Bapu

Sattiraju Lakshminarayana (15 December 1933 – 31 August 2014), 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 (1967) was showcased at Tashkent International film festival in 1968. Seeta Kalyanam (1976) 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 (1981) and Pelli Pustakam (1991) 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.

He was given a state funeral by the Government of Tamil Nadu.

Filmography

Sakshi (1967) Bangaaru Pichika (1968) Buddhimantudu (1969) Inti Gowravam (1970) Balaraju Katha (1970) Sampoorna Ramayanamu (1972) Andala Ramudu (1973) Sri Ramanjaneya Yuddham (1975) Mutyala Muggu (1975) Sita Kalyanam (1976) Sri Rajeswari Vilas Coffee Club (1976) Bhakta Kannappa (1976) Sneham (1977) Mana Voori Pandavulu (1978) Gorantha Deepam (1978) Toorpu Velle Railu (1979) Vamsa Vruksham (1980) Rajadhi Raju (1980) Pandanti Jeevitam (1980) Kaliyuga Ravanaasurudu (1980) Hum Paanch* (1980) Tyagayya (1981) Radha Kalyanam (1981) Bezubaan* (1982) Krishnaavataram (1982) Pelleedu Pillalu (1982) Neethi Devan Mayakkam (1982) Edi Dharmam Edi Nyayam? (1982) Mantri Gari Viyyankudu (1983) Woh Saat Din* (1983) Seethamma Pelli (1984) Mohabbat* (1985) Pyari Behna* (1985) Bullet (1985) Jackie (1985) Kalyana Tamboolam (1986) Mera Dharam* (1986) Diljalaa* (1987) Prem Pratigyaa* (1989) Pelli Pustakam (1991) Mr. Pellam (1993) Srinatha Kavi Sarvabhowmudu (1993) Pelli Koduku (1994) Paramaatma* (1994) Rambantu (1995) Xtra (2004) (as music director) Radha Gopalam (2005) Sundarakanda (2008) Sri Rama Rajyam (2011)

Those marked as * are Hindi films

Awards and honours The President, Shri Pranab Mukherjee presenting the Padma Shree Award to Shri S. Lakshminarayana (Bapu), at an Investiture Ceremony, at Rashtrapati Bhavan, in New Delhi on April 05, 2013

Civilian honours Padma Shri – Government of India – 2013

National honours Life Time Achievement Award from Indian Institute of Cartoonists – 2001 President of India Rashtrapati Award from the Academy of Fine Arts, Tirupati

National Film Awards National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Telugu – Mutyala Muggu National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Telugu – Mister Pellam

Filmfare Awards South Filmfare Best Director Award (Telugu) – Seeta Kalyanam (1976) Filmfare Best Director Award (Telugu) – Vamsa Vruksham (1980) Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award – South – (2012)

Nandi Awards Raghupathi Venkaiah Award – Life Time Achievement in Telugu cinema – 1986

Nandi Award for Best Feature Film (director) 1971: Balaraju Katha 1973: Andala Ramudu 1975: Mutyala Muggu 1991: Pelli Pustakam 1993: Mr. Pellam 2011: Sri Rama Rajyam

Other Honours Asthana Vidwan by Andhra Pradesh Academy of Arts. South Indian Film Director's Association Award for Best direction – Sampoorna Ramayanam – 1972 Visishta Puraskaramu from Potti Sreeramulu Telugu University – 2002 Life Time Achievement Award from Telugu Association of North America "Shiromani" award fromBooks: American Telugu Association – 1992 Honorary Doctorate "Kala Prapoorna" from Andhra University – 1991 Raja-Lakshmi Award in 1982 from Sri Raja-Lakshmi Foundation, Chennai – 1982