<p>Veteran filmmaker T Rama Rao died on Wednesday in Chennai leaving movie buffs heartbroken. He was 83. Born in Kapileswarapuram in 1938, the popular storyteller entered the film industry in the 50s when he assisted his cousin T Prakash Rao on a few projects. </p>.<p>He eventually made his directorial debut with the 1966 release Navarathri, the Telugu remake of Sivaji Ganesan's cult film of the same name. The ANR-starrer emerged as a major critical and commercial success helping Rao find a foothold in the industry. </p>.<p>He consolidated his standing in the industry with films such as Brahmachari and Jeevana Tarangalu. It was, however, the Sr NTR-led Yamagola that proved to be a gamechanger for him. The fantasy drama emerged as a blockbuster with critics describing it as a shining example of commercial cinema done right. The film's success paved the way for his Bollywood debut as he was soon roped in to direct its Hindi remake Lok Parlok, starring Jeetendra and Jaya Prada. The Hindi version too became a success, helping him add a new dimension to his career. </p>.<p>Post this, Rao directed several popular Bollywood films, establishing what many dubbed the 'Madras movie phenomena'. Most of his Hindi films were produced by Madras-based production houses and featured actors from the South Indian film fraternity. Rao introduced Rajinikanth to the Bollywood audience with the 1983 release Andhaa Kanoon, which has attained cult status over the years. He reunited with 'Superstar' for John Jani Janardhan and Dosti Dushmani.</p>.<p>Rao, like K Raghavendra Rao, frequently teamed up with Jeetendra. This combination's most notable films include Lok Parlok, Judaai , Maang Bharo Sajana, and Sada Suhagan.</p>.<p>Rao directed Amitabh Bachchan and Kamal Haasan in Khabardar, which revolved around euthanasia, but the film was shelved as the topic was too bold for the times. Rao, nonetheless, shared a strong equation with Big B. He directed AB sr in Inquilaab and the previously-mentioned Andhaa Kanoon. He also produced the legend's popular movie Aakhree Raasta. </p>.<p>In the 90s, Rao teamed up with Mithun Chakraborty for action films such as Raavan Raaj, Jung and Sautela. He also directed Govinda, Anil Kapoor, and Vinod Khanna during this phase. Rao's last movies as director Bulandi and Beti No 1 hit the screens in 2000. </p>.<p>Rao carved a niche for himself in Tamil cinema producing films such as Dhill, Youth, and Unakkum Enakkum. </p>.<p>His death is a big loss for the film fraternity as it marks the end of an era.</p>
<p>Veteran filmmaker T Rama Rao died on Wednesday in Chennai leaving movie buffs heartbroken. He was 83. Born in Kapileswarapuram in 1938, the popular storyteller entered the film industry in the 50s when he assisted his cousin T Prakash Rao on a few projects. </p>.<p>He eventually made his directorial debut with the 1966 release Navarathri, the Telugu remake of Sivaji Ganesan's cult film of the same name. The ANR-starrer emerged as a major critical and commercial success helping Rao find a foothold in the industry. </p>.<p>He consolidated his standing in the industry with films such as Brahmachari and Jeevana Tarangalu. It was, however, the Sr NTR-led Yamagola that proved to be a gamechanger for him. The fantasy drama emerged as a blockbuster with critics describing it as a shining example of commercial cinema done right. The film's success paved the way for his Bollywood debut as he was soon roped in to direct its Hindi remake Lok Parlok, starring Jeetendra and Jaya Prada. The Hindi version too became a success, helping him add a new dimension to his career. </p>.<p>Post this, Rao directed several popular Bollywood films, establishing what many dubbed the 'Madras movie phenomena'. Most of his Hindi films were produced by Madras-based production houses and featured actors from the South Indian film fraternity. Rao introduced Rajinikanth to the Bollywood audience with the 1983 release Andhaa Kanoon, which has attained cult status over the years. He reunited with 'Superstar' for John Jani Janardhan and Dosti Dushmani.</p>.<p>Rao, like K Raghavendra Rao, frequently teamed up with Jeetendra. This combination's most notable films include Lok Parlok, Judaai , Maang Bharo Sajana, and Sada Suhagan.</p>.<p>Rao directed Amitabh Bachchan and Kamal Haasan in Khabardar, which revolved around euthanasia, but the film was shelved as the topic was too bold for the times. Rao, nonetheless, shared a strong equation with Big B. He directed AB sr in Inquilaab and the previously-mentioned Andhaa Kanoon. He also produced the legend's popular movie Aakhree Raasta. </p>.<p>In the 90s, Rao teamed up with Mithun Chakraborty for action films such as Raavan Raaj, Jung and Sautela. He also directed Govinda, Anil Kapoor, and Vinod Khanna during this phase. Rao's last movies as director Bulandi and Beti No 1 hit the screens in 2000. </p>.<p>Rao carved a niche for himself in Tamil cinema producing films such as Dhill, Youth, and Unakkum Enakkum. </p>.<p>His death is a big loss for the film fraternity as it marks the end of an era.</p>
