Great Loss for Indian Cinema- Nandamuri Balakrishna

I am deeply shaken by the demise of legendary director Singeetam Srinivasa Rao garu. He was very close to our family.

We created three distinct classics together: ‘Aditya 369’, which left a new mark not only on Telugu cinema but also on Indian cinema; ‘Bhairava Dweepam’, the first computer graphics-driven film in Telugu, which made history at the box office and remains unbeatable among folklore films; and ‘Sri Krishnarjuna Vijayam’ in the mythological genre. Through these three films, I portrayed characters across all four major genres — social, historical, folklore, and mythological — under a single director as captain. I will cherish those memories forever.

Singeetam garu started his career as an assistant to the great director K. V. Reddy garu for the immortal ‘Mayabazar’, where my father played Lord Sri Krishna for the first time. Later, he worked as an associate for many of my father’s films. Hence, our family shared a special bond with him that went far beyond cinema.

Singeetam garu was truly a legendary director in every sense of the word, pursuing unforgettable cinematic experiments until his last breath at 94, across various Indian languages. His demise is a profound personal loss to me and an irreplaceable loss to the Indian film industry. May his soul rest in peace. My heartfelt condolences to his family members.