HYDERABAD: Noted film director, dialogue writer, lyricist, script writer, journalist and politician Dasari Narayana Rao (75) died after a brief illness at a private hospital here on Tuesday.
Dasari underwent a reconstructive surgery of oesophagus and breathed his last on Tuesday. Born on May 4, 1942 in Palakollu in West Godvari, Dasari started his film career as a director with the film ‘Tata Manavadu’ in 1972. He directed about 151 films, was dialogue writer for 250 films and lyricist for all his films. He himself produced 53 films.
Governor ESL Narasimhan, chief ministers of Telangana and AP K Chandrasekhar Rao and N Chandrababu Naidu expressed shock over the sudden demise of Dasari. The last rites of Dasari would be performed at his farm house in Moinabad with state honours on Wednesday.
Veteran filmmaker Dasari Narayana Rao passed away on Tuesday at a private hospital in Hyderabad. He was 75. For the past few months, he had been undergoing treatment for respiratory problems and kidney related ailments, which forced him to undergo a couple of surgeries. With 151 films to his credit as a director, Dasari Narayana Rao was one of the most prolific filmmakers in the history of Telugu cinema and throughout his life, he juggled between his roles as a director, producer, writer, lyricist, politician and a journalist.
Born in 1942 in Palakollu, West Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh, Dasari Narayana Rao began his career as a typist in Hyderabad; however, he soon went back to study and earned a degree in commerce which led him to take up a job as an accounts assistant at Hindustan aeronautics. Eventually, in 1968, he forayed into film industry and moved to Madras to begin his career as a scriptwriter.
Then in 1972, he turned director with Tatha Manavadu, which went on to become a blockbuster. There was no looking for Dasari. Narayana Rao went on to work with some of the biggest names in film industry including NTR, ANR, Chiranjeevi, Mohan Babu, Sridevi, Jayasudha, Shoban Babu to name a few.
Films apart, he also briefly forayed into politics and served as a coal minister when UPA government was in power. As a Kapu leader from AP, Dasari was also closely associated with Kapunadu movement. Once, Dasari planned to launch his own political outfit Telugu Talli, against NTR’s TDP with an aim to see a Kapu as Chief Minister of combined AP.
However, senior Congress leaders convinced him and persuaded him to join Congress in 1996.
As recently as last year he announced his plans to produce a film with Pawan Kalyan in lead role. In December 2016, he briefly contemplated making a biopic on Jayalalitha.
Dasari Narayana Rao’s death has come as a huge shock to South Indian film fraternity and everyone, from Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan to Chiranjeevi, Mohan Babu, along with the younger generation, offered their condolences to Dasari’s family. As a mark of respect, Pawan Kalyan and Trivikram Srinivas decided to stop their film’s shooting for three days. And the Telugu film industry is going to come to a standstill on May 31. All shootings have been called off and theatres will be closed to offer last prayers to Dasari.