K Raghavendra Rao born Kovelamudi Raghavendra Rao on 23 May 1942 is an Indian film director producer screenwriter and choreographer known for his works predominantly in Telugu cinema and a few Hindi and Kannada films He has garnered eight state Nandi Awards the IIFA Award the SIIMA Award five Filmfare Awards South and two CineMAA Awards In a film career spanning more than five decades Rao has directed more than a hundred feature films of which around ninety were box office hits across multiple genres such as romantic comedy fantasy melodrama action thriller biographical and romance films