“ Guru garu is a beacon of light to the Telugu film industry. His good work will continue to inspire many generations to come,” says Relangi Narasimha Rao, Telugu film director, screenwriter and a close associate of Dasari Narayana Rao.
Talking about his 46-year-long association with ‘the doyen’ of the industry, he recalls: “I lived with my parents only the initial 20 years of my life. Since 1971, I have been with my ‘guru’ who taught me the nitty-gritty of film direction. The entire credit for the 75 films I have directed so far goes to him,” he says.
Mr. Narasimha Rao says there came a point when upset over an issue, he expressed his desire to go away from him.
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“I quietly went, touched his feet and simply said that wherever I would be, I would always do proud to him. He did not say anything. But later, a colleague came to me and said that Guru garu had not eaten that day. I gave up the idea of leaving him and never thought of it again,” says he.
“I vividly remember it was the 25th week celebrations of Premabhishekam at Woodlands in Chennai, where the Telugu film industry was located then. There was a serpentine queue of directors, producers, youngsters aspiring to be what Dasari was, to touch his feet and seek his blessings,” reminisces Telugu film director Geetakrishna. “I was an associate director under K. Viswanath and we would often wonder how a single director could make so many films at one go. Wizards like Dasari and K. Balachander brought a rare finesse to film direction. ,” says the director. Yesteryear director of award-winning film Ankuram C. Umamaheswara Rao, who met him recently in the hospital, says he is saddened by his demise. “Some five years back, he narrated a story to me and wanted me to work on it. But somehow, I did not like it and avoided him after that. But there was no sign of any discord when I met him after a long gap,” says Mr. Umamaheswara Rao.