Singeetham Srinivasa Rao

Singeetham Srinivasa Rao was born on 21 September 1931 in a Kannada Madhwa Brahmin family in Gudur, then in Nellore district of the Madras Presidency. His father, Ramachandra Rao, was a headmaster and his mother, Sakunthala Bai, a violinist. He acted in school plays, studied music, and later graduated with a physics degree from Presidency College, Chennai, where he worked under Harindranath Chattopadhyay. After a spell as a teacher in Sullurupeta and journalism for Telugu Swatantra, he wrote award-winning plays including Bhrama and Anthyaghattam, and a musical adaptation of Tagore later translated for American television.

From the mid-1950s he assisted K. V. Reddy on films from Donga Ramudu through Uma Chandi Gowri Sankarula Katha. Directing from 1972, he built a pan-South Indian career. Tamil and Telugu work included Dikkatra Parvathi, Panthulamma, Mayuri, Pushpaka Vimana, Aditya 369, Brundavanam, Magalir Mattum, Bhairava Dweepam and Madam. Kannada collaborations with Rajkumar produced Haalu Jenu, Chalisuva Modagalu, Eradu Nakshatragalu, Shravana Banthu, Jwaalamukhi, Bhagyada Lakshmi Baramma and Devatha Manushya. With Kamal Haasan he shaped major comedies and experiments; with Balakrishna he defined Telugu sci-fi and fantasy landmarks. Later projects included Welcome Obama (2013), animation features, mentorship on Kalki 2898 AD, and Sing Geetham (2026).

Public profiles emphasise his craft more than private detail. He cited Vemana, Mark Twain and P. G. Wodehouse among favourite writers and named Robin Hood as his favourite fictional hero. A disciple of composer S. Rajeswara Rao, he also wrote lyrics and scored music for selected Kannada films. Colleagues remembered him as endlessly curious about form, willing to try silent film, science fiction, folklore and animation within one career.

Singeetham Srinivasa Rao died on 3 October 2026 at Kaveri Hospital in Chennai. Reports attributed his death to age-related illness. He was 95. News of his death prompted tributes across Telugu, Tamil and Kannada cinema for a director who had remained active into his nineties, including the 2026 release Sing Geetham.

He is remembered as one of India's most versatile filmmakers and a renewing force in South Indian cinema. Pushpaka Vimana, Mayuri, Aditya 369 and Bhairava Dweepam remain reference points for experimental popular film. Younger directors such as Prasanth Varma and Nag Ashwin have named him as an influence. His awards record and late-career return with Sing Geetham sealed a reputation for restlessness and range rarely matched in Indian commercial cinema.