R ARIVANANTHAM
CHENNAI, OCT 4
Renowned filmmaker Singeetham Srinivasa Rao, whose restless imagination took Indian cinema from silent comedy and time travel to fantasy, folklore and musical experimentation, died at Kauvery Hospital in Chennai on Saturday. He was 94. He had been undergoing treatment for age-related ailments.
- At 94, he directed his 61st film, proving that curiosity—not age—keeps a filmmaker young
- From Mayabazar to Pushpaka Vimana, Aditya 369 and Bhairava Dweepam, he made experimentation his signature
- His creative partnership with Kamal Haasan produced some of Indian cinema’s most audacious films
- Film fraternity remembers a mentor who treated every film as a new adventure
- His final experiment, Sing Geetham, turned a four-decade-old dream into a cinematic farewell
Yet, in a life devoted to cinema, Rao’s final chapter was as extraordinary as the rest. At an age when most filmmakers would be content to look back at their accomplishments, he returned behind the camera for Sing Geetham, his 61st directorial venture, produced by Nag Ashwin. Released in June this year, the film transformed a nearly four-decade-old idea into an unusual musical fantasy in which the characters communicate through song.
His passing therefore closes not merely a chapter in Telugu cinema but an unusually adventurous career in Indian filmmaking—one in which the question was rarely whether an idea could be filmed, but whether it could be imagined differently.
A six-decade journey built on experimentation
Born on September 21, 1931, in Gudur, Andhra Pradesh, Rao graduated in Physics from Presidency College, Chennai, before entering cinema as an apprentice to legendary filmmaker K V Reddy. His early association with classics such as Mayabazar and Jagadeka Veeruni Katha gave him a grounding in the craft, but he would eventually carve out a distinctly individual cinematic language.
He made his directorial debut with Neethi Nijayithi in 1972 and went on to work across Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Hindi and English cinema. He was not merely a director; he also worked as a screenwriter, producer, composer and actor. Over a career spanning more than five decades, he directed about 60 films and earned two National Film Awards, five Nandi Awards and three Karnataka State Film Awards. The Film Federation of India honoured him with a Life Achievement Award in 2011.
His filmography defied easy categorisation.
Pushpaka Vimana, the dialogue-free black comedy starring Kamal Haasan, demonstrated how much could be communicated without conventional dialogue. Aditya 369 took Telugu cinema into the world of science fiction and time travel, while Bhairava Dweepam fashioned a richly imagined fantasy world from folklore. Mayuri, Apoorva Sagodharargal, Michael Madana Kama Rajan, Magalir Mattum and Mumbai Xpress further demonstrated his appetite for unusual narrative forms and genres.
Kamal Haasan and a partnership of fearless ideas
Among Rao’s most enduring creative relationships was his collaboration with Kamal Haasan, which produced several landmark films.
Kamal, who worked with Rao in films, including Raja Paarvai, Apoorva Sagodharargal, Michael Madana Kama Rajan, Magalir Mattum and Mumbai Xpress, recalled that his association with the filmmaker began when he was barely 21.
“I was 21 when I did all that these boys had done with him,” Kamal said earlier this year, recalling how he effectively became an assistant to Rao because he wanted to learn from him.
At the Sing Geetham event, Kamal underlined the depth of their relationship, saying he did not need a special occasion to express his respect for Rao. He also observed that the two were not competing but “running together, not to get ahead of each other.”
Their most celebrated collaborations reflected Rao’s belief that popular cinema need not surrender experimentation. Pushpaka Vimana, made without conventional dialogue, remains perhaps the most striking example of that philosophy.
The master who inspired the next generation
The affection Rao commanded among younger filmmakers was equally revealing.
Producer Nag Ashwin, who made Sing Geetham possible, has often spoken about the impact of Aditya 369 on him. Following the film’s reception, Ashwin said: “Aditya 369 made me fall in love with cinema as a youngster.” He described himself as “extremely blessed” to have become associated with a Singeetham film.
Jr NTR, after watching Sing Geetham, marvelled at the veteran’s creative energy at 94.
“Sing Geetham is a beautiful film that touched my heart,” he said, describing Rao’s creativity and wisdom at 94 as “deeply inspiring to witness.” He called Nag Ashwin’s effort to fulfil Rao’s decades-old dream “nothing short of a god’s boon.”
Chiranjeevi had earlier described Rao as a “Bhishmacharya” of the Telugu film industry, calling him an invaluable asset and treasure who had not only delivered successful films but also guided generations of artistes.
Director Anil Ravipudi similarly recalled Rao’s insistence on uniqueness and freshness, saying almost every film in his career could be viewed as a milestone.
Perhaps the most poignant tribute after his death came from actor Vishnu Manchu, who remembered watching Rao’s films long before he understood the technical craft of filmmaking.
“This loss feels deeply personal,” Manchu wrote, recalling Rao as “a true lover of cinema” who was fearless in imagination and never allowed himself to be confined by genre or formula. His most telling tribute was simple: “Every film he made has something to teach us. Every film is a textbook.”
A final film—and a final lesson
Sing Geetham was more than another film in Rao’s filmography. It was the fulfilment of an idea that had remained alive for nearly four decades.
The project originated from conversations between Rao and Kamal Haasan about a film in which every line would be sung rather than spoken. The idea survived for decades until Nag Ashwin finally backed it.
The production itself reflected Rao’s extraordinary determination. Because travelling became difficult during portions of the shoot, a virtual monitoring system was set up at his home, allowing him to watch the proceedings remotely and guide the actors and crew through a headset.
Nag Ashwin summed up the creative challenge by saying the team had to preserve “the soul of what Singeetham Srinivasa Rao is trying to do”—humour, fun and humanity—rather than turn the experiment into a gimmick.
That may ultimately be the most fitting epitaph for Rao.
He never treated cinema as a formula to be repeated. He treated it as a language waiting to be reinvented.
At 94, he did exactly that one last time.
The filmmaker may now be gone, but the questions he asked through cinema—Can a film work without dialogue? Can Telugu cinema travel through time? Can folklore become fantasy? Can an entire film speak through song?—will continue to challenge filmmakers long after the final frame of Sing Geetham has faded.
Singeetham Srinivasa Rao did not merely make films. He kept reminding Indian cinema that imagination has no expiry date.
