Mano was born as Nagoor Babu in Sattenapalli, Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh state. His father Rasool, was a musician in the All India Radio, Vijayawada division and his mother Shaheeda, was a popular Stage actress. Inspired heavily by his mother, Mano joined the stage theater and played many historical characters which also involved singing live songs in his own voice. He soon started taking formal training of carnatic classical music under the vocalist Nedunuri Krishnamurthy. Subsequently, he started his film acting career in the late 1970s. He featured as a supporting character in films such as Rangoon Rowdy.