Singeetham Srinivasa Rao passes away, his cinema lives on
HYDERABAD: Veteran filmmaker Singeetham Srinivasa Rao, known for films including Mayuri, Pushpaka Vimana, Aditya 369 and Bhairava Dweepam, died at Kaveri Hospital in Chennai on October 3, 2026. He was 94. Reports said he had been unwell.
Filmmaker crossed languages and genres throughout his career
Singeetham, whose career spanned several decades, worked across Telugu, Tamil, Kannada and Hindi cinema. His filmography included comedy, fantasy, science fiction, drama and experimental cinema.
Among his best-known works was Pushpaka Vimana (1987), a dialogue-free comedy starring Kamal Haasan and Amala Akkineni. The film won the National Film Award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment in 1988. Singeetham also won the Filmfare Award for Best Director in the Kannada category for the film.
His other notable films included Mayuri, Michael Madana Kama Rajan, Aditya 369 and Bhairava Dweepam. Mayuri earned him Nandi Awards for Best Director and Best Screenplay Writer, while Bhairava Dweepam won him the Nandi Award for Best Director.
National recognition marked several stages of his career
Singeetham won two National Film Awards. Dikkatra Parvathi received the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil, while Pushpaka Vimana won the award for Best Popular Film Providing Wholesome Entertainment.
His other honours included Filmfare Awards South, Karnataka State Film Awards and Nandi Awards. He received the Film Federation of India’s Lifetime Achievement Award in 2011 and the B N Reddy National Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2012.
His association with Kamal Haasan produced several memorable films, including Pushpaka Vimana and Michael Madana Kama Rajan. His work with Rajkumar and other leading actors further reflected his ability to move between languages and genres.
Sad news!!
Legendary Director Singeetham Srinivasa Rao garu passed away at Kaveri Hospital in Chennai due to ill health.
He was a legendary filmmaker who dedicated his life to cinema, he continued to pursue his passion for storytelling till the very end. At the age of 94, he… pic.twitter.com/V7ADOej8cV
— idlebrain jeevi (@idlebrainjeevi) October 3, 2026
At 94, he returned to direction with Sing Geetham
Singeetham’s final phase of filmmaking reflected the same experimental approach that marked his career. At 94, he returned to the director’s chair with Sing Geetham, his 61st film, after a long gap from directing. The project was produced by Nag Ashwin under Vyjayanthi Movies and Swapna Cinema.
The film, built around a musical-fantasy format in which the dialogue is sung, was completed in 77 shooting days. It released in June 2026, marking a return to feature-film direction at an age when most filmmakers have long stepped away from the set.
His return at 94 was widely reported as a landmark in his long career. Sing Geetham also brought renewed attention to the filmmaker’s interest in testing the possibilities of cinema rather than following established formulas.
Singeetham Srinivasa Rao leaves behind a body of work that crossed languages, genres and filmmaking conventions. From Mayuri and Pushpaka Vimana to Aditya 369, Bhairava Dweepam and Sing Geetham, his career remained closely associated with experimentation and an enduring interest in new ways of telling stories.
