Veteran filmmaker Singeetam Srinivasa Rao passed away in Chennai on Friday night (October 3) following age-related health complications. He was 95 and had been admitted to a private hospital, where treatment did not succeed.
Born on September 21, 1931, in Udayagiri near Nellore in Andhra Pradesh, Rao studied physics at the University of Madras. Drawn to cinema, he began his career as an assistant to noted director K.V. Reddy and made his directorial debut in Telugu with Neethi Nijayathi (1972).
He entered Tamil cinema with Dikkatra Parvathi (1974), which earned him a National Award. Over the years, he directed several well-known Tamil films including Raja Paarvai, Apoorva Sagodharargal, Michael Madana Kamarajan, Chinna Vathiyar, Magalir Mattum and Little John, and made films across multiple languages, with more than 60 titles to his credit.
Rao was also regarded as one of actor Kamal Haasan’s key collaborators, with their partnership producing hits such as Raja Paarvai, Pushpaka Vimana, Michael Madana Kamarajan, Apoorva Sagodharargal, Magalir Mattum, Kaathala Kaathala and Mumbai Xpress. In his later years, he continued working and recently released a film titled Singeetam at the age of 95.
He won two National Awards for Dikkatra Parvathi and Pushpaka Vimana, along with six Nandi Awards and several other honours. Rao is survived by his wife Lakshmi Kalyani, whom he married in 1960; his last rites are scheduled to be held on Sunday, October 4, in Chennai, where he lived in Saligramam.
