Shivashakti Datta, Father of MM Keeravani, Passes Away; Rajamouli’s Family in Mourning
8 Jul, 2025 13:21 IST|Sakshi Post
Famous lyricist and writer Shivashakti Datta, father of Oscar-winning music director MM Keeravani, has passed away. While many people today know him mainly as Keeravani’s father and director SS Rajamouli’s uncle, Shivashakti Datta had a strong identity of his own in the creative world.
His birth name was Koduri Subbarao. He was born on October 8, 1932, in Kovvur near Rajahmundry. He was the elder brother of well-known writer Vijayendra Prasad, which makes him Rajamouli’s paternal uncle.
Datta came from a large and wealthy family. His father, Vijay Apparao, was a landlord and contractor who also owned a bus transport business with 12 buses, which was a big achievement at the time. Datta was the second child in the family.
He studied at CR Reddy College in Eluru but left midway to join the JJ School of Arts in Mumbai, where he completed a diploma in arts. After two years, he came back home and began writing under the pen name "Kamalesh." His poems and articles were published in several magazines.
Later, he moved to Chennai and worked as an assistant to some film directors. He even started a movie called Pillanagrovi, but it was never completed. During this time, he met director K Raghavendra Rao and later worked with his younger brother Vijayendra Prasad on the script of the film Janaki Ramudu, starring Nagarjuna.
That marked the beginning of his film journey. While his son Keeravani became a famous music director and his brother a top writer-director, Shivashakti Datta made his mark too, especially for his knowledge of Sanskrit. He wrote lyrics for many hit films like Chatrapathi, Baahubali, Om Namo Venkatesaya, NTR Kathanayakudu, Savyasachi, Zombie Reddy, Hanuman, and more.
He also directed a few films, including Ardhangi (1996) with his brother and Chandrahas (2007) starring Krishna, but they didn’t succeed at the box office.
Shivashakti Datta’s death is a big loss to the Telugu film industry. He will always be remembered for his unique voice and meaningful contributions to cinema.
