Dasari Narayana Rao (4 May 1942 – 30 May 2017) was an Indian film director, producer, screenwriter, dialogue writer, actor, lyricist, and politician known for his works predominantly in Telugu cinema, Television, and Bollywood. He has directed more than one hundred and fifty feature films in a variety of genres. He is known by the moniker "Darsaka Ratna" ("Jewel among directors"). His works emphasize social injustice, corruption and gender discrimination. Rao has received three National Film Awards, nine state Nandi Awards including the Raghupathi Venkaiah Award, and four Filmfare Awards South including the lifetime Achievement. During his career he has also acted in Telugu, Tamil, and Kannada languages.