From a small village in Telangana to the pinnacle of the art world

Some recognise him for his path-breaking films. Some others find his paintings intriguing. Some have been mesmerised by his literature.

Hyderabad: Some recognise him for his path-breaking films. Some others find his paintings intriguing. Some have been mesmerised by his literature. But what Narsing Rao really is, is a renaissance man and a true artist.

Born into a farmer family in Medak, Rao was interested in acting from a young age. He wanted to study at the acclaimed Santiniketan, but fate had other plans for him. He ended up getting professionally trained as a painter, something he never expected he would be good at.

“I never thought that I could draw. I got admission because I was already an actor and the drama team there wanted a member desperately. It all happened by chance, but today, painting is where I find my happiness,” says Rao who hosted his first solo show when he was still a student in 1971, a rare occurrence at that time.

But painting did not come to him easily. He struggled a lot in his first two years at college and put in numerous hours at the library studying the work of other eminent painters. Today, he is one of the country’s noted abstract painters.

“Whatever I learned about art in general, be it filmmaking or painting or any other art form, it has been through observing. I observed the work of established artists and learned from them. I observe my surroundings and channel them into my art,” he says.

His films ‘Maa Ooru’, ‘Matti Manushulu’, ‘Daasi’, and others, are to date some of the most classic examples of filmmaking and display his authority on Telangana’s folklore. He won numerous awards as a filmmaker, including five National Awards, three Nandi Awards, and various other recognitions nationally and internationally.

After his long hiatus from filmmaking, the 75-year-old is planning to work on a movie that will possibly take to floors in the next six months.

“I do not want to make movies for the sake of making them. I must have spent more time and money on writing scripts than making movies. If I feel disconnected from a concept, I will not make that movie,” says Rao, adding he wants the audience to be in a state of unrest after watching his movies, not just for a while but for life.

He has been a jury member for several film festivals and has delivered multiple lectures all over the world. He also addressed the students at his dream institution Santiniketan, marking a full circle in his career.

Even today, Rao works for 8-12 hours daily. He paints, writes poems, and most essentially creates art pieces that are a reflection of the world we live in. “Nobody forces me to work, I work for the joy of it,” he concludes.

Awards he won in the last two years

1. The International Forum for Creativity and Humanity, Morocco, honoured him with the highest civilian award – ‘Moroccan Star for Creativity’. This is in recognition of his ‘Efforts in the cultural and humanitarian fields’.

2. Women of Hearts Awards London conferred the ‘Gentleman with a Heart Award 2022’. This was for his ‘Leadership excellence and efforts for humanity with multiple distinguished and outstanding talents and skills in the film industry and creative arts’.

3. The International Human Rights Organization/International Forum for Creativity and Humanity, Morocco, presented him with a ‘Certificate of Thanks and Appreciation’. The citation reads ‘Efforts contributing to the success of the process of promoting peaceful peace among human beings in the world and services to Human Rights’.

4. International Forum for Creativity and Humanity, Morocco, presented him with an ‘Honorary Doctorate’. The citation reads ‘This PhD is for your efforts in the humanitarian and cultural spheres’.

5. Leaders Autonomy International, Philippines honoured him with ‘Doctor of Excellence’ on April 21, 2022 on behalf of the Theophany International University/Algilani Institute International, for exceptional ‘contributions to the world of creativity and humanity’.

6. The Federation of World Cultural & Art Society Singapore (FOWCASS) gave him the ultimate recognition in 2021 by absorbing him as ‘International Multicultural Distinguished Honorary Advisor’. Only 12 internationally acclaimed celebrities are appointed as honorary advisors from among 160-member nations.