Anjali Pictures

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Anjali Pictures
Native name
అంజలీ పిక్చర్స్
Industry Entertainment
Founded1952
Founders P. Adinarayana Rao
Anjali Devi
Headquarters
India
Products Films
Services Film production

Anjali Pictures is an Indian film production company established in 1952 by music composer P. Adinarayana Rao and his wife, actress Anjali Devi. [ citation needed ] The production house is known for producing successful Telugu films, and also ventured into Tamil and Hindi films. [1] The films produced by Anjali Pictures were particularly noted for their emphasis on music. [2]

Contents

Later, their elder son Chinna Rao founded the Chinni Brothers banner, under which he produced a few films, with Anjali Devi acting as a presenter. [3] Between 1953 and 1980, Anjali Pictures and Chinni Brothers together produced 27 films, with notable works including Anarkali (1955), Suvarna Sundari (1957), Swarna Manjari (1962), Ammakosam (1970), Bhakta Tukaram (1973), and Mahakavi Kshetrayya (1976). [4] [5]

Anjali Pictures

Background

Before founding Anjali Pictures, P. Adinarayana Rao partnered with Akkineni Gopala Rao to establish Aswini Pictures. Together, they produced the bilingual film Mayalamari (1951) in both Telugu and Tamil. [3] Following this success, Adinarayana Rao and his wife, actress Anjali Devi founded Anjali Pictures in 1952, with the aim of producing their own films. [1]

Founding

The first production under Anjali Pictures was Paradesi (1953), a social drama directed by L. V. Prasad. It was actor Sivaji Ganesan's first film but was released only after his celebrated film Parasakthi (1952). [6] The production utilized advanced cinematography techniques, including slow-motion effects, for which they imported a special camera from noted Hindi filmmaker V. Shantaram. [2] Cinematographer Kamal Ghosh was responsible for the technical innovations in the film. [1] Despite its prominent cast and crew, Paradesi was an average grosser at the box office. [7]

Notable films

After the average performance of Paradesi, Anjali Pictures considered producing a folklore film. Adinarayana Rao formed a writing team with Samudrala Senior and novelist Kovvali, but realizing the project was time-consuming, they shifted their focus to a more immediate project. [7] Inspired by the success of the Hindi film Anarkali (1953), Anjali Pictures decided to produce their own Telugu version, putting the folklore project on hold. [8]

Anjali Pictures’ second film, Anarkali (1955), directed by Vedantam Raghavayya, became a massive success. The film featured a distinguished cast including Akkineni Nageswara Rao as Prince Salim, S. V. Ranga Rao as Akbar, and Kannamba as Jodha Bai. Anarkali was notable for its meticulous production, with outdoor scenes filmed in Mysore. Released in April 1955, the film became a musical hit and ran for over 100-days. The film's songs, such as "Rajasekhara Nee Paayi Moju Teeraledu" and "Raavoyi Sakha," became household hits, and Anjali Devi's portrayal of Anarkali was highly praised by audiences. It was dubbed into Tamil and met with success in that market as well. [7]

Following the success of Anarkali, Anjali Pictures ventured into folklore with Suvarna Sundari (1957), also directed by Vedantam Raghavayya. The film, known for its mythological themes and elaborate dance sequences choreographed by Vempati Pedha Satyam, became a major hit. It depicted the romance between a celestial maiden and a prince, blending fantasy with romance and impressive visual effects. Suvarna Sundari achieved significant commercial success, running for 100 days in 27 centres and celebrating silver jubilees in six locations. [1]

In addition to these films, Anjali Pictures produced several other notable films that made a mark in Telugu cinema. Among these, Bhakta Tukaram (1973) is remembered for its religious themes, further establishing the studio's reputation. Sivaji Ganesan repaid his gratitude to Anjali Devi for casting him in his first film by acting as Chatrapathi Sivaji in Bhakta Tukaram without taking any remuneration and covering all his expenses himself. [6] Mahakavi Kshetrayya (1976) won the Nandi Award for Second Best Feature Film from the state government. [9] Additionally, Phoolon Ki Sej (1964), marked Anjali Pictures' entry into Hindi cinema, extending its influence beyond Telugu cinema. [10]

The production house was known for creating films that combined commercial success with artistic values, often featuring prominent actors of the time such as N. T. Rama Rao, A. Nageswara Rao, and Sivaji Ganesan. Almost all of the films produced by Anjali Pictures had Adinarayana Rao as the music director. [10]

