Kasinadhuni Viswanath was an Indian film director, screenwriter and actor, One of the most prolific filmmakers of Telugu cinema, he received international recognition for his works, and is known for blending parallel cinema with mainstream commercial cinema. He was honored with the "Prize of the Public" at the "Besançon Film Festival of France" in 1981. In 1992, he received the Andhra Pradesh state Raghupathi Venkaiah Award, and the civilian honor Padma Shri for his contribution to the field of arts. In 2017, he was conferred with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the highest award in Indian cinema.