HYDERABAD: The Telugu kind of portrayal, in terms of idiom, language and characterisation, is what distinguishes Satthiraju Lakshmi Narayana — popular to the world as Bapu — one of the finest artists the Telugu film industry has seen in its history.
A lover of Valmiki’s Ramayana, it was Bapu who gave the Telugu society a grand visual of the epic — most of his films were either based on it or even if they were not, the social sub-context of his movies reflected on modern life through the prism of the Ramayana. A case in point being Mutyala Muggu. If this was his unique contribution to the film industry, his other two notable achievements are: depiction of the middle class by way of subtle humour through his cartoons and presenting Telugu language in a new avatar. It was because of him that Telugu font has a new appearance.
What sets him apart from other artists is his life-long collaboration with his good friend Mullapudi Venkataramana, renowned for his comic writing. It’s a rare trait indeed, as artists generally are individualistic. The Bapu-Ramana friendship, in one sense, symbolises a complete equitable partnership, legendary in its own way.
For decades, one stayed on the ground floor and the other on the first, together contributing to the enrichment of Telugu literature and film industry. If his drawings define the perfect Telugu ammayi, Bapu is also known for the manner in which he presented close-up shots of a woman’s eyes. In most of his films, the artist, be it either the heroine or the hero, was usually devoid of make-up — it shows the importance Bapu gave to presenting the reality and a quintessential Telugu one at that in every sense.
Generally, a person needs one full life to excel in any particular genre of art but Bapu was multi-faceted. He excelled in cartoons and writing just as much as he did in film direction. From whatever I have gained through those known to him, he was a quiet man, by and large, an introvert but very informal. He never disappointed anyone, whoever approached him for cover illustration of any book. In fact, he never fixed a price for his work. He was happy to accept whatever cheque was given to him, often even forgetting to deposit the same in his bank! In a way, it shows his indifference to materialistic gains.