Singeetham Srinivasa Rao death: Kamal Haasan, S.S. Rajamouli, Jr NTR and more mourn legendary filmmaker

Legendary filmmaker Singeetham Srinivasa Rao, whose boundary-pushing career produced landmark films including Pushpaka Vimanam, Michael Madana Kama Rajan, Aditya 369, Mayuri and Apoorva Sagodharargal, died in Chennai on October 3 after being treated for age-related health complications. He was 94.

His death has since prompted an outpouring of tributes from the Tamil and Telugu film industries, with actors and filmmakers remembering him as an uncompromising innovator who continued experimenting with cinema well into his 90s.

Among the most personal tributes came from veteran actor Kamal Haasan, whose creative partnership with Singeetham produced some of the most distinctive films in Indian cinema. Haasan, who worked with the filmmaker on Michael Madana Kama Rajan, Raja Paarvai, Apoorva Sagodharargal, and the dialogue-free Pushpaka Vimanam, described himself as one of the disciples who had walked alongside him. In his tribute, Haasan wrote that “dying young need not be a tragedy” and said he now aspired to live as Singeetham did.

Telugu stalwart S.S. Rajamouli also mourned the loss of the filmmaker, crediting Singeetham with influencing an entire generation of directors. He recalled how the filmmaker dared to attempt ideas that appeared impossible without the technology or budgets available today. Rajamouli also highlighted Singeetham’s ability to move from a film without dialogue to time travel, comedy, fantasy and human drama, concluding that he demonstrated how imagination remains cinema’s greatest limit and possibility.

Actor Jr NTR remembered Singeetham as “a visionary who thought ahead of his time,” specifically citing Aditya 369, Pushpaka Vimanam and Mayuri as films that continue to feel fresh across generations. Mahesh Babu similarly called him a “giant of Indian cinema,” praising his extraordinary imagination, courage and brilliance.

Seasoned Telugu star Chiranjeevi remembered Singeetham as a true visionary whose courage to explore unfamiliar ideas gave Indian cinema some of its most unforgettable films. He also pointed to Sing Geetham, the filmmaker’s final directorial venture, as evidence of his enduring curiosity and passion for storytelling.

Venkatesh Daggubati described Singeetham as a filmmaker defined by curiosity, originality and playfulness, saying his death marked the end of an extraordinary chapter in Telugu cinema. Composer Devi Sri Prasad, who worked with the filmmaker on Sing Geetham, called him an “unparalleled legend” and praised the futuristic ideas and techniques in his films as lessons for future generations.

Vijay Deverakonda, who made a special appearance in Sing Geetham, recalled how Singeetham had continued to call and encourage him since Pelli Choopulu, expressing gratitude for having been part of the veteran filmmaker’s final vision.

Nag Ashwin, the filmmaker behind Mahanati and Kalki 2898 AD and the producer of Sing Geetham, also shared a screenshot of his WhatsApp conversation with the veteran director, suggesting that the filmmaker was still developing new ideas just weeks before his death.

A screengrab of Nag Ashwin’s Instagram story | Photo Credit: Instagram/ nag_ashwin

Singeetham’s career spanned Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Hindi and Malayalam cinema, with credits across comedy, fantasy, science fiction, drama and musical films. His collaborations with Nandamuri Balakrishna included Aditya 369 and Bhairava Dweepam. In Kannada cinema, he worked with Dr Rajkumar and directed Chalisuva Modagalu, while also introducing Shivarajkumar as a lead actor in Anand. His final directorial film Sing Geetham, released in June this year.