Bapu (director) facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Bapu
Bapu when conferred with the "Viswa Vikhyata Darsaka Maharshi" award in 2014
Born	Sattiraju Lakshminarayana (1933-12-15)15 December 1933 Narasapuram, Madras Presidency, British India (now in Andhra Pradesh, India)
Died	31 August 2014(2014-08-31) (aged 80) Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India
Alma mater	University of Madras
Spouse(s)	Bhagyavathi
Awards	Padma Shri (2013)

Sattiraju Lakshminarayana (born December 15, 1933 – died August 31, 2014) was an amazing Indian artist. He was known as Bapu to everyone. He was a talented film director, painter, illustrator, and cartoonist.

Bapu also wrote screenplays and designed things. He worked mostly in Telugu cinema and Hindi cinema. In 2013, he received the Padma Shri award. This is one of India's highest civilian honors. It was given for his great contributions to Indian art and movies.

Bapu won many awards during his career. These included two National Film Awards and seven Nandi Awards. His films were shown at international festivals. For example, his film Sakshi was at the Tashkent International Film Festival. Seeta Kalyanam was shown at the BFI London Film Festival. It is even part of a course at the British Film Institute.

Bapu's art also became famous around the world. His works like Bapu Bomma were displayed in London. He also worked on children's books. He was a delegate at a UNESCO seminar on children's books. He helped design and illustrate many books. Some of these books even won government awards.

Early Life and Beginnings

Bapu was born on December 15, 1933. His birthplace was Narsapuram in Andhra Pradesh, India. His parents were Sattiraju Venugopala Rao and Suryakantam.

He started working as a political cartoonist early on. This was for the newspaper Andhra Patrika in 1945. He studied at the University of Madras. He earned degrees in commerce and law there.

Bapu's Unique Paintings

Bapu was a fantastic painter. His paintings often showed characters from Hindu mythology. He even painted the whole Hindu epic Ramayana as a story in pictures.

His characters were very distinct. For example, Shiva and Duryodhana looked strong and masculine. But Krishna and Rama had a softer, more graceful look.

His artwork was so popular that it appeared on many magazine covers. These magazines were published both in India and other countries. He even advised a magazine called Telugu Naadi. This helped them create great content for Telugu-speaking people.

Working with Ramana

A statue of Bapu and Ramana on the banks of the Godavari River.

Bapu's family moved to Narasapuram in 1942. This was during World War II. It was there that he met Mullapudi Venkataramana. They were classmates at Taylor High School. This was the start of their amazing friendship and partnership.

They continued their schooling together in Madras. Ramana wrote his first short story in 1945. Bapu illustrated it. This was the beginning of their journey as a writer-illustrator team. Later, they became a famous director-writer duo in films.

When people talk about Bapu, they almost always mention Ramana. And the same is true for Ramana. They worked together to create wonderful literature and movies. They were great at showing the true culture of Telugu people in their films.

Their movies like Sampoorna Ramayanam and Seeta Kalyanam were huge successes. They also made historical films like Thyagayya. The Bapu-Ramana team created many memorable films. These include Mutyala Muggu and Pelli Pustakam. Their film Mana Voori Pandavulu even won a Filmfare Award for Best Film - Telugu.

Working in Hindi Cinema

Bapu also directed many popular films in Hindi cinema. Some of his well-known Hindi movies include Hum Paanch, Woh Saat Din, and Mohabbat. These films helped him become known across India.

His Final Days

Bapu had some health issues during his life. He was admitted to a hospital in Chennai in August 2014. He passed away on August 31, 2014, after a heart attack. The government of Tamil Nadu honored him with a state funeral.

Awards and Recognitions

The President of India, Shri Pranab Mukherjee, presenting the Padma Shri Award to Bapu in 2013.

Bapu received many important awards for his work:

• Padma Shri – This is a high civilian honor from the Government of India (2013).

• Life Time Achievement Award – From the Indian Institute of Cartoonists (2001).
• President of India Rashtrapati Award – From the Academy of Fine Arts, Tirupati.

• National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Telugu – For Mutyala Muggu and Mister Pellam.

• Filmfare Best Director Award (Telugu) – For Seeta Kalyanam (1976) and Vamsa Vruksham (1980).
• Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award – South – (2012).

• Raghupathi Venkaiah Award – For his lifetime work in Telugu cinema (1986).

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

• Honorary Doctorate "Kala Prapoorna" – From Andhra University (1991).
• Raja-Lakshmi Award – From Sri Raja-Lakshmi Foundation (1982).

Filmography

Films marked with an asterisk (*) are Hindi films.

See also

• Raghupathi Venkaiah Award