Thota Tharani is an Indian art director, production designer and painter known for his work in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Hindi cinema.

His father, Thota Venkateswara Rao, was a well-known art director who worked on over 100 films, including Jayasimha (1955) and Panduranga Mahatyam (1957).

Originally from Machilipatnam, Andhra Pradesh, Venkateswara Rao started as a drama and film actor, playing female roles, before moving to Madras (now Chennai) to work as an assistant art director under Sudhansu Roy and A. K.

He quickly gained recognition for his exceptional work, creating realistic and larger-than-life sets for films across various Indian languages, including Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, and Malayalam.

He has worked on several films where he recreated expensive materials, such as marble, using cost-effective alternatives that still maintained a high visual quality.

He focuses on key scenes, asking for the beginning, middle, and end of the script rather than reading it in full, allowing him to concentrate on specific moments with precision and creativity.

[6] Tharani admires the work of Indian art directors Madhavapeddi Gokhale, Soorapaneni Kaladhar, and Ganga.

Internationally, he draws inspiration from Ken Adam, known for his work on early James Bond films, and Cedric Gibbons, whose designs for The Wizard of Oz (1939) left a lasting impression on him.