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{{Short description|Indian film pioneer (1901–1956)}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2018}} {{Use Indian English|date=October 2018}}
{{Infobox person
| name = R. S. Prakash
| birth_name = Raghupathi Surya Prakash Rao Naidu
| birth_date = 1901
| birth_place = [[Madras]], [[Madras Presidency]], [[British Raj|British India]]<br/>(now [[Chennai]], India)
| death_date = 28 May 1956 (aged 55)
| death_place = Madras, India (now Chennai)
| occupation = {{hlist|[[Film director]]|[[Film producer]]|[[Cinematographer]]}}
| father = [[Raghupathi Venkaiah Naidu]]
| relatives = [[Raghupathi Venkataratnam Naidu]] (uncle)
}}

{{family name hatnote|Raghupathi|lang=Telugu}}'''Raghupathi Surya Prakash Rao Naidu''' (1901–1956), popularly known as '''R. S. Prakash''', was an Indian film director, producer, and cinematographer.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Vinnels |first1=David |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TexkAAAAMAAJ&q=raghupathi+surya+prakash |title=Bollywood Showplaces: Cinema Theatres in India |last2=Skelly |first2=Brent |date=2002 |publisher=E & E Plumridge |isbn=978-0-9516563-5-8 |pages=146 |language=en}}</ref> He was one of the pioneers of [[Indian cinema]]. He was the first director of [[Telugu cinema]]. He shot, developed and edited all his early films.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last1=Rajadhyaksha |first1=Ashish |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rF8ABAAAQBAJ&dq=Surya+Prakash+was+educated+by+Christian+missionaries+in+Vepery.&pg=RA1-PA1994-IA20 |title=Encyclopaedia of Indian Cinema |last2=Willemen |first2=Paul |date=1994 |publisher=[[British Film Institute]] |isbn=978-0-85170-455-5 |pages=1994–1995 |language=en |author-link=Ashish Rajadhyaksha |author-link2=Paul Willemen}}</ref>

Along with his father, [[Raghupathi Venkaiah Naidu]], he produced [[Bhishma Pratigna (1921 film)|''Bhishma Pratigya'']] in 1921 {{Em dash}} generally considered to be the first Telugu [[feature film]].<ref name=":0" /><ref name="shodhganga2" /> Prakash directed the film and also played the [[Title character|title role]] of [[Bhishma]].<ref name="shodhganga2" /> Later, he directed several silent and sound films till the 1950s.

== Early life ==
Raghupathi Surya Prakash Rao Naidu was born in 1901 in [[Chennai|Madras]] in a [[Telugu language|Telugu]]-speaking [[telaga | telaga]] family.<ref name=":5">M. L. Kantha Rao (July 1999), [https://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/handle/10603/25437/ ''A Study of the Socio-Political Mobility of the Kapu Caste in Modern Andhra'']. [[University of Hyderabad]]. Chapter 6. p. 275–280. hdl:10603/25437</ref> His father was [[Raghupathi Venkaiah Naidu]], a film pioneer regarded as the "father of [[Telugu cinema]]".<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HTluAAAAMAAJ&q=Raghupathi+Venkataratnam+Naidu+Venkaiah |title=History and Culture of the Andhras |date=1995 |publisher=Komarraju Venkata Lakshmana Rau Vijnana Sarvaswa Sakha, Telugu University |isbn=978-81-86073-07-0 |pages=389 |language=en}}</ref>

Surya Prakash's ancestors are telaga balija naidu's who served as [[Subedar|Subedars]] in [[Madras Army]] and [[East India Company|East Indian Company]] Army since its inception i.e. late 17th century.

