He has to his credit several successful films and was known to encourage fresh talent in an industry that treats newcomers with some trepidation. But filmmaker K.S. Prakash Rao had a knack for talent spotting apart from making strong women-centric films at a time when it was almost unheard of. In a career spanning over four decades, the veteran filmmaker left behind an inspiring legacy. As the industry celebrates his 100th birth anniversary, his elder son K. Krishna Mohan Rao, a veteran producer himself, recounts his father’s love for cinema and the meticulous planning that went into each shot.
“My earliest memory of my father is of him working on the sets of a film. As children my brother Raghavendra Rao and I would accompany him to the sets during vacations. Watching him work was fascinating. He would always have the entire script ready before beginning shoots. In fact, so meticulous was his work that the night before a shoot he would even have his shot division in place,” says Krishna Mohan, adding, “His shot divisions would be so well planned that even an assistant director could handle the shoot in his absence. And that was his aim – to encourage even assistant directors to be able to call the shots and determine how a shoot should proceed.”
While most people might have expected elaborate celebrations to commemorate the late filmmaker’s centenary birth anniversary, his family preferred to keep it low key. “We really wanted it to be a private affair. So on August 27, his birthday, the entire family, i.e. 50 of us, gathered and spent the day together recalling our fond memories of him. Apart from this, ETV is making a documentary on his life and it should be aired shortly,” he explains.
Interestingly, films were never on Prakash Rao’s agenda. Born in a middle-class agricultural family in Krishna district, he went on to work for the Industrial Insurance company after he completed his education. It was a chance meeting with filmmaker Gudavalli Ramabrahmam that landed him in tinsel town. “Back then Ramabrahmam had made Mala Pilla , a controversial film in those times. This was reviewed by my father and Ramabrahmam happened to read it. Impressed, he wanted to know more about the man behind the review. That established a correspondence between the two and led to him being cast in Apavadu and later in Pathni ,” says Krishna Mohan.
But Prakash Rao was also fascinated by the process of filmmaking and would assist Ramabrahmam in directing films. In the 1940s he collaborated with Sarathy films and produced his first film Gruhapravesham in 1946 with L.V. Prasad directing it. Subsequently, Prakash Rao set up his own banner Swatantra Films and made Drohi in which he himself acted. He later went on to set up Prakash Productions, under which he produced several successful films like Deeksha, Kanna Thalli, Thasildar Gari Ammayi and the most memorable Prem Nagar , which was also made in Tamil and Hindi. The filmmaker also believed that films meant exclusively for children should be made and hence made Balanandam with about 150 children.
Films apart Prakash Rao was also an adept Bridge player and believed that it was an intelligent game and not merely gambling. “He would play Bridge at tournaments, but not for money. It was a passion that he developed when Prakash Productions was going through a lean period,” says Krishna Mohan.
Prakash Rao, who also loved to encourage new talent, is known to have introduced several successful actors, directors, music directors and producers to the film industry. His own sons Krishna Mohan Rao, K. Raghavendra Rao and the late K.S. Prakash have been noted producers, directors and cinematographers respectively, with Krishna Mohan and Raghavendra Rao now running RK Films. His grandson Prakash Rao is also into filmmaking and has in the past acted in Morning Raga .
