Chota K. Naidu

Last updated

Chota K. Naidu
Born (1962-07-03) 3 July 1962 (age 62)
NationalityIndian
Other namesChota
Occupation Cinematographer
Years active1989–present
Relatives Shyam K. Naidu (brother)
Sundeep Kishan (nephew)
AwardsTwo Nandi Awards
Two Filmfare Awards South

Chota K. Naidu (born 1962) 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, [1] [2] have been widely appreciated for over 30 years.

Contents

Early life

Naidu was born in Ramachandrapuram, East Godavari district, Andhra Pradesh. His father, Chitti Babu Naidu, was a writer and director of stage plays, while his mother, Ananthalakshmi, was a housewife. He has an elder sister, Padma Latha, an electronics engineer; an elder brother, K. V. S. Naidu, a mechanical engineer; a younger sister, Kanaka Durga, an electronics engineer; and a younger brother, Shyam K. Naidu, who is also a cinematographer in Telugu cinema Naidu attended SKPGN Government Junior College in Ramachandrapuram. [3]

Despite being born into a family of engineers, Naidu spent much of his time watching films instead of focusing on his studies, resulting in his failure in the 10th standard exams. To gain more exposure to films, he worked as a gatekeeper at a nearby theatre. He failed his supplementary exams that year due to his continued interest in watching films. Recognizing his passion for cinema, his father, Chitti Babu Naidu, challenged him to pass his 10th standard exams, promising to help him enter the film industry if he succeeded. Naidu accepted the challenge, passed with good marks, and, as promised, his father secured him a position as a camera apprentice at Devar Films' outdoor unit in Chennai in 1979.

Later, Naidu joined the Taraka Prabhu outdoor unit under Dasari Narayana Rao and worked with top cinematographers throughout India during the 1980s as a focus puller. He was particularly inspired by Director of Photography V.S.R. Swamy, whom he admired for his discipline, dedication, and craft, considering Swamy his role model.

Career

Naidu's first opportunity as a DOP was for the telefilm Kristhu Jananam (1987) for DD Hyderabad Kendra which was directed by Bharath Parepalli and produced by P. Seetha Devi, who later went on to become his wife.

From then onwards, he was continuously working for more regional and national television work and TV commercials, evolving his craftsmanship in the process.

Naidu's first movie as a cinematographer was Dasari Narayana Rao Amma Rajinama [4] (1991). He collaborated with Dasari Narayana Rao for several other films such as Venkanna Babu, Surigadu, and Santaan. Some of the directors he collaborated with are E.V.V. Satyanarayana, for the films Varasudu, Maga Rayudu, Veedevadandi Babu and Maavidaakulu, Kranthi Kumar for Bhale Pellam , K. Raghavendra Rao for Allari Premikudu, Bombay Priyudu and Gangotri, Ramgopal Varma for Deyyam, Suresh Krissna for Master, Daddy, and Baba (Tamil), Satish Kaushik for Prem (Hindi), Gunasekhar for Choodalani Vundi , David Dhawan for Kunwara (Hindi), A.R. Murugadoss for Stalin, Trivikram Srinivas for Julai, and with V.V. Vinayak for Tagore, Bunny, Lakshmi, Krishna, Adhurs, Naayak and Alludu Seenu .

Style

Naidu received critical acclaim with his debut Kristhu Jananam, a telefilm dealing with the times of Jesus Christ, for the rich painting-like cinematography.

For Matru Devo Bhava , Naidu applied the chiaroscuro (extremely bright back light and top light to the point of burnout) and silhouette techniques to communicate predominantly a tragic content.

Varasudu was his first big commercial film. In the film, he adopted a commercial style of lighting and a fitting selection of the color palette to portray grandeur.

