Veteran filmmaker Singeetham Srinivasa Rao passes away at 94; tributes pour in
Hyderabad: Veteran filmmaker Singeetham Srinivasa Rao, whose films pushed Indian cinema into unusual territory across comedy, fantasy and science fiction, has died at the age of 94. The filmmaker passed away at Kauvery Hospital in Chennai on Saturday night after being treated for age-related health complications.
News of his death prompted tributes from across the South Indian film industry, with actors and filmmakers remembering a director whose ideas often seemed to arrive years before their time.
Jr NTR described Singeetham as a visionary whose films continued to feel fresh across generations. Composer Devi Sri Prasad also remembered the filmmaker as a creative force whose futuristic ideas and filmmaking techniques remained lessons for younger generations.
Vijay Deverakonda paid tribute to Singeetham with a personal message, writing, “Your beliefs, your thoughts and your stories will live on with us forever.”
Chiranjeevi also remembered the filmmaker’s contribution to Indian cinema, writing, “His contribution to cinema will always be remembered with immense respect and affection.”
Born on September 21, 1931, in Gudur, Andhra Pradesh, Singeetham entered the film industry through an apprenticeship with veteran filmmaker LV Prasad. He made his directorial debut with ‘Neeti Nijayiti’ in 1972 and went on to build a career spanning more than six decades and multiple Indian languages.
What set Singeetham apart was his willingness to move between genres and experiment with storytelling. His filmography included Telugu, Kannada and Hindi projects, among others, and ranged from intimate dramas to fantasy adventures and science fiction.
One of his most celebrated films was ‘Pushpaka Vimanam’, the largely dialogue-free black comedy starring Kamal Haasan. The film became a landmark in Indian cinema and won the National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment.
He later ventured into time-travel science fiction with ‘Aditya 369’, starring Nandamuri Balakrishna. The film became a landmark Telugu science-fiction title for its treatment of time travel and remains one of Singeetham’s most remembered works.
His other notable films included ‘Mayuri’, based on the life of amputee classical dancer Sudha Chandran, and ‘Bhairava Dweepam’, a fantasy adventure starring Balakrishna. The latter enjoyed a 100-day theatrical run in 28 centres.
Singeetham kept working into his 90s
Even after decades in the industry, Singeetham did not step away from filmmaking. His final directorial venture, ‘Sing Geetham’, a musical fantasy produced by Nag Ashwin, was released earlier this year. The film later became available on Netflix in Telugu, Hindi, Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam.