Sowmya Sathyanarayana, better known by her stage name Soundarya, was an Indian actress known for her works primarily in Telugu cinema. She was regarded as one of the greatest actresses in the history of Telugu cinema. She also acted in a few Kannada, Tamil, Hindi and Malayalam films. She has received three Nandi Awards, two Karnataka State Film Awards and six Filmfare Awards South. In 2002, she received the National Film Award for Best Feature Film as a producer for the Kannada film Dweepa.
Manchu Bhakthavatsalam Naidu, credited and also known as Mohan Babu, is an Indian actor and film producer known for his works predominantly in Telugu cinema. An alumnus of the Madras Film Institute, Mohan Babu has acted in more than 500 films in lead, supporting and a variety of roles.
Chota K. Naidu is an Indian cinematographer, best known for his distinct style of cinematography for films like, Matru Devo Bhava, Choodalani Vundi, and Kotha Bangaru Lokam. Naidu is part of the Indian Society of Cinematographers, the South Indian Cinematographers Association and the Telugu Cinematographers Association. He received two state Nandi Awards for Anji, Kotha Bangaru Lokam and two Filmfare Awards South for Kotha Bangaru Lokam, Damarukam for his cinematography. His contributions to the Indian film and television industries as a Director of Photography (DOP) for Telugu, Tamil, and Hindi films, as well as in television, have been widely appreciated for over 30 years.
Dasari Narayana Rao was an Indian film director, screenwriter, actor, producer, lyricist, and politician, primarily known for his work in Telugu cinema. Over his four decade career, he directed more than 150 feature films, earning a Limca World Record for directing the most films in the world. He was known by the epithet "Darsaka Ratna" and was recognized for addressing social issues such as gender discrimination, casteism, corruption and injustice through his films. Narayana Rao received numerous accolades, including two National Film Awards, 16 Nandi Awards including the Raghupathi Venkaiah Award, and five Filmfare Awards South including the Lifetime Achievement.
Meghasandesam is a 1982 Telugu-language drama film, produced and directed by Dasari Narayana Rao under his Taraka Prabhu Films banner. It stars Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Jaya Prada, Jayasudha and music composed by Ramesh Naidu. This film is the 200th movie of Akkineni Nageswara Rao. The film was featured in the Indian Panorama section at the 9th International Film Festival of India, and the Moscow film festival. It won four Awards including Best Feature Film in Telugu at the 30th National Film Awards "For its lyrical and aesthetic qualities", the Filmfare award for Best Telugu Film and Nandi award for Best Feature Film. The film won nine Nandi Awards.
Gorintaku is a 1979 Indian Telugu-language romantic drama film directed by Dasari Narayana Rao. It is a family sentiment film starring Sobhan Babu and Sujatha. The initial scenes of the film were shot in black and white. The title song "Gorinta Poochindi Komma Lekunda", written by Devulapalli Krishnasastri, casting Savitri is remembered even today. The film was remade in Hindi as Mehndi Rang Layegi.
Swargam Narakam is a 1975 Telugu-language romantic drama film written and directed by Dasari Narayana Rao. The debut film for Mohan Babu and Annapoorna, the film was later remade in Bollywood as Swarg Narak (1978), and in Tamil as Sorgam Naragam (1977). The film has garnered the Nandi Award for Best Feature Film.
Preminchu is a 2001 Indian Telugu-language drama film directed by Boyina Subba Rao and produced by D. Rama Naidu.The film stars Laya and Sai Kiran with newcomer Roopa, Murali Mohan, and Lakshmi in supporting roles. The plot follows Meena (Laya), a blind girl who is abandoned by her mother (Lakshmi) and grows up to be an independent woman.
Balipeetam is a 1975 Indian Telugu-language drama film directed by Dasari Narayana Rao. The film stars Sobhan Babu and Sarada in the lead roles. It is produced by Y. Sunil Chowdary. It is based on the popular socialist novel Balipeetam written by Ranganayakamma.
