Bapu (director)


Sattiraju Lakshminarayana, known professionally as Bapu, was an Indian film director, painter, illustrator, cartoonist, screenwriter, music artist, and designer known for his works in Telugu cinema, and Hindi cinema. In 2013, he was awarded the Padma Shri, for his contribution to Indian art and cinema. He has garnered two National Honors, two National Film Awards, seven state Nandi Awards, two Filmfare Awards South, a Raghupathi Venkaiah Award, and a Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award – South.
Bapu's directorial venture Sakshi was showcased at Tashkent International film festival in 1968. Seeta Kalyanam was screened at the BFI London Film Festival, Chicago International Film Festival, San Reno and Denver International Film Festivals in 1978, and is part of the course at the British Film Institute. Tyagayya and Pelli Pustakam were premiered at the Indian Panorama of the International Film Festival of India. Bapu's 2011 film, Sri Rama Rajyam, had a special screening at International Film Festival of India on 28 November 2011.
In 1996, he appeared in the Doordarshan Documentary Eminent Cartoonists of India, and was awarded Lifetime Achievement from Indian Institute of Cartoonists in 2001. He gained international recognition through his art works viz., Bapu Bomma, The Navarasas, and the Indian Dances etc., which were held at the National Film Theatre, London, in 1978 and at the innumerable Telugu Conferences in the United States. He had worked as a graphic artist for J Walter Thomson, Efficient Publicities and F. D. Stewarts, Chennai.
In 1964, he was a delegate at the UNESCO sponsored seminar in Bangalore on Children's Books. The same year, he gave demonstrations for the training course programme on book illustrations and cover designs sponsored by UNESCO in Chennai. In the 1960s he served as an art Consultant for Ford Foundation sponsored The Southern Language Book Trust. He had designed and illustrated several books for leading publishers in South India out of which, five received Government Awards. He had also done the same for innumerable works drawn from Puranas and folklore.

Early life and background

Bapu was born on 15 December 1933, in Narsapuram, in present-day West Godavari district, Andhra Pradesh, India to Sattiraju Venugopala Rao and Suryakantam. He worked as a political cartoonist for the newspaper Andhra Patrika in 1945. He holds B.Com. and BL from University of Madras.

Painting

Bapu's paintings focus on Hindu mythological characters, and he painted the Hindu epic Ramayana as a pictorial story. His character portrayals, such as Shiva, Bhima, Duryodhana, look distinctly male with wide chests, large jaws and large biceps; while Krishna and Rama are more feminine in build.
His paintings have decorated the cover pages of many magazines in India and Abroad. Telugu Naadi Magazine published from US for Telugu audience have published Bapu's great paintings. Bapu also later served on their advisory board to guide and have an outstanding content for the magazine that catered to Telugu people.

Film career

Association with Ramana

Bapu's family was staying in Madras and in 1942, when the Japanese bombed Madras, there was a panic exodus and Bapu's family moved to Narasapuram and stayed there till 1945, when the Second World War ended. Bapu studied in Taylor High School, Narasapuram during these years.
Mullapudi Venkataramana's father, who was working as a Sub-Registrar was posted at Narasapuram during the years 1942-45 and so, Venkataramana also studied in Taylor high School, Narasapram, during those years. They were classmates during those three years and that is how their association started. They continued schooling at Kesari High School, Madras. Ramana's first short story 'Amma Maata Vinakapote' was published in 1945 in 'Bala', a children's magazine published by Radio Annayya, he was 14 then. Bapu illustrated the story. That was the beginning of their career as a writer-producer -illustrator- filmmaker duo".
Started as an illustrator-story writer team and then turning into a film-director-writer duo, they have contributed to the enrichment of Telugu cultural ethos through literature and cinema. The most notable achievement in his movie making is his success in capturing the nativity of Telugu people and translating it to on-screen visuals.
Ventures like Sampoorna Ramayanamu, Ramanjaneya Yuddham and Seeta Kalyanam have been the milestones of Telugu cinema, while historical films like Thyagayya, Bhakta Kannappa and Shreenatha kavisarvabhouma have been hugely successful. Bapu-Ramana combination had created movie magic on the large screen with some of the path breaking films in Telugu cinema and are ever remembered for films like Radha Kalyanam, Mutyala Muggu, Sakshi, Mr. Pellam, Pelli Pustakam. Bapu directed Mana Voori Pandavulu, which won the Filmfare Award for Best Film - Telugu.
Bapu is known for his classic movies in Indian cinema, Bapu had directed Hindi films such as Hum Paanch, Bezubaan, Woh Saat Din, Mohabbat, Pyari Behna, Mera Dharam, Diljalaa, Prem Pratigyaa and Paramaatma.

Death

Bapu had suffered heart attacks many times throughout his career. He was admitted into a hospital at Chennai in mid August 2014. He suffered from a cardiac arrest on 31 August 2014, and died later on the same day.
He was given a state funeral by the Government of Tamil Nadu.

Filmography

  1. Sakshi
  2. Bangaaru Pichika
  3. Buddhimantudu
  4. Inti Gowravam
  5. Balaraju Katha
  6. Sampoorna Ramayanamu
  7. Andala Ramudu
  8. Sri Ramanjaneya Yuddham
  9. Mutyala Muggu
  10. Sita Kalyanam
  11. Sri Rajeswari Vilas Coffee Club
  12. Bhakta Kannappa
  13. Sneham
  14. Mana Voori Pandavulu
  15. Gorantha Deepam
  16. Toorpu Velle Railu
  17. Vamsa Vruksham
  18. Rajadhi Raju
  19. Pandanti Jeevitam
  20. Kaliyuga Ravanaasurudu
  21. Hum Paanch*
  22. Tyagayya
  23. Radha Kalyanam
  24. Bezubaan*
  25. Krishnaavataram
  26. Pelleedu Pillalu
  27. Neethi Devan Mayakkam
  28. Edi Dharmam Edi Nyayam?
  29. Mantri Gari Viyyankudu
  30. Woh Saat Din*
  31. Seethamma Pelli
  32. Mohabbat*
  33. Pyari Behna*
  34. Bullet
  35. Jackie
  36. Kalyana Tamboolam
  37. Mera Dharam*
  38. Diljalaa*
  39. Prem Pratigyaa*
  40. Pelli Pustakam
  41. Mr. Pellam
  42. Srinatha Kavi Sarvabhowmudu
  43. Pelli Koduku
  44. Paramaatma*
  45. Rambantu
  46. Xtra
  47. Radha Gopalam
  48. Sundarakanda
  49. Sri Rama Rajyam
Those marked as * are Hindi films

Awards and honours

;Civilian honours
;National honours
;National Film Awards
;Filmfare Awards South
;Nandi Awards
;;Nandi Award for Best Feature Film :
;Other Honours