Sirivennela Seetharama Sastry, the award-winning Telugu poet and lyricist, who has been admitted at a private hospital in Secunderabad after contracting pneumonia, is in the ICU and under “close observation.”
According to a health bulletin issued by KIMS Hospital, Secunderabad on Monday, the lyricist was admitted on November 24 with pneumonia. “Currently, he is under close observation by a team of expert doctors and is getting appropriate treatment at the ICU,” the statement read.
The bulletin also added that regular updates on his health will be communicated.
With over 3,000 songs to his credits, the 66-year-old lyricist is known for winning the most number of Nandi Awards. His current count stands at 11 awards. Besides this, he is also the winner of four Filmfare Awards South.
In 2019, Sastry was bestowed the prestigious Padma Shri by the Government of India.
Known for the positive approach to life expressed in his songs, Sastry made his debut as a lyricist with the 1984 Telugu film Janami Janmabhoomi. He earned the moniker ‘Sirivennela’ after the success of the 1986 romance film of the same name, directed by K Vishwanath. Sastry won his first Nandi Award for the song Vidhata Thalapuna in Sirivennela, which was sung by late SP Balasubrahmanyam and P Susheela. SPB also won the Best Male Playback Singer Award that year for the same song.
Sastry frequently collaborated with Telugu filmmakers K Vishwanath, Trivikram Srinivas, Krishna Vamsi, and Ram Gopal Varma. The lyricist was also known for his collaborations with Annapurna Studios and Sumanth Art Production.
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He recently contributed lyrics to 2021 films such as Venkatesh Daggubati’s Narappa and the Akhil Akkineni and Pooja Hegde-starrer Most Eligible Bachelor. He has also penned the song Dosti for director SS Rajamouli’s upcoming pan-Indian film RRR, which has music composed by MM Keeravani.