Even at 95, Singeetham Srinivasa Rao’s eyes still sparkle with the mischief of a storyteller who’s found yet another way to make us laugh. The veteran filmmaker, whose career spans languages, genres, and decades, remains relentlessly curious—still writing, still watching, still surprising.

  • Age: 95
  • Notable films: Pushpak, Aditya 369, Michael Madana Kama Rajan
  • Current projects: Story consultant on Kalki 2898 AD, writing a historical spy thriller

The art of starting with an idea

Rao doesn’t believe in formulas. For him, every film begins with a single spark. “The starting point is always an idea,” he explains over a Zoom call. Sing Geetham emerged from a conversation with Balamurali Krishna about music in everyday life. Pushpak was his tribute to silent films and Chaplin. Aditya 369 drew inspiration from Mark Twain as much as from H.G. Wells.

“You have to go with your conviction. Nobody will know whether it’s working or not until people watch it and tell you.”

He laughs as he says it—a reminder that even masters work partly on faith.

Silence, sound, and the power of contrast

Rao has always understood that some of the best stories are told without words. From Sommokadidhi Sokokadidhi to the entirely dialogue-free Pushpak, he uses visual rhythm, contrast, and irony to generate laughter and meaning.

He points to a scene in Pushpak where a drunk man is tied up next to a dance school. The sound of the classical instructor counting beats in the background turns what could have been crude into something clever, even charming. “Contrast is always the best way to find comedy,” he notes.

Collaboration, not conflict

Having frequently worked with Kamal Haasan—a creative force in his own right—Rao dismisses the idea of writer-star tension. “There’s no negotiation. Only collaboration,” he says. “Because without a star, there’s no film.”

His advice to young writers is simple, practical, and deeply insightful: “Take any proverb you like. Any old saying. And turn it into a modern story.” It’s a exercise in finding universal truths in everyday settings—something Rao has done his entire life.

Still curious, still creating

Rao hasn’t slowed down. He recently watched the film Culture Vulture on YouTube and reached out to its maker. He’s serving as a story consultant on the epic Kalki 2898 AD and is early into writing a historical spy thriller.

At 95, the man who once wore dark glasses on a train to Bombay because he couldn’t stop laughing is still finding new worlds to explore—and new ways to bring us along with him.