Venkaiah Naidu started [[Film Exhibition|film exhibition]] in [[South India]] around 1910 and built the first movie theatre in Madras in 1914.<ref name=":1" /> Surya Prakash was educated by Christian missionaries in [[Vepery]].<ref name=":1" />

== Career ==
Venkaiah sent Surya Prakash overseas to learn [[filmmaking]]. Prakash went to [[London]] and joined [[Barker Motion Photography]] in [[Ealing]] in 1918, then went to [[Paris]] ([[Pathé]]), [[Germany]] (where he saw [[F. W. Murnau]] at work) and to [[Cinema of the United States|Hollywood]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Thoraval |first=Yves |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-OpkAAAAMAAJ&q=Surya+Prakash |title=The Cinemas of India |date=2000 |publisher=[[Macmillan Publishers|Macmillan India]] |isbn=978-0-333-93410-4 |pages=16 |language=en |quote=Raghupathi Surya Prakash (or Prakasa) was sent to study the cinema industries of London, Paris (Pathe), Germany, and Hollywood. He started the 'Star of the East Film Company' and went on to direct films in Telugu and Tamil.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Jayasiṃha |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VkbA_5plHN8C&q=raghupathi+surya+prakash |title=Indian Cinema Through the Century |date=2015 |publisher=[[Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (India)|Ministry of Information and Broadcasting]], [[Government of India]] |isbn=978-81-230-1991-8 |pages=104 |language=en |quote=Raghupathi Venkaiah had sent his son Raghupathi Surya Prakash Rao to learn about filmmaking in England. He was attached to Barker Studio in London. He made many silent movies on return from there.}}</ref><ref name=":1" /> He travelled to various European countries, bringing a 35mm camera home to Madras in 1920. The faulty camera ruined his first feature film, ''Meenakshi Kalyanam''.<ref name=":1" />

In 1921, Venkaiah and Surya Prakash set up the Star of the East Studio, also known as the Glass Studio, in [[Purasawalkam]], Madras.<ref name=":1" /> They produced [[Bhishma Pratigna (1921 film)|''Bhishma Pratigya'']] (1921), generally considered to be the first Telugu [[feature film]].<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |last=Thoraval |first=Yves |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-OpkAAAAMAAJ&q=Bhishma+Pratigna+(1921+film) |title=The Cinemas of India |date=2000 |publisher=Macmillan India |isbn=978-0-333-93410-4 |pages=346 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":12">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=9c1kAAAAMAAJ&q=Bhishma+Pratigna+(1921+film) |title=Hindi Cinema Year Book |date=2002 |publisher=Screen World Publication |pages=21 |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":2">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0wY6AQAAIAAJ&q=Bhishma+1921 |title=Asian Film Directory and Who's who |date=1952 |pages=33 |language=en}}</ref><ref name="shodhganga2">{{cite web |last=Rao |first=Akkina Mareswara |date=1997 |title=Celluloid and its past: Cultural and ideological mediation of Telugu cinema in colonial Andhra's Past |url=http://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/bitstream/10603/25594/7/07_chapter%202.pdf |access-date=19 August 2016 |website=[[University of Hyderabad]] |page=93}}</ref> Prakash directed the film and also played the [[Title character|title role]] of [[Bhishma]]. An [[English people|Englishwoman]] named Peggy Castello played the role of [[Ganga (goddess)|Ganga]].<ref name=":3">{{Cite book |last=Garga |first=Bhagwan Das |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wXRZAAAAMAAJ&q=Bhishma+Pratigna+(1921+film) |title=So Many Cinemas: The Motion Picture in India |date=1996 |publisher=Eminence Designs |isbn=978-81-900602-1-9 |page=51 |language=en}}</ref> The film was released all over India, [[Myanmar|Burma]] and [[Sri Lanka]] and was a big success.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Chabria |first1=Suresh |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=CORkAAAAMAAJ&q=Bhishma+Pratigna+(1921+film) |title=Light of Asia: Indian Silent Cinema, 1912-1934 |last2=Usai |first2=Paolo Cherchi |date=1994 |publisher=Wiley Eastern |isbn=978-81-224-0680-1 |page=15 |language=en}}</ref> The film was made on a budget of {{INR}}12,000 (worth {{INR}}2.2 [[crore]] in 2021 prices) and made ₹60,000 in returns.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Baskaran |first=Sundararaj Theodore |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=tOEDAAAAMAAJ&q=Bhishma+1921 |title=The Message Bearers: The Nationalist Politics and the Entertainment Media in South India, 1880-1945 |date=1981 |publisher=Cre-A |language=en}}</ref>

