Veteran film producer Edida Nageswara Rao is the most memorable producer for creative films. He has brought international recognition to Telugu films with the films which has good music, dance and gripping screenplay. Poornodaya banner’s head Edida Nageswara Rao, who produced a film like ‘Sankarabharanam’, was also known for movies like ‘Sagara Sangamam’, ‘Siri Siri Muvva’, ‘Sitakoka Chiluka’, ‘Swati Muthyam’ and ‘Swayam Krushi’. He was born to Sattiraju Naidu and Papalakshmi on April 24 in 1934 in Kottapeta village in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh. His wife is Jaya Lakshmi and he has one daughter and three sons. His younger sons Edida Sriram and Edida Raja have settled as actor and producer respectively.
Poornodaya has produced few outstanding movies:
Edida Nageswara Rao has established Poornodaya in 1978 and brought us some extraordinary films and proved himself as a producer with good taste. He along with 19 others has collectively made a film ‘Siri Siri Muvva’ and this is how his career has started as producer and his first solo production is ‘Tayaramma Bangarayya’. He has produced 10 films in a span of 30 years and won critical acclaims and several national awards. He produced ‘Sankarabharanam’ under the direction of K Viswanath garu and has created a new trend and it will remain forever as a cult movie in the history of Telugu film industry.
Many films in the direction of K Viswanath:
Majority of the film he produced were in the direction of K Viswanath. ‘Siri Siri Muvva’, ‘Sankarabharanam’, ‘Sagara Sangamam’, ‘Swathi Mutyam’, ‘Swayamkrushi’ and ‘Aaapadbandhavudu’ will remain in the hearts of Telugu audience forever. ‘Sankarabharanam’, ‘Sagara Sangamam’, ‘Swathi Mutyam’ and ‘Sitara’ films have won many awards in national level and dubbed into Russian language even and audience there too were impressed. He had extended his services as a jury member in award committee. He has bid goodbye to the production department after ‘Aapadbandhavudu’ as the new trends in the production were against his style of working and he never wants to compromise on ethics.
Inseparable bonding with K Viswanath.
The combination of K Viswanath and Edida Nageswara Rao was known as winning combination. Not just the professional bonding they were very close at heart even.
Heap of Awards for ‘Sankarabharanam’.
Sankarabharanam which is made based on a classical musical backdrop has won 8 Nandi awards and many national awards. It was showcased in IFFI. It was well received by audience at Tashkent and Masco Film festivals. It has won best film award at Besancon film festival in 1981.
Condolences:
Dr Jagadish has expressed his condolences on the demise of Edida Nageswara Rao on Facebook.
When I first watched this film as a kid of 12 years old, I was in a complete trance and tears rolled on my cheeks. I was so moved by the story and I was in a complete trance from start till the end. Kid of that age will expect all commercial elements like songs and dances, but this film is completely different and it has changed my perspective of a good movies forever. People have gone miles to watch ‘Shankarabharanam’.
I was not allowed to look at Kamal Haasan’s posters even as he was the hero of films like ‘Manmadha Leela’, ‘Vayasu Pilichindi’ and ‘Tik Tik Tik’. But Edidi Nageswara Rao and K Viswanath have shown what Kamal Haasan is capable of by making ‘Sagara Sangamam’. They have shown a right path to the Telugu film industry which is going direction less till then. This came at a time when people were still struck in ‘Sankarabharanam’ trance. Edidi Nareswara Rao and K Viswanath, who have taken Telugu film to a different level, are a gift to the Telugu film industry. Edida Nageswara Rao stands out in the heap of producers. He is not a typical commercial producer who treats the movie as a business.
Whenever I come across Annavaram, it will remind me of ‘Sankarabharanam’. Please bless us with your presence once again. We will wait forever.
