Kovelamudi Raghavendra Rao (born 23 May 1942) is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and producer known for his works predominantly in

Telugu cinema Telugu cinema, also known as Tollywood, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Telugu language, widely spoken in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Telugu cinema is based in Film Nagar, ...

besides having directed a few

Hindi film Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...

s. He has garnered four state

Nandi Awards The Nandi Awards are the awards that recognise the excellence in Telugu cinema, Telugu theatre and Telugu television, and Lifetime achievements in Indian cinema. Presented annually by the Government of Andhra Pradesh, the award is named af ...

and five

Filmfare Awards South Filmfare Awards South is the South Indian segment of the annual Filmfare Awards, presented by the Filmfare magazine of The Times Group to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the Indian film industry encompassin ...

.CINEmaa Lifetime Achievement Award for Raghavendra Rao – The Hindu
/ref> In a film career spanning more than four decades, Rao has directed more than a hundred feature films across multiple genres such as

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a subgenre of comedy and slice of life fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount most obstacles. In a typic ...

fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction involving magical elements, typically set in a fictional universe and sometimes inspired by mythology and folklore. Its roots are in oral traditions, which then became fantasy literature and drama ...

, melodrama,

action thriller Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include life ...

biographical A biography, or simply bio, is a detailed description of a person's life. It involves more than just the basic facts like education, work, relationships, and death; it portrays a person's experience of these life events. Unlike a profile or c ...

and

romance film Romance films or movies involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters. Typically their journey ...

s. Rao received the state

Nandi Award for Best Director Nandi may refer to: People * Nandy (surname), Indian surname * Nandi (mother of Shaka) (1760–1827), daughter of Bhebe of the Langeni tribe * Onandi Lowe (born 1974), Jamaican footballer nicknamed Nandi * Nandi Bushell (born 2010), South Af ...

for his works such as ''

Bobbili Brahmanna ''Bobbili Brahmanna'' is a 1984 Telugu-language action drama film directed by K. Raghavendra Rao. It was produced by U. Suryanarayana Raju for the studio Gopi Krishna Movies. The film stars Krishnam Raju, Sharada, and Jayasudha as lead actors ...

'' (1984), and ''

Pelli Sandadi ''Pelli Sandadi'' () is a 1996 Indian Telugu-language musical romance film written and directed by K. Raghavendra Rao. The film stars Srikanth, Ravali and Deepti Bhatnagar. ''Pelli Sandadi'' was released on 12 January 1996 and was a major c ...

'' (1996). He garnered the

Filmfare Award for Best Director – Telugu The Filmfare Award for Best Director – Telugu is presented by the ''Filmfare'' magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards South for Telugu films. The awards were extended to "Best Director" in 1972.Film world, p 43 Superlatives * K. Visw ...

for the drama film ''Prema Lekhalu'' (1977), the fantasy film ''

Jagadeka Veerudu Athiloka Sundari ''Jagadeka Veerudu Athiloka Sundari'' (), also known by the initialism ''JVAS'', is a 1990 Indian Telugu-language fantasy film directed by K. Raghavendra Rao who co-wrote the script with Jandhyala and Yandamuri Veerendranath. The film stars Chi ...

'' (1990), and the

Allari Priyudu ''Allari Priyudu'' () is a 1993 Indian Telugu-language musical romantic comedy film directed by K. Raghavendra Rao. The film stars Rajasekhar, Ramya Krishna and Madhu Bala. The film was premiered at the 1994 International Film Festival of In ...

'' (1993). Rao is known for his works in

hagiographical A hagiography (; ) is a biography of a saint or an ecclesiastical leader, as well as, by extension, an adulatory and idealized biography of a founder, saint, monk, nun or icon in any of the world's religions. Early Christian hagiographies migh ...

films such as ''

Annamayya Tallapaka Annamacharya (Telugu : తాళ్ళపాక అన్నమాచార్య) ( IAST: taḷḷapāka annamācārya; 22 May 1408 – 4 April 1503), also popularly known as Annamayya, was a 15th-century Hindu saint and the e ...

