Shiva Nageswara Rao

• Name — Siva Nageswara Rao • Born — 1956 • Birthplace — Uppalapadu, Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh, India • Occupation — * Film director • screenwriter • Years Active — 1993–present

Siva Nageswara Rao was born and brought up in Uppalapadu near Guntur. He was fascinated by films from childhood. He graduated from Hindu College in Guntur.

Rao moved to Madras to join Telugu film industry in 1979 at the age of 23. He acted in films like Burripalem Bullodu (1979) and Sannayi Appanna (1980) as unofficial junior artist. He joined as an assistant director to Vijaya Nirmala and worked under her for the films Antham Kaadidi Aarambham (1981) and Doctor Cine Actor (1982). Later he worked with Lenin Babu for Maro Kurukshetram (1981), V. Madhusudhana Rao for Jagannatha Ratha Chakraalu (1982), S. A. Chandrasekhar for Balidaanam (1983), Devanthakudu (1984), and Intiko Rudramma (1985). He then started working for Kranthi Kumar with Swathi (1984) and was a part of his direction team for six years. Rao met film director Ram Gopal Varma during the making of the film Rao Gaari Illu (1988) on which both Varma and Siva Nageswara Rao worked as assistant directors. While working on that film, Varma asked him to work as an assistant director in Siva (1989). Siva Nageswara Rao's debut film as a director was Money (1993) and was produced by Ram Gopal Varma.

• Year — Title — Role — Notes • 1979 — Burripalem Bullodu — Junior artist • 1980 — Sannayi Appanna — Junior artist • 2009 — Ninnu Kalisaka — Prem Baba