Oscar winner lyricist Chandrabose, who has written thousands of songs that brought life to Telugu films, shared memories of his early career and his bond with director K Raghavendra Rao.
Chandrabose, who made his debut with the film Taj Mahal, said Raghavendra Rao holds a special place in his journey. After writing his first song for Taj Mahal, Chandrabose was still an engineering student living in a rented flat in Kukatpally. One day, while he was resting, a person came to him and said, “My uncle has asked you to come.” When Chandrabose asked who it was, he was surprised to hear it was none other than Raghavendra Rao.
The lyricist said he could not believe that a filmmaker of such stature had sent for him. He went downstairs and spoke to the director over the phone at a nearby STD booth. Rao asked him to come to Tirupati immediately.
Chandrabose travelled by train and met him at Bhimas Hotel, where music director M M Keeravani was also present. At that time, Keeravani was composing the famous song Maa Perati Jaanchettu Pallanne for the film.
That meeting marked the start of a long association between Chandrabose and Raghavendra Rao, leading to several memorable songs. Chandrabose also recalled an incident from Sri Ramadasu. Rao had called him and handed over a cassette of tunes, asking him to listen. The director then told him that all the songs in the film had the words “Rama Rama” in them, and he too must write one.
The real challenge, Chandrabose said, was when Rao added that the song he had to write was for a key sequence showing Shobhanam. “I was shocked at first but later managed to write it. It remains one of the toughest songs of my career,” Chandrabose said.
The lyricist described the experience as both surprising and rewarding, crediting Raghavendra Rao for giving him the chance to prove himself.
