Basavaraju Venkata Padmanabha Rao (20 August 1931 – 20 February 2010), known mononymously as Padmanabham, was an Indian actor, comedian, producer, and director who predominantly worked in Telugu cinema and Telugu theatre. He is known for his comic expressions and dialogues. In a career spanning over six decades, he acted in more than 400 films. He also directed eight films including Kathanayika Molla (1969), a biographical film which won him the state Nandi Award. Padmanabham introduced S. P. Balasubrahmanyam to the film industry through Sri Sri Sri Maryada Ramanna (1967).