'' (1997), which won two National Film Awards, and was also showcased at the 1998 International Film Festival of India in the mainstream section. Rao also received the Nandi Award for Best Direction, the Filmfare Award for Best Direction for his work in the film. His other hagiographic works such as ''

Sri Manjunatha Manjunath is another name for the Hindu deity Shiva. It may also refer to: People * B. C. Manjunath, Indian classical musician/percussionist * Shanmugam Manjunath (1978–2005), Indian marketing manager murdered for his stand against corruption * ...

'' (2001), ''

Sri Ramadasu ''Sri Ramadasu'' is 2006 Indian Telugu-language biographical film, based on the life of musician saint '' Kancharla Gopanna'', produced by Konda Krishnam Raju on Aditya Movies banner and directed by K. Raghavendra Rao. Starring Akkineni Nages ...

'' (2006), ''

Shirdi Sai ''Shirdi Sai'' is a 2012 Indian Telugu-language biographical film, produced by A.Mahesh Reddy on AMR Sai Krupa Entertainments banner, directed by K. Raghavendra Rao. Starring Nagarjuna as the 19th-20th century spiritual guru Sai Baba of Shirdi ...

'' (2012) and ''

Om Namo Venkatesaya ''Om Namo Venkatesaya'' is a 2017 Indian Telugu-language Hindu devotional biographical film directed by K. Raghavendra Rao and produced by A. Mahesh Reddy on AMR Sai Krupa Entertainments banner. The film stars Nagarjuna as Hathiram Bhavaji, a ...

'' (2017), received several state honours. His mainstream works such as the 1987

social problem film A social problem film is a narrative film that integrates a larger social conflict into the individual conflict between its characters. In the context of the United States and of Hollywood, the genre is defined by fictionalized depictions of soci ...

Agni Putrudu ''Agni Putrudu'' () is a 1987 Indian Telugu-language action film, produced by Venkat Akkineni under the Annapurna Studios banner and directed by K. Raghavendra Rao. It stars Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Nagarjuna, Sarada, Rajani and Sivaji Ganes ...

'', and the 1988 action thriller ''

Aakhari Poratam ''Aakhari Poratam'' () is a 1988 Indian Telugu-language action film produced by C. Ashwini Dutt under the Vyjayanthi Movies banner and directed by K. Raghavendra Rao. It stars Nagarjuna, Sridevi with music composed by Ilaiyaraaja. Based on th ...

'', were screened at the 11th and 12th International Film Festival of India respectively in the mainstream section. In 1992, he directed the melodrama ''

Gharana Mogudu ''Gharana Mogudu'' () is a 1992 Indian Telugu-language romantic drama film directed by K. Raghavendra Rao. The film stars Chiranjeevi, Nagma and Vani Viswanath with Rao Gopal Rao and Kaikala Satyanarayana in supporting roles. Music is comp ...

'' which premiered at the 1993 International Film Festival of India in the mainstream section. It became the first

Telugu film Telugu cinema, also known as Tollywood, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Telugu language, widely spoken in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Telugu cinema is based in Film Nagar, H ...

to gross over at the box office. Next, he directed the instant hit ''

'' (1993), which also premiered at the 1994 International Film Festival of India in the mainstream section.

Personal life

Raghavendra Rao was born on 23 May 1942 to veteran director

K. S. Prakash Rao Kovelamudi Surya Prakash Rao (1914–1996) was an Indian film director, producer, actor and cinematographer known for his works in Telugu, Kannada, and Hindi films. In 1977 he won the Filmfare Award for Best Director – Kannada for ''Ganda Hendt ...

and Koteswaramma. He is also the father of actor turned filmmaker

Prakash Kovelamudi Prakash Rao Kovelamudi is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and actor known for his works in alternative cinema, across various languages. He is known for works such as Morning Raga (2004), with which he made his Bollywood acting debut. He ...

. Raghavendra Rao was an executive member in the

Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) is an independent trust which manages the temples including the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple in Andhra Pradesh. The trust oversees the operations and finances of the richest and the most visited religious cent ...

Board from 2015 to 2019.