[[C. Pullayya]], A. Narayanan (also credited as A. Narayan) and other pioneers of [[Cinema of South India|South Indian cinema]] worked with him there. The films were distributed throughout the subcontinent with [[intertitle]]s in various languages. Surya Prakash reportedly directed the Catholic propaganda film, ''The Catechist of Kil-Arni'' (1923), produced and written by the Irish priest [[Thomas Gavan-Duffy]] together with Bruce Gordon as a fund-raiser for the Paris Foreign Mission Society in Pondicherry.<ref name=":6" /><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Barbash |first1=Ilisa |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uVUoAQAAMAAJ&q=Raghupathi+Surya+Prakash |title=The Cinema of Robert Gardner |last2=Taylor |first2=Lucien |date=2007 |publisher=[[Berg Publishers]] |isbn=978-1-84520-774-8 |pages=64 |language=en |author-link2=Lucien Castaing-Taylor}}</ref>

Surya Prakash also became a distributor and founded Guarantee Pics (1926) with backing from the merchant Moti Narayana Rao, but it went bankrupt.<ref name=":1" /> He helped Narayanan to set up the General Pictures Corporation (General Pics) in 1929 and later, Srinivasa Cinetone Studio.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Rajadhyaksha |first1=Ashish |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rF8ABAAAQBAJ&dq=rs+Prakash+film&pg=PA1994-IA120 |title=Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema |last2=Willemen |first2=Paul |date=2014 |publisher=[[Routledge]] |isbn=978-1-135-94325-7 |pages=1994 |language=en |author-link=Ashish Rajadhyaksha |author-link2=Paul Willemen}}</ref> He later separated from Narayanan in the mid-30s and joined Sundaram Sound Studio. He also worked with Govardhan Film Distributors, owning three movie theatres in Madras.<ref name=":1" /> He directed ''Leila the Star of Mingrelia'' (1931) in 20 [[reel]]s for General Pics, declaring that people were not fed up of silent films.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Gulazar |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8y8vN9A14nkC&q=rs+Prakash&pg=PA38 |title=Encyclopaedia of Hindi Cinema |last2=Nihalani |first2=Govind |last3=Chatterjee |first3=Saibal |date=2003 |publisher=[[Popular Prakashan]] |isbn=978-81-7991-066-5 |pages=40 |language=en |author-link=Gulzar |author-link2=Govind Nihalani |author-link3=Saibal Chatterjee}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite web |title=Leila alias The Star of Mingrelia (1931) |url=https://www.cinemaazi.com/film/leila-1931 |website=Cinemaazi}}</ref> It was reportedly the most expensive film made in India at the time.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Basdeo |first1=Stephen |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=T62ZEAAAQBAJ&dq=rs+Prakash+film&pg=PA131 |title=Victorian England's Bestselling Author: The Revolutionary Life of G. W. M. Reynolds |last2=Driver |first2=Mya |date=2022-11-17 |publisher=[[Pen and Sword Books]] |isbn=978-1-3990-1575-2 |pages=131 |language=en}}</ref>

Surya Prakash was known as a brilliant technician. In ''[[Draupadi Vastrapaharanam (1934 film)|Draupadi Vastrapaharanam]]'' (1934) he managed to make one actor appear in five places within one image, apparently without resorting to optical effects.<ref name=":1" /> He was a freelance director from mid-30s. Surya Prakash influenced [[Y. V. Rao]] who acted in his ''Gajendra Moksham'' (1930). Most of his [[Hindu mythological film|mythological films]] were shot at the [[Gingee Fort]] near Madras. He also directed the Tamil reformist social film, ''[[Anaadhai Penn]]'' (1938).<ref name=":1" />

There is contradictory evidence about some of Prakash's early Tamil [[sound film]]s like ''Draupadi Vastrapaharanam'', ''Krishna Arjuna'', ''Indrasabha'' and ''Rajasekharan'', which some sources ascribe to Prakash and others to his collaborator Narayanan. ''Encyclopaedia of Indian Cinema'' credited them to both filmmakers.<ref name=":1" />

