Arvind Krish Bala

Two years ago, I got a call from Singeetham Srinivasa Rao —out of the blue — saying he enjoyed Culture Vulture and also another film he had caught… While You Watched. He asked me to pass on his congratulations to @ravish_journo. So when I visited Chennai in August 2025, we caught up at his office for an hour, talking about his writing process without ever having gone to a film school. I told him I wanted to interview him about this at leisure. He needed time to prep. I returned to Mumbai. Months passed and I heard he had finally made Sing Geetham, a film he had tried pitching to a couple of platforms/production houses through me a few years ago. The idea seemed ambitious on paper, but that didn’t stop him from bringing it to life at 94. I featured Sing Geetham in my half yearly review - the best six films of 2026. He texted to thank me, and I thought I’d try my luck again to do that interview on his writing process, at least over Zoom. August 26, 10.30 am. He finally gave me the slot after I sent him a preliminary questionnaire about the areas I wanted to cover. Zoom cut us off once, but we spoke for an hour and, to my shock, I realised that the recording hadn’t been saved to the computer thanks to Apple’s updated privacy settings! I wrote the interview from my notes and memory and sent it to him to check if I had got down everything right. I waited for a whole day nervously. And then he texted back: “Re your writeup, it is excellent. Fulll of spirit. No comments from my side. Only a small feeling from my side.” He ended his go-ahead text with an all the best, wondering when it would appear in print. I sent him an ePaper copy. I last texted him on his birthday, saying: “Happy birthday Sir!! Hope the thriller script is shaping up great! Can’t wait for you to start shoot!” Was hoping to meet him in Chennai at the end of October. So this has been too much of a shock. I remembered him telling me in the interview: “I am hale and hearty because I laugh a lot.” You brought many a smile to millions. Hope you are up there watching us celebrate your life. With the heaviest of smiles. Thank you for the laughter, Sir. It heals, and will continue to heal us every time we miss you. You live on, through our laughs. This appeared on September 4, 2026. Probably his last interview.