Awards and honors

;

NTR National Award The NTR National Award is an annual award presented by the Government of Andhra Pradesh to recognize people for their lifetime achievements and contributions to the Cinema of India. The NTR National Award is an honorary Nandi Award in the honour ...

- 2015 *B. N. Reddy National Award for lifetime contribution to Telugu cinema (2009) * Best Director – ''

'' (1997) * Best Choreographer – ''

'' (1996) * Best Director – ''

'' (1993) * Best Director – ''

'' (1984) ;Filmfare Awards South * Best Director – ''Prema Lekhalu'' (1977) *Best Director – ''

'' (1990) *Best Director – ''Allari Priyudu'' (1993) *Best Director – ''Annamayya'' (1997) *

Lifetime Achievement Award Lifetime achievement awards are awarded by various organizations, to recognize contributions over the whole of a career, rather than or in addition to single contributions. Such awards, and organizations presenting them, include: A * A.C. ...

(2002) ;

IIFA Awards The International Indian Film Academy Awards, popularly known as IIFA, is an annual awards ceremony for Bollywood. Produced by Wizcraft International Entertainment Pvt. Ltd, the winners of the awards are decided by fans, who vote online for th ...

*Outstanding contribution to Indian cinema (2017) ;

SIIMA Awards South Indian International Movie Awards, also known as the SIIMA Awards, rewards the artistic and technical achievements of the South Indian film industry. It was launched in 2012 by Vishnu Vardhan Induri and Brinda Prasad Adusimilli to appre ...

(2014) ;

CineMAA Awards The CineMAA Awards are presented annually by the Maa TV Group to honour artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the Telugu Cinema. The awards were introduced in 2004. The CineMAA Awards are voted for by both the public and a commit ...

*Lifetime Contribution Award – (2012) *Best Film (Jury) – ''

'' – (2013) ;Other Awards *Allu Rama Lingaiah Award (2016)

Filmography

Director

Actor

Supervisor of direction

Associate director

Producer

Presenter

Choreographer

Television

*2002: ''Santhi Nivasam'' (

ETV Telugu ETV is an Indian Telugu-language general entertainment pay television channel. The channel was launched on 27 August 1995 focusing on the state of Andhra Pradesh. It is a part of the ETV Network owned by Ramoji Group. It is the second oldest Tel ...

) *2010: ''Arundathi'' (

ETV Kannada Colors Kannada (previously known as '' ETV Kannada''), is an Indian general entertainment channel, owned by Viacom18 that primarily broadcasts Kannada language entertainment shows. This channel is currently available in India and the United St ...

) *2013: ''Mangammagari Manavaralu'' (

Zee telugu Zee Telugu is an Indian Telugu-language general entertainment pay television channel in India. It was launched on 12 September 2004 as ''Alpha Telugu'' and was rebranded as ''Zee Telugu'' on 18 May 2005. The channel is owned by Zee Entertainm ...

) *2014: ''Soundrya Lahari'' (

) *2016: ''Koyilamma'' (

MAA TV Star Maa (formerly Maa TV) is an Indian Telugu language general entertainment pay television channel owned by Disney Star, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company India. The channel telecasts Telugu language programmes such as serials, Realit ...

) *2017: ''Sye Sye Sayyare'' (

) *2017: ''Agnisakshi'' (

Star MAA Star Maa (formerly Maa TV) is an Indian Telugu language general entertainment pay television channel owned by Disney Star, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company India. The channel telecasts Telugu language programmes such as serials, real ...

) *2018: ''Siri Siri Muvvalu '' (

) *2020: ''C/o Anasuya'' (

) *2021: ''Krishna Tulasi'' (

)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Rao, K. Raghavendra Living people Telugu film directors Kannada film directors 21st-century Indian film directors Filmfare Awards South winners Nandi Award winners Hindi-language film directors Telugu film producers Hindi film producers Indian film choreographers People from Krishna district Film people from Andhra Pradesh Dancers from Andhra Pradesh 20th-century Indian film directors Film producers from Andhra Pradesh Film directors from Andhra Pradesh Screenwriters from Andhra Pradesh 1941 births South Indian International Movie Awards winners