Dasari Narayana Rao

Dasari Narayana Rao (4 May 1947 – 30 May 2017) was an Indian film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, lyricist, and politician known for his works predominantly in Telugu cinema, in addition to Hindi cinema. He has directed more than 150 feature films in a variety of genres. He holds the Limca World Record for directing the most number of films in the world. He is known by the moniker Darsaka Ratna (transl. Jewel among directors). His works emphasize social injustice, corruption and gender discrimination. Narayana Rao has received two National Film Awards, nine state Nandi Awards including the Raghupathi Venkaiah Award, and four Filmfare Awards South including the Lifetime Achievement. During his career he had also acted in Telugu, Tamil, and Kannada films.

Dasari Narayana Rao also gained recognition for directing Hindi films such as Swarag Narak (1978), Jyoti Bane Jwala (1980), Pyaasa Sawan (1981), Prem Tapasya (1983), Aaj Ka M.L.A. Ram Avtar (1984), Asha Jyoti (1984), Yaadgaar (1984), Zakhmi Sher (1984), Sarfarosh (1985), Wafadaar (1985) etc. He directed works such as Tandra Paparayudu (1986), and Surigaadu (1992) which were screened at International Film Festival of India in the Panorama section, and Kante Koothurne Kanu (1998) which received the National Film Award Special Mention Feature Film. In 1983, he directed Meghasandesam which screened at the Indian Panorama, the Tashkent Film Festival, and the Moscow film festival. The film also won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Telugu.

He was elected to the Rajya Sabha in the year 2006. He became the Minister of state in the Ministry of Coal in the Manmohan Singh government.