Raghupathi Venkaiah Naidu

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Raghupathi Venkaiah
Raghupati Venkayya.jpg
Born(1869-10-15)15 October 1869
Died15 March 1941(1941-03-15) (aged 71)
OccupationFilm director, producer

Raghupathi Venkaiah Naidu (15 October 1869 – 15 March 1941), was an Indian filmmaker, screenwriter, director, graphic artist, lyricist, author, educationist and entrepreneur considered as the father of Telugu cinema.[1][2] Regarded as one of the pioneers of Indian cinema, Venkaiah started his career as a commercial photographer in Madras; he was drawn into independent filmmaking, and he traveled to different regions in South east Asia to promote and teach cinematic techniques, filmmaking, and distribute foreign language silent films.[1][3][4]

Venkaiah founded one of the first cinematograph company in South India called "The Glass Studio" equipped with sound-on-disc display technology, allowing play back sound in sync with a motion picture.[4][2] In 1912, he founded The Gaiety movie theater which was the first in Madras to screen films on a full-time basis.[5] The Raghupati Venkaiah Award is an annual award incorporated into the state Nandi Awards honoring veteran artists who made significant contributions in Telugu cinema.[6]

Biography[edit]

Early life[edit]

Venkaiah Naidu is born to the second son of an Indian Army official Subedar Appayya Naidu in Machilipatnam, Andhra Pradesh, India.[1] His brother Raghupathi Venkataratnam Naidu was a famous educationalist and social reformer.[4] His forefathers worked as Commanders in the Army of East Indian Company and Madras Army in Telangana Regiments. At the age of 18, he moved to Madras and started drawing pictures and carving sculptures at Mount Road and selling them. He then learned photography and founded a photographic studio.[4]

Photographer[edit]

In 1909, he introduced Chrono Mega phone, equipment that relates sounds with pictures, from John Dickinson and Company. To pay for the Chrono Mega phone he bought for Rs 30,000, he rented out his photo studio. He shot 12 short films and exhibited them in Victoria Public Hall. He also travelled to Bangalore, Vijayawada, Sri Lanka, Rangoon and Pegu to exhibit his films.[7]

Theatre owner[edit]

In 1910, he established Esplanade Ten House to exhibit his films. In 1912, he constructed Gaiety Talkies on Mount Road, the first Indian-owned cinema theatre in Chennai. He later constructed Crown Theatre on Mint Street and Globe Theatre in Parasuwakka, Chennai. He also exhibited American and British films. Some of the first movies shown in his theatres were Million Dollar Mystery, Mysteries of Meera, Clutching Hand, Broken Coin, Raja's casket, Peral fish, and 'Great Bard'. He established a film library and provided training on cinematic techniques.[4]

Film producer[edit]

In 1919, he started a production company called Star of East Films and a film studio called Glass Studio. He sent his son, Raghupati Surya Prakash Naidu, to study cinematography in London. Father and son made their first movie "Meenakshi Kalyanam" around actual locations of the Madurai Meenakshi temple. Later, they produced films like Gajendra Moksham, Mathsyavatharam, Nandanaar, and Bhishma Pratigna, the first Telugu mookie (i.e., movie with no playback voices).[8] He faced high competition with East India Film Company, and went bankrupt. Later, his son and Yaragudipati Varada Rao established a long-lasting precedent of focusing exclusively on religious themes; Nandanar, Gajendra Moksham, and Matsyavatar, three of their most noted productions, centered on religious figures, parables, and morals.[9] Venkaiah died on 15 March 1941 due to medical illness.[1]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 "Telugu film industry turns 80". @businessline. Retrieved 20 November 2019.
  2. 2.0 2.1 India, The Hans (7 November 2019). "Naresh plays Raghupathi Venkaiah Naidu". www.thehansindia.com. Retrieved 20 November 2019.
  3. "తెలుగు సినిమాకు మార్గదర్శి రఘుపతి వెంకయ్య". Samayam Telugu (in తెలుగు). 15 October 2016. Retrieved 20 November 2019.
  4. 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 "Bharat Janani » Raghupati Venkaiah Naidu: The man who started it all". Archived from the original on 17 August 2013. Retrieved 21 June 2013.
  5. "Telugu Cinema Celebrity - Raghupati Venkaiah Naidu".
  6. "'Nijam cheppamantara, abaddham cheppamantara... '". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 29 May 2007. Retrieved 23 April 2007.
  7. "Why AP Government named an award after Raghupathi Venkaiah". Archived from the original on 29 October 2014. Retrieved 29 October 2014.
  8. "Raghupathi Venkaiah Naidu Movie Review {2.5}: Not well made" – via timesofindia.indiatimes.com.
  9. "CineGoer.com – Articles – History Of Birth And Growth Of Telugu Cinema". cinegoer.com. Archived from the original on 10 April 2007.
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