Personal life

Naidu's nephew Sundeep Kishan is a film actor. [4]

Filmography

YearTitleLanguageNotes
1991 Amma Rajinama Telugu
1992Venkanna BabuTelugu
SurigaduTelugu
Raguluthunna Bharatham Telugu
Dr. Ambedkar Hindi
1993 Santaan Hindi
Varasudu Telugu
Mathru Devo Bhava Telugu
1994Maga RayuduTelugu
Bhale Pellam Telugu
Allari Premikudu Telugu
1995 Prem Hindi
Taj Mahal Telugu
Kondapalli RathaiahTelugu
1996 Mrugam Telugu
Deyyam Telugu
1997 Master Telugu
Veedevadandi Babu Telugu
1998 Choodalani Vundi Telugu
Maavidaakulu Telugu
2000 Annayya Telugu
Pukar Hindi
Kunwara Hindi
Azad Telugu
2001 Eduruleni Manishi Telugu
Daddy Telugu
2002 Kya Yehi Pyaar Hai Hindi
Neetho Telugu
Baba Tamil
2003 Gangotri Telugu
Johnny Telugu
Tagore Telugu
2004 Anji Telugu Nandi Award for Best Cinematographer [5]
Madhyanam Hathya Telugu
Gudumba Shankar Telugu
2005 Bunny Telugu
2006 Lakshmi Telugu
Darwaza Bandh Rakho Hindi
Stalin Telugu
2007 Aata Telugu
Shankar Dada Zindabad Telugu
2008 Krishna Telugu
Premer Kahini Bengali
Kotha Bangaru Lokam Telugu Filmfare Award for Best Cinematographer - Telugu [6]
Nandi Award for Best Cinematographer [7]
2010 Adhurs Telugu
Brindavanam Telugu
2011 Prema Kavali Telugu
Veera Telugu
2012 Julayi Telugu
Damarukam Telugu Filmfare Award for Best Cinematographer - Teluuu [8]
2013 Naayak Telugu
Ramayya Vasthavayya Telugu
Venkatadri Express Telugu
2014 Alludu Seenu Telugu
2015 Beeruva Telugu
Tiger Telugu
2016 Krishnashtami Telugu
Okka Ammayi Thappa Telugu
Naanna Nenu Naa Boyfriends Telugu
2017 Winner Telugu
Jai Lava Kusa Telugu
Oxygen Telugu
2018 Touch Chesi Chudu Telugu
Kavacham Telugu
2019 Raju Gari Gadhi 3 Telugu
2021 Alludu Adhurs Telugu
2022 Bimbisara TeluguNominated–SIIMA Award for Best Cinematographer – Telugu
Ginna Telugu
2023 Peddha Kapu 1 Telugu
2025 Vishwambhara Telugu

Television

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Soundarya</span> Indian actress, producer

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.

<i>Choodalani Vundi</i> 1998 Indian film

Choodalani Vundi is a 1998 Indian Telugu-language action thriller film written and directed by Gunasekhar, and produced by C. Aswani Dutt under Vyjayanthi Movies. This film stars Chiranjeevi, Soundarya, Anjala Zaveri and Prakash Raj. The film has music composed by Mani Sharma with cinematography by Chota K. Naidu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dasari Narayana Rao</span> Indian director, actor, politician (1947–2017)

Dasari Narayana Rao was an Indian film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, lyricist, and politician known for his works predominantly in Telugu cinema, in addition to Hindi cinema. He has directed more than 150 feature films in a variety of genres. He holds the Limca World Record for directing the most number of films in the world. He is known by the moniker Darsaka Ratna. His works emphasize social injustice, corruption and gender discrimination. Narayana Rao has received two National Film Awards, nine state Nandi Awards including the Raghupathi Venkaiah Award, and five Filmfare Awards South including the Lifetime Achievement. During his career he had also acted in Telugu, Tamil, and Kannada films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Allu Ramalingaiah</span> Indian actor, comedian and film producer (1922–2004)

Allu Ramalingaiah was an Indian character actor, comedian, and producer known for his works in Telugu cinema. In 1990, he was honoured with the Padma Shri for his contribution to Indian cinema. In 1998, he received the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award - South, and the Raghupathi Venkaiah Award in 2001. Ramalingaiah appeared in over 1000 films in a variety of roles. The "Allu Ramalingaiah National Award" was instituted in his memory by the "Allu Ramalingaiah Academy of Arts". The award is presented every year to a Telugu film personality for life time achievement.

Jayasudha Kapoor