Pattabhi Rama Reddy passes away

Noted filmmaker and director, Pattabhi Rama Reddy, whose National Award winning film Samskara made waves in the Kannada parallel cinema in the 1970s, died on Saturday morning, May 6th in Bangalore. He was 87.

The veteran, who died at a private hospital in Bangalore, is survived by a son and daughter.

The film Samskara, based on celebrated writer U R Ananthamurthys book had even won the "Swarna Kamal" (golden lotus) Award of the President. The lead actors were Girish Karnad and his wife Snehalata Reddy. The film also bagged the Bronze Leopard at the Locarno International Film Festival.

Pattabhi had shot into the Telugu literary world in 1939 with his volume of 12 poems titled 'Fidelu Ragala dozen' which was translated as A dozen Ragas played on the fiddle.

Reddy has made some excellent films, one of them being his Telugu film in 1958 with Pelli Nati Pramanalu for which he picked up the President's certificate. Several others such as Chandramaruta, a serious critique of Indian politics and corruption and the emergency years, followed.