Singeetham Srinivasa Rao is dead. The legendary Telugu filmmaker, who once made a film with no dialogue and another where Kamal Haasan played a robot, passed away on Saturday evening at Kauvery Hospital in Chennai. He was 94. His death marks the end of an era for Indian cinema’s most restless experimentalist.
Born in Gudur, Nellore, he didn’t break into direction until he was 41 — but when he did, it was with Neeti Nijayati (1972), a film that carried a sermon in its soul. Before that, he’d spent years as a dialogue writer, helping shape Mayabazar (1957), one of the most iconic films in Telugu history.
That early apprenticeship laid the foundation for a career built on boldness: Pushpak Vimana, a silent sci-fi fantasy starring Kamal Haasan and Amala. Aditya 369, a time-travel tale decades ahead of its time. Michael Madana Kama Rajan, a genre-bending comedy-drama that still holds up. He wrote, directed, acted, even composed scores.
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