I must say I am lucky enough to work with him in many films. Our industry has a lot a guru and a legend. He was fond of our work and he expressed his desire to write an essay about me. I spoke to him on his birthday and he always used to call our combination the best. He used to tell me great things about literature, songs and music. He was a father figure to me and we share a wonderful association. He is extremely close to my father and my family members as he lived close to our house in Chennai. I pray God to attain peace to his soul.”Ĭalling Sirivennala’s demise a great loss to Telugu cinema, music composer Devi Sri Prasad said, "I share a close bond with Sirivennala garu from my childhood. I cannot believe that he has left us like this. I am very fond of him and he had written some of the greatest songs for my films. He gave a literary honour to our film songs. I am at a loss of words and I express my deepest condolences to his family members.”Īctor Nandamuri Balakrishna said, “With his amazing capabilities, Sirivennela Seetharama Sastry garu spread the Telugu music to every nook and corner of the world. When SP Balasubrahmanyam passed away, I felt like I lost my right shoulder and now, with Seetharama Sastry's demise, I lost my left shoulder too. He was an amazing talent he shouldn't have left us this early. I can not believe that he left us and it's a huge loss to me. The legendary lyricist recently wrote the song Dosti for SS Rajamouli's RRR, while his last film was Nani-starrer Shyam Singha Roy, which is scheduled for a theatrical release on December 24.ĭirector K Viswanath, who is reckoned as the mentor of Sirivennela said, “I have an emotional connect with him. Sirivennela had adopted Krishna Vamsi as his son long ago and the duo shared a great rapport.
He is known to have a long association with directors K Viswanath, Ram Gopal Varma, Krishna Vamsi and Trivikram Srinivas among others. His meaningful lines created him an identity among the masses and laureates. At a time when music directors dominated the film world, Sirivennela secured a space for poetry. The 11-time Nandi award-winning lyricist, Sirivennela, wrote a variety of songs ranging from devotional, romantic, folk, mass, and classic poetry.
He received Nandi awards for songs Vidhatha Thalapuna, Telavaarademo Swami, Andela Ravamidi Padamuladaa, Surajyamavaleeni Swarajyamendukani, Chilaka Ee Thoodu Leeka, Jagamanta Kutumbam Naadi, and Mari Anthagaa. Sirivennela has written over 3,000 songs for Telugu feature films and was regarded as the best poet in the film industry by his competitors as well. Seetharama Sastry, with his inimitable style of writing songs, left an ever-lasting impression on the Telugu film industry. Interestingly, it is K Viswanath, who suggested Seetharama Sastry use his own name along with the film's name. He cemented his legacy with director K Viswanath's Sirivennela (1986) and the film's success has become his pseudo-identity as a prefix to his own name. Seetharama Sastry made his debut as a lyricist with the film Janani Janmabhoomi (1984). He worked in BSNL before his brother Sreerama Sastry discovered his talent and encouraged him to pursue a career in the film industry. Telugu cinema has lost a great film personality who was known for versatility and using nuances in his lyrics.īorn on May 20, 1955, at Anakapalli, Andhra Pradesh, Seetharama Sastry had his secondary education in his hometown, while he completed his Intermediate education in Kakinada and BA in Andhra Viswa Kala Parishad. His condition got deteriorated on Tuesday and he died while undergoing treatment. His family members admitted him to the hospital on November 24 after he complained of uneasiness.