CHENNAI: T Rama Rao, a versatile and prolific producer-director with the unerring knack of finding the popular pulse across languages and regions, died in Chennai after a brief illness early on Wednesday. He was 83.
Known for making films at a brisk pace, he was a sought after for Hindi films produced in the South in the 1980s. Family yarns (‘Judaai’, ‘Sansar’), conservative romantic dramas (‘Maang Bharo Sajna’, ‘Ek Hi Bhool’), inspirational stories (‘Nache Mayuri’), action films (‘Andha Kanoon’, ‘Watan Ke Rakhwale’) – Rama Rao found success in a variety of genres.
Debuting as a director in the 1966 Telugu film ‘Navarathri’, featuring A Nageswara Rao, he directed a slew of Telugu films till the late 1970s including ‘Jeevana Tarangalu’ and ‘Yamagola’. His Hindi debut ‘Lok Parlok’ in 1979, a remake of ‘Yamagola’, created a controversy and was briefly banned.
There was no looking back for Rao till 2000, as he remade several Tamil and Telugu films in Hindi and directed several Bollywood stars including Amitabh Bachchan, Jeetendra, Dharmendra, Mithun Chakraborty, and Anil Kapoor as well as female stars Rekha, Sridevi, Jayapradha and Madhuri Dixit.
Rao launched actor Rajinikanth in Hindi, when he remade Tamil hit ‘Sattam Oru Iruttarai’ as ‘Andha Kaanoon’ in which Amitabh made a special appearance. He also directed one of Kamal Haasan’s early Hindi films, the amiable ‘Yeh Toh Kamaal Ho Gaya’.
From the early 2000s, he turned his attention back to Kollywood as a producer and made quite a few hits including Vikram’s ‘Dhil’ and ‘Arul’, Vijay’s ‘Youth’ and Vishal’s ‘Malaikotai’ through his production banner Sri Lakshmi Productions.
In later years, he shifted his focus away from films and established Madras Hydraulic Hose to manufacture flexible steel hoses for industrial use. The company has its plant at Gummidipoondi.
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