SNS Sastry

SNS Sastry was an Indian cinematographer and documentary filmmaker who was active from the 1950s to 1978. He is a winner of four national awards for Malwa, One Day (1964), I Am 20 (1967), and And I Make Short Films (1968).

Career Sastry earned a diploma in cinematography from the Bengaluru Polytechnic, now the Government Film and Television Institute (GFTI), Bengaluru.

He joined Films Division India, the state-run film production and distribution unit, as a newsreel cameraman in the early 1950s. Over time, he became a director. For nearly three decades until 1978, Sastry made several documentaries for Films Division. The most notable among these are One Day (1964), I Am Twenty (1967), And I Make Short Films (1968), This Bit of That India (1972), The Burning Sun (1973), Our Indira (1973), and Flashback (1974).

Despite being state-sponsored, Sastry’s films are marked by a subtle criticism of the political, economic and social developments of the time. His works often feature gentle self-criticism, questioning mindsets, and resilient attitudes.

Filmography As director – documentaries Nagarjunakonda (1958) Call of the Kheda (1962) The Sons Who Served (1963) Malwa (1963) A Privilege (1963) One Day (1964) That Delta – That River (1965) NEFA: The Years of Promise (1965) Invitation to Enchantment (1965) Yet in Him We Trust (1966) Parambikulam - Aliyar Project (1966) The Sainik Schoolway (1967) Jai Jawan (1967) I Am Twenty (1967) The Capture of Haji Pir Pass (1968) And I Make Short Films (1968) On the Move (1970) Amir Khan (1970) We (1971) Keep Going (1971) Care...A Little More (1971) Yes, It's On (1972) Mining the White Gold (1972) He is Back (1972) The Burning Sun (1973) Our Indira (1973) Raga - I India (1974) Raga - II India (1974) Portrait of a Prime Minister (1974) Flashback (1974) Faces - India (1974) Somewhere in the Deep Woods (1975) Strides (1975) Take Off (1975) This Bit of That India (1975) We Have a Promise to Keep (1975) A Decade of Achievement (1976) Love in Action (1976) Not a Bed of Features (1976) Pragati Ke Das Saal (1976) The First Leap (1976) Naya Daur (1976) A Sister for Kittu (1978)

As cinematographer - documentaries Dr Vishveshawaraya