Dr Dasari Narayana Rao's 75th birth anniversary: His journey from childhood to legendary filmmaker

The history of Telugu cinema is incomplete without the mention of Dr Dasari Narayana Rao. He is an Indian film actor, director, and writer who worked his magic mainly from the 1970s and 1990s. He helmed films like Tata Manavadu, Sargam Narakam, Megha Sandesam, Mamagaru, Bobbili Puli, Sardar Paparayudu and Osey Ramulamma, which are considered one of the greatest films of all time. For the unversed, Director’s Day is celebrated in honour of Dr Dasari Narayana Rao. On the occasion of his 75th birth anniversary, let’s have a look at his journey from childhood to become the legendary filmmaker to a renowned politician.

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Dr Dasari Narayana Rao was born on May 4, 1947, in Palakollu, West Godavari district, Andhra Pradesh. He hailed from an upper-middle-class family. He had assets in his village. Dasari's father and uncle used to run a tobacco business together. Unfortunately, their tobacco godown was set on fire during Diwali. There were no insurances then. The tragic incident weakened their financial status. The farms also had to be sold during those difficult times. They are a total of six children (three boys and a girl). Dasari is the third child of his parents.

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No one in their family was educated until their father's generation. Dasari is the only one educated in their family because of his father. By the time Dasari reached the sixth grade, their financial situation had deteriorated. He could not even afford to pay three-quarters of his school fees and was hired to work in a carpentry shop. The salary there is Rs. 1/-. He was awarded as the best student in the sixth grade. Such is the misery of dropping out of school and going to work. But with the help of a teacher, he continued to study again.

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During his college days, Dasari graduated with a BA degree and participated in many drama competitions. In a very short period, he became known as a talented stage actor, playwright and film director. He introduced many new artists to the film industry and helped them to become stars. At one time, he had more than 18,000 fan clubs by his name. This mirrors his popularity among the people of Andhra Pradesh.

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During the Rajiv Gandhi regime, Dasari campaigned enthusiastically on behalf of the Congress party. After Rajiv's assassination, he stayed away from the party. In the late 1990s, he started a political party called Telugu Talli. The party has received a good response from the coastal areas, especially the Kapu community. He was later elected to the Rajya Sabha on behalf of the Congress party. He also served as Union Minister for Coal and Mines. He is close to Congress party president Sonia Gandhi. He was actively involved in active politics when the Congress party came back to power.

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In 1974, he received the Nandi Award for his film 'Tata Manavadu'. His film 'Swargam Narakam' won the Golden Nandi Award for Best Picture. In 1983, he won the Nandi Award for Best Director for 'Megha Sandesham'. In 1992, he won the Nandi Award for Best Actor for his film 'Mamagaru'. In 1986, he received an honorary doctorate from the University of Andhra Pradesh for his services to Telugu culture and the Telugu film industry. He also received numerous awards from leading social service organizations. He has won the Filmfare Award 6 times, the Madras Film Fans Award 5 times and the Cine Herald Award for 10 consecutive years. He won the Super Director Award 3 times from Jyotichitra. He has been nominated for Best Director 6 times by Andhra Patrika. Apart from these, his films have won many awards.

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Over a period of two thee decades, Dasari managed to leave his mark on the industry to the point that years after his demise, he is still considered one of the best talents the country had seen. He holds the world record for directing the most number of films, helming over 150 films. He has worked as a dialogue writer or lyricist in over 250 films. He has acted in Telugu, Tamil and Kannada language films and won the Andhra Pradesh Best Actor Award for his performance.

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Dasari Narayana Rao died on May 30, 2017, at a private hospital in Secunderabad after suffering from a serious illness. His untimely death saddened all who had the pleasure of being taught by him. The sudden demise of Dasari was sad and shocking, even for celebrities.

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