Brahma Putrudu is a 1988 Telugu-language film directed by Dasari Narayana Rao and produced by D. Ramanaidu under the Suresh Productions banner. It stars Venkatesh and Rajani, with music composed by Chakravarthy. The film was a remake of the Tamil film Michael Raj. The film was a Super Hit at the box office. Venkatesh won Filmfare Award for Best Actor - Telugu.
Ghattamaneni Ramesh Babu was an Indian actor and film producer, who was known for his work in Telugu cinema. Babu made his on screen debut with the film Alluri Seetharama Raju in 1974. He acted in over 15 films before retiring from acting in 1997. In 2004, he became a producer and established Krishna Productions Private Ltd, a film production company named after his father. He produced films like Arjun and Athidhi, both of which had his brother Mahesh Babu in leading role. One of his last roles was as a presenter for the 2011 film Dookudu.
Pandavulu Pandavulu Tummeda is a 2014 Indian Telugu-language comedy drama film directed by Sriwass and featuring an ensemble cast composed of Mohan Babu, Manchu Vishnu, Manchu Manoj, Raveena Tandon, Hansika Motwani, Pranitha Subhash, Varun Sandesh, and Tanish. Manchu Vishnu and Manchu Manoj are jointly producing the film on their respective banners, 24 Frames Factory and Sri Lakshmi Prasanna Pictures. Kona Venkat, Gopimohan and BVS Ravi wrote the film's screenplay with Palani Kumar handling cinematography.
Sardar Paparayudu is a 1980 Indian Telugu-language historical fiction film written and directed by Dasari Narayana Rao. Produced by Kranthi Kumar, it stars N. T. Rama Rao in the title role, alongside Sridevi and Sarada, with music composed by Chakravarthy. The film was a commercial success and was remade in Hindi as Sarfarosh (1985).
Erra Bus is a 2014 Indian Telugu-language film directed and produced by Dasari Narayana Rao under his banner Tharaka Prabhu Films, it was his final film as director. The film stars Vishnu Manchu and Catherine Tresa. Dasari Narayana Rao plays a crucial role in the movie. Chakri has composed the music for the movie while Anji has taken care of the cinematography. The movie is a remake of N. Ragavan's Tamil film, Manjapai. The principal photography of Erra Bus started on 28 July 2014 in Hyderabad. The audio launch of the movie was held on 31 October 2014.
Mada Venkateswara Rao was an Indian actor from Andhra Pradesh. He acted in more than 600 films. He played notable roles in the films Mutyala Muggu, Lambadolla Ramdasu, and Mayadari Malligadu. He was known for his comedy roles.
Bahudoorapu Batasari is a 1983 Indian Telugu-language drama film, produced and directed by Dasari Narayana Rao. It stars Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Sujatha with music composed by Ramesh Naidu. The film was recorded as a Super Hit at the box office. The film won two Nandi Awards.
Kalyani is a 1979 Telugu-language drama film, produced by Venkat Akkineni, Nagarjuna Akkineni under the Annapurna Studios banner and directed by Dasari Narayana Rao. It stars Murali Mohan, Jaya Sudha and music composed by Ramesh Naidu. The film is based on Yaddanapudi Sulochana Rani's novel Raagamayi.
Thoorpu Padamara is a 1976 Indian Telugu-language romantic drama film written and directed by Dasari Narayana Rao. A remake of the Tamil film Apoorva Raagangal (1975), it revolves around a rebel who falls in love with a much older woman (Srividya) while the woman's daughter (Madhavi) is drawn to the rebel's father. The rest of the story revolves around the four characters and their problems. The film was released on 23 October 1976 and became a commercial success.
Kondaveeti Simhasanam is a 2002 Indian Telugu-language action drama film directed by Dasari Narayana Rao and starring himself, Mohan Babu and Soundarya with Harshavardhan, Deepti Bhatnagar, Laya and Udaya Bhanu in supporting roles. The film is modern retelling of the relationship between Lord Rama, the village head, and Anjaneya, his servant. The film was released to highly negative reviews.
Fools is a 2003 Indian Telugu-language romantic comedy film directed by Dasari Narayana Rao and starring himself, Srinath and Gajala. The film is inspired by the Malayalam film Godfather although that film had already been remade into Telugu.
