Producer of landmark movies like Shankarabharanam , Sagarasangamam and Swatimutyam , Edida Nageswara Rao passed away on Sunday evening in the city in a corporate hospital.
The body of the 81-year-old award winning producer would be taken to his ‘Shankarabharanam Nivasam’ at Film Nagar on Monday morning and the last rites would take place at Mahaprasthanam crematorium in the evening. He is survived by wife and a son.
Born on April 24, 1934, late Nageswara Rao started his career as a theatre artiste, film actor, dubbing artiste and turned into a film producer by launching Poornodaya Movie Creations. Joining hands with eminent director K. Vishwanath, Edida Nageswara produced his maiden move Siri Siri Muvva, a runaway hit in 1978.
In all, he produced 10 movies which turned out to be very popular. There was no looking back as his subsequent movies Tayaramma Bangarayya (1979), Shankarabharanam (1979), Seetakoka Chiluka (1981), Sagarasangamam (1983), Sitara (1984), Swatimutyam (1986), Swayamkrushi (1987) and Apatbandhavudu (1991) went on to become big hits and also bagged several awards at the national level for best feature film in Telugu category.
Shankarabharanam , Swayamkrushi , Siri Siri Muvva , Swatimutyam won national awards while Apatbandhavudu , Swarakalpana , Sitara , Sagarasangamam , Seetakoka Chiluka and Tayaramma Bangarayya movies walked away with Nandi awards. Siri Siri Muvva and Swatimutyam also had the distinction of being screened at Moscow Film Festival even as Shankarabharanam brought him critical acclaim at the global level.
Telangana Chief Minister K. Chandrasekhar Rao mourned the death of the veteran producer. By producing movies like Shankarabharanam and Sagarasangamam , he cemented his place in the hearts of movie goers, he said.
AP Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and YSR Congress president Y.S. Jaganmohan Reddy and others mourned his death.
Popular director K. Vishwanath termed the death of Edida Nageswara Rao as a big personal loss to him. Recalling his close association with the late producer, Mr. Vishwanath said Telugu film industry has lost an eminent personality and his loss cannot be compensated.
Comedian Ali said it was the late producer who had given him an opportunity as a child artiste in Seetakoka Chiluka . “It was through the Bharatiraja-directed film that I entered the film industry,” he said, adding that Nageswara Rao would always enquire about the well being of the film personalities.