Financial struggles

Anjali Pictures faced significant financial losses during the production of a Hindi film, leading to a period of hardship. Amidst this struggle, Anjali Devi found solace in the teachings of Sathya Sai Baba. This newfound hope and strength led to the production of the devotional film Sati Sakkubai (1965), which, along with Bhakta Tukaram (1973), became multilingual hits. These successes marked a turnaround for the production house. [2]

Chinni Brothers

Later, Adinarayana Rao and Anjali Devi's elder son, Chinna Rao, founded Chinni Brothers, through which he produced a few films. Anjali Devi acted as a presenter for these films. Among these were Sathi Sakkubai (1965), Sathi Sumathi (1967), and Kunkuma Bharani (1968), and Ammakosam (1970). [3]

Chinni Brothers, though smaller in scale than Anjali Pictures, contributed to the family's continued involvement in the Telugu film industry. [3]

Filmography

Anjali Pictures

YearTitleCastDirectorLanguageNotesRef
1953 Paradesi Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Anjali Devi, Sivaji Ganesan L. V. Prasad Telugu [11] [12]
1953 Poongothai Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Anjali Devi, Sivaji GanesanL. V. Prasad Tamil
1955 Anarkali Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Anjali Devi Vedantam Raghavayya Telugu [7]
1957 Suvarna Sundari Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Anjali DeviVedantam RaghavayyaTeluguSimultaneously shot in Tamil as Manaalane Mangaiyin Baakkiyam [13]
1957 Manaalane Mangaiyin Baakkiyam Gemini Ganesan, Anjali Devi, Rajasulochana, Girija Vedantam RaghavayyaTamilSimultaneously shot in Telugu as Suvarna Sundari [14]
1957Suvarna SundariAkkineni Nageswara Rao, Anjali DeviVedantam Raghavayya Hindi Remake of Suvarna Sundari [15]
1960 Runanubandham Anjali Devi, Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Suryakantham Vedantam RaghavayyaTelugu
1960 Adutha Veettu Penn Anjali Devi, T. R. Ramachandran, K. A. Thangavelu Vedantam RaghavayyaTamil [16]
1962 Mangaiyar Ullam Mangatha Selvam Gemini Ganesan, Anjali Devi, M. R. Radha, Nagesh Vedantam RaghavayyaTamilSimultaneously shot in Telugu as Swarna Manjari [17]
1962 Swarna Manjari N. T. Rama Rao, Anjali DeviVedantam RaghavayyaTeluguSimultaneously shot in Tamil as Mangaiyar Ullam Mangatha Selvam [18] [19]
1964 Phoolon Ki Sej Vyjayanthimala, Ashok Kumar, Manoj Kumar Inder Raj Anand Hindi [20]
1971 Kalyana Mandapam Sobhan Babu, Kanchana, Jaggayya, Anjali Devi V. Madhusudhana Rao Telugu
1973 Bhakta Tukaram Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Anjali Devi, Sivaji GanesanV. Madhusudhana RaoTelugu
1976 Mahakavi Kshetrayya Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Anjali Devi, Manjula Adurthi Subba Rao
C. S. Rao 		Telugu [9]
1978KannavarilluAnjali Devi, Kaikala Satyanarayana K. Pratyagatma Telugu
1980 Chandipriya Sobhan Babu, Jaya Prada, Chiranjeevi, Anjali DeviV. Madhusudhana RaoTelugu

Chinni Brothers

YearTitleCastDirectorLanguageRef
1965Sathi Sakkubai Anjali Devi, S. V. Ranga Rao, Kantha Rao Vedantam Raghavayya Telugu [3]
1967 Sathi Sumathi Anjali Devi, Kantha Rao, S. V. Ranga RaoVedantam RaghavayyaTelugu [3]
1968Kunkuma Bharani Sobhan Babu, Anjali Devi, Kantha Rao, Rajasree, S. V. Ranga Rao Vedantam RaghavayyaTelugu [3]
1970Amma Kosam Krishna, Krishnam Raju, Vijaya Nirmala, Anjali Devi B. V. Prasad Telugu [3] [21]

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  13. ↑ Anjali Pictures' Golden Hit Suvarna Sundari Archived 27 January 2013 at the Wayback Machine
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  15. ↑ Suvarna Sundari (1957) completes 50 years Archived 14 February 2012 at the Wayback Machine
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  17. ↑ "Mangayar Ullam Mangatha Selvam". The Indian Express . 31 August 1962. p. 3.
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  19. ↑ "Swarna Manjari (Review)". The Cine Bay.
  20. ↑ "Phoolon Ki Sej". Ibosnetwork.com. Retrieved 8 March 2012.
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