sri Valli Kalyanam | Telugu | Narasu Studios | |||
| 1963 | Lakshadhikari | Telugu | ||||
| 1963 | Telugu | |||||
| 1963 | Chandra Kumara | Kannada | N. S. Varma | H M Baba Productions | M. Venkataraju is the co-music director. | |
| 1964 | Kalavari Kodalu | Telugu | K. Hemambaradhara Rao | Raghuram Pictures | ||
| 1964 | Manchi Manishi | Telugu | Chaya Chitra | |||
| 1964 | Mane Aliya | S. K. A. Chari | ||||
| 1964 | Nalvaravu | Tamil | Charlie–Maniam | S. V. Movies | ||
| 1965 | Manushulu Mamathalu | Telugu | Navayuga Films | |||
| 1965 | Mavana Magalu | Kannada | S. K. A. Chari | |||
| 1966 | Badukuva Daari | Kannada | Balaram Pictures | |||
| 1966 | Gudachari 116 | Telugu | M. Mallikarjuna Rao | |||
| 1966 | Mangalasutram | Telugu | A. K. Velan | Arunachalam Studios | ||
| 1966 | Telugu | |||||
| 1966 | Telugu | |||||
| 1967 | Aada Paduchu | Telugu | K. Hemambharadhara Rao | Subhashini Art Pictures | ||
| 1967 | Maadi Veettu Mappilai | Tamil | S. K. A. Chari | |||
| 1967 | Marapurani Katha | Telugu | V. Ramachandra Rao | Sri Productions | ||
| 1967 | Pattukunte Padivelu | Telugu | M. Mallikarjuna Rao | Navajyoti Films | ||
| 1967 | Shiva Leelalu | Telugu | Sri Vijayalakshmi Pictures | with K. V. Mahadevan | ||
| 1968 | Asadhyudu | Telugu | V. Ramachandra Rao | Tiger Productions | ||
| 1968 | Bangaru Gaajulu | Telugu | ||||
| 1968 | Telugu | |||||
| 1968 | Chelleli Kosam | Telugu | M. Mallikarjuna Rao | Jayasri Lakshmi Pictures | ||
| 1968 | Nadamanthrapu Siri | Telugu | Navajyoti Pictures | |||
| 1968 | Prema Katha | Telugu | Muktha Films | |||
| 1968 | Srimanthulu | Telugu | R. R. Pictures | |||
| 1969 | Chiranjeevi | Telugu | Arunachalam Studios | |||
| 1969 | Madhura Milana | Kannada | ||||
| 1969 | Madras To Hyderabad | Telugu | Sri Venkateswara Cinetone | |||
| 1969 | Prema Kanuka | Telugu | V. Sobhanadri Rao | Digvijaya Films | ||
| 1970 | Akhandudu | Telugu | V. Ramachandra Rao | Tiger Productions | ||
| 1970 | Dharma Daata | Telugu | A. Sanjeevi | |||
| 1971 | Adrusta Jathakudu | Telugu | K. Hemambaradhara Rao | Subhashini Art Pictures | ||
| 1971 | Pavitra Hrudayalu | Telugu | Sri Vijaya Venkateswara Films | |||
| 1971 | Sisindri Chittibabu | Telugu | Akkineni Sanjeevi Rao | |||
| 1971 | Srimanthudu | Telugu | Viswa Bharathi Productions | |||
| 1972 | Datta Putrudu | Telugu | Tammareddy Lenin Babu | |||
| 1972 | Kiladi Bullodu | Telugu | Nandamuri Ramesh | Chitrakaka Films | ||
| 1972 | Manchi Rojulu Vachchayi | Telugu | V. Madhusudhana Rao | |||
| 1972 | Raitu Kutumbam | Telugu | Nava Bharath Movie | |||
| 1973 | Doctor Babu | Telugu | Tammareddy Lenin Babu | |||
| 1973 | Kanna Koduku | Telugu | V. Madhusudhana Rao | Vishwa Bharti Production | ||
| 1973 | Mainaru Babu | Telugu | Saradhi and TPR Combines | |||
| 1973 | Palletoori Bava | Telugu | ||||
| 1974 | Adapillala Tandri | Telugu | K. Vasu | Satya Enterprises | ||
| 1974 | Gali Patalu | Telugu | Anil Arts | |||
| 1974 | Mugguru Ammayilu | Telugu | Navabharat Art Films | |||
| 1974 | Vani Dongala Rani | Telugu | Aamancharla Seshagiri Rao | Navodaya Art Movies | ||
| 1975 | Chinninati Kalalu | Telugu | ||||
| 1975 | Devudu Chesina Pelli | Telugu | Sri Lakshmi Productions | |||
| 1975 | Telugu | K. Hemambaradhara Rao | ||||
| 1975 | Ramuni Minchina Ramudu | Telugu | M. S. Gopinath | Rajeswari Fine Arts | ||
| 1975 | Samsaram | Telugu | Anil Productions | |||
| 1975 | Vayasochina Pilla | Telugu | Krishiwala Pictures | |||
| 1976 | Alludochchaadu | Telugu | ||||
| 1976 | Amma Nanna | Telugu | Tammareddy Lenin Babu | |||
| 1976 | Mahatmudu | Telugu | M. S. Gopinath | Rajeswari Chitra | ||
| 1976 | Vanaja Girija | Telugu | Gautham | Sri Vanaja Movies | ||
| 1977 | Aalu Magalu | Telugu | ||||
| 1977 | Ardhangi | Telugu | A. Mohan Gandhi | |||
| 1977 | Athavarillu | Telugu | ||||
| 1977 | Gadusu Ammayi | Telugu | Dwarka Art Productions | |||
| 1977 | Mahanubhavudu | Telugu | K. Hemambharadhara Rao | Subhasini Combines | ||
| 1977 | Mohini Vijayamu | Telugu | N. S. Varma | Sri Venkatalakshmi Pictures | with M. Poornachandra Rao | |
| 1978 | Manchi Manasu | Telugu | A. A. Combines | |||
| 1978 | Sri Rama Raksha | Telugu | Ajay Art Pictures | |||
| 1978 | Thalle Challani Daivam | Telugu | M. S. Gopinath | Rajeshwari Chitra Combines | ||
| 1979 | Kamalamma Kamatam | Telugu | ||||
| 1979 | Love Marriage | Telugu | Tammareddy Lenin Babu | |||
| 1980 | Janthu Prapancham | Telugu | Sri Lakshminarayana Films | |||
| 1980 | Nayakudu Vinayakudu | Telugu | ||||
| 1980 | Thandava Krishna Tarangam | Telugu | Rajkumar | with Sanjay Manikya | ||
| 1980 | Yuvatharam Kadilindi | Telugu | Navataram Pictures | |||
| 1981 | Harischandrudu | Telugu | Vishwashanthi Movies | |||
| 1981 | Maro Kurukshetram | Telugu | Tammareddy Lenin Babu | Charita Film Combines | ||
| 1982 | Circus Prapancham | Telugu | ||||
| 1983 | Keerthy Kantha Kanakam | Telugu | Vishwashanthi Movies | |||
| 1984 | Janam Manam | Telugu | Mohan Das | Navaratnam Films | ||
| 1985 | Thayi Thande | Kannada | V. Sathyanarayana | U S R Pictures |