Rao Trip

Every film of his has won either a national or a state award, but after every screening, as the end credits roll, Rao8217;s eyes are on the audience to gauge their reaction. 8220;After my film is over, people normally don8217;t speak to one another. They are calm and quiet, immersed in their own thoughts. That8217;s the real reward,8221; he says. And he wants them to think on their silent journey back home 8212; about gender bias after watching Dasi, the demands of art in Rangula Kala, class struggle in Maa Bhoomi, agricultural labourers in Matti Manushulu and death in Harivillu right.

Though his vision is starkly realistic, his childhood ambition was 8220;to become an actor and run behind heroines8221;. He did a stint before the camera in Rangula Kala, 8220;but subsequently stuck to writing scripts and directing and producing films. I8217;m no Charlie Chaplin or Raj Kapoor8221;.

His last film, Harivillu, was in 2003, but the years haven8217;t been empty. 8220;I am working on a film on a 150-year-old rural theatre troupe called Surabhi,8221; he says. Another award, perhaps.