Meet IAS officer who also worked as UN official, then quit his job for filmmaking, won National Award, but debut film flopped, name is…, he is now..

In India, the job of the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) is seen with great respect. Lakhs of youth dream of joining this service by passing the UPSC exam, where one gets the opportunity to build the nation. In such a situation, if an established and senior IAS officer leaves this service and steps into some other field, then it is natural to be surprised. Today, we will tell you about one such IAS officer, who also worked as a UN official, but then decided to leave his job for his passion for films. We are talking about none other than Papa Rao Biyyala, an IAS officer of the 1982 batch, who worked as an administrator in various parts of India. 

Papa Rao Biyyala was a law graduate from Osmania University and was looking to finish his Ph.D, but gave that up after he qualified for the services. In his three-decade-long administrative career, he worked in important positions in different parts of the country. From 1994 to 1997, he held important responsibilities as the Home Secretary of Assam. After this, in 1999, he served as a civil affairs officer in Kosovo under the United Nations Mission. From 2014 to 2019, he was a policy advisor in the Telangana government, a post that was equal to the rank of a cabinet minister.

Despite his years in service, Papa Rao Biyyala had an artist hidden inside him, waiting for his chance. In the late 90s, his close friend and character artist and theatre veteran, Tom Alter, introduced him to filmmaker Jahnu Barua, who had gained national and international fame. This is where Papa Rao Biyyala’s film journey began. He also obtained a diploma in filmmaking from the New York Film Academy in 1996. His first short documentary, ‘Willing to Sacrifice’, won the National Award for Best Non-Feature Film on Environmental Conservation, indicating that Papa Rao Biyyala had a strong artistic vision.

Although he returned to the Administrative Services after his initial film endeavor, the creative urge within him did not subside. Finally, in the year 2020, he resigned from the Sports Authority of India said goodbye to administrative life, and fully embraced the world of cinema. His first feature film, Music School, was released in the year 2023, starring Shriya Saran and Sharman Joshi in the lead roles. The film depicts the story of the pressure of the education system and the creativity of children through music and emotions. Although the film was praised by critics, it did not do much business at the box office, perhaps due to the absence of big stars and a lack of promotion.

The IAS-turned-filmmaker said that he plans to return to the big screen with another film soon.

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