Dikki Madhava Rao

Dikki Madhava Rao (born Murali Madhava Rao; 15 January 1919 – 14 July 1985) was an Indian actor and singer known for his work as a character actor in Kannada-language films. He spent much of his early years as a stage actor in the 1920s and 1930s before appearing in Kannada films. He gained popularity with his role as the antagonist Kanyakumari Dikshit "Dikki" in the 1936 film Samsara Nauka. Subsequently, the name stuck to him as prefix.

As a stage actor, Rao worked with theatre companies of Mohammed Peer, H. L. N. Simha and B. R. Panthulu. Subsequently, he became a frequent collaborator of the latter two and D. Shankar Singh in films, and in a film career spanning four decades, appeared in 120 films.