== Filmography ==

* [[Bhishma Pratigna (1921 film)|''Bhishma Pratigna'']] (1921)
* ''The Catechist of Kil-Arni'' (1923) (uncredited)<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":6">{{Cite book |last1=Foley |first1=Tadhg |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=vQduAAAAMAAJ&q=Raghupathi+Surya+Prakash |title=Ireland and India: Colonies, Culture and Empire |last2=O'Connor |first2=Maureen |date=2006 |publisher=[[Irish Academic Press]] |isbn=978-0-7165-2838-8 |page=123 |language=en |quote=In making ''The Catechist of Kil-Arni'', Gavan Duffy was assisted by his friend Bruce Gordon, as well as some film professionals from Madras, including, it was rumored, the distinguished director Raghupati Surya Prakash.}}</ref>
* ''Gajendra Moksham'' (1923)
* ''Bhakta Nandan'' (1923)
* ''Samudra Madanam'' (1923)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Samudra Madanam (Samundra Manthan) (1923) |url=https://www.cinemaazi.com/film/samudra-madanam-samundra-manthan |website=Cinemaazi}}</ref>
* ''Usha Swapna'' (1924)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Usha Swapna (1924) |url=https://www.cinemaazi.com/film/usha-swapna |website=Cinemaazi}}</ref>
* ''Mahatma Kabirdas'' (1925)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mahatma Kabirdas (1925) |url=https://www.cinemaazi.com/film/mahathma-kabirdas |website=Cinemaazi}}</ref>
* ''Mohini Avatar'' (1926)
* ''Dashavtar'' (1929)
* ''Stage Girl'' (1929)
* ''Gajendra Moksham'' (1930)
* ''Sree Kanyaka Parmeswari'' (1930)''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Sree Kanyaka Parmeswari (1930) |url=https://www.cinemaazi.com/film/shree-kanika-parmeshwari-shree-kanyaka-parmeswari |website=Cinemaazi}}</ref>''
* ''Lanka Dabana'' (1930)
* ''Gandhariyin Pulambal'' (1930)
* ''Pavalakkodi'' (1931)
* ''Leila the Star of Mingrelia'' (1931)<ref name=":4" />
* ''Rose of Rajasthan'' (1931)
* ''Vishnu Leela'' (1932)
* [[Draupadi Vastrapaharanam (1934 film)|''Draupadi Vastrapaharanam'']] (1934)
* ''Lanka Dahanam'' (1935)
* ''Thooku Thooki'' (1935)
* ''Krishna Arjuna'' (1935)
* ''Krishna Naradi'' (1936)
* ''Nalayini'' (1936)
* ''Indrasabba'' (1936)
* ''Andal Thirukalyanam'' (1937)
* ''Soldier's Wife'' (1937)
* ''Rajasekharan'' (1937)
* ''[[Anaadhai Penn]]'' (1938)
* ''Porveeran Manaivi'' (1938)
* ''Sirikathe'' (1939)
* ''Chandika'' (1940)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Chandika (1940) |url=https://indiancine.ma/DAI |access-date=2023-06-21 |website=Indiancine.ma}}</ref>
* ''Tara Sasank'' (1941)<ref>{{Cite web |title=Thara Sasank (1941) |url=https://indiancine.ma/DLB |access-date=2023-06-21 |website=Indiancine.ma}}</ref>
* ''Babruvahana'' (1942)
* ''Mayapilla'' (1951)
* ''Moondru Penngal'' (1956)

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* {{IMDb name|id=0695173}}

[[Category:Cinema pioneers]]
[[Category:Telugu film directors]]
[[Category:Telugu cinema]]
[[Category:1956 deaths]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian people]]
[[Category:Telugu film producers]]
[[Category:Indian silent film directors]]
[[Category:People from British India]]
[[Category:1901 births]]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Prakash, Raghupathi Surya}}

Raghupathi Surya Prakash - Revision history

Ankithreddy: Adding new article.