Chennai lost one of its most eccentric and forward-thinking storytellers on Saturday night. Singeetham Srinivasa Rao, 94, died at Kauvery Hospital after a short battle with age-related complications. For those who only know him as a name in a credits roll, think of him as the man who dared to make a dialogue-free black comedy for Kamal Haasan and a time-travel sci-fi epic for Balakrishna decades before those genres became mainstream trends.
The industry is reeling. Jr NTR, who has worked with the veteran, took to social media to call him "a visionary who thought ahead of his time." That isn't just polite praise. When Singeetham directed Aditya 369 in the late '90s, it was widely considered the first Telugu film to seriously explore time travel, featuring music by Ilaiyaraaja. It was a risky bet for a director who had already won a National Award for Pushpaka Vimanam. He didn't play it safe. He played it weird.
His career was a marathon spanning six decades and five languages, starting as an assistant to L.V. Prasad in the early 1970s. He wasn't confined to Telugu cinema; he moved fluidly into Kannada and Hindi projects, proving that visual storytelling transcends linguistic barriers. Even Mayur, the biopic on amputee dancer Sudha Chandran, stands out not just for its subject matter but for its distinct visual language. While others were churning out formulaic masala, Singeetham was experimenting with structure and silence.
The most striking aspect of his legacy is his refusal to retire. At 94, he wasn't waiting for a eulogy. He had just finished Sing Geetham, a musical fantasy produced by Nag Ashwin, earlier this year. That level of activity makes him one of the oldest active filmmakers on the planet. Composer Devi Sri Prasad captured that energy in his tribute, calling him an "Everest of Positivity filled with Evergreen Youth." It’s a rare thing to find a director whose work feels fresh across generations, but Singeetham managed to do exactly that. Rest in peace, Singeetham Sir. The cinema world is quieter without your experiments.