Udayagiri, the fort town in SPSR Nellore district, paid silent tributes to its ‘son of the soil’ and noted film director Singeetham Srinivasa Rao, who breathed his last at the age of 94 in Chennai on Saturday.

Singeetham is known for his acclaimed movies with leading actor Kamal Haasan such as ‘Apoorva Sahodarargal’ (‘Vichitra Sodarulu’ in Telugu), ‘Michael Madana Kama Rajan’ and not to forget ‘Pushpaka Vimanam’, referred to in the film world as a muted masterpiece. His noted Telugu films are ‘Aditya 369’, ‘Bhairava Dweepam’ and ‘Rajahamsa’.

Singeetham was born in Udayagiri town and studied up to SSC in Althuri Rami Reddy Government High School here. Later, he migrated to Chennai in search of livelihood and made a promising career in the tinsel town.

However, his family members also migrated to Nellore and other places in the subsequent years, and, as such, his roots with Udayagiri got disconnected over the recent years.

Meanwhile, Udayagiri MLA Kakarla Suresh paid rich tributes to the departed soul and recalled his contribution in taking Telugu cinema to the global platforms.