Siva Nageswara Rao is an Indian film director and screenwriter primarily known for his work in Telugu cinema, particularly in the comedy genre. Born and brought up in Uppalapadu near Guntur, he graduated from Hindu College. He moved to Madras in 1979 at the age of 23 to join the Telugu film industry, initially acting as a junior artist in films like 'Burripalem Bullodu' (1979) and 'Sannayi Appanna' (1980). He transitioned to assistant direction, working under Vijaya Nirmala for 'Antham Kaadidi Aarambham' (1981) and 'Doctor Cine Actor' (1982), and later with other prominent directors including Lenin Babu, V. Madhusudhana Rao, S. A. Chandrasekhar, and Kranthi Kumar. He met Ram Gopal Varma while working as an assistant director on 'Rao Gaari Illu' (1988) and 'Siva' (1989). His directorial debut was with the critically acclaimed film 'Money' in 1993, produced by Ram Gopal Varma. He continued to direct several notable films, predominantly in the comedy genre.