t steered the director toward Tamil projects.

At home in Telugu, Rao cast dancer Sudha Chandran in  Mayuri  (1985), a dramatization of her own comeback after losing a leg. It collected 14 Nandi Awards, the state honors of Andhra Pradesh, a record haul. With Nandamuri Balakrishna he made  Aditya 369  (1991), a time-travel adventure, and the folklore fantasy  Bhairava Dweepam  (1994), which earned Rao the Nandi for best director.

The Film Federation of India presented him with its Life Achievement Award in 2011. He also picked up three Karnataka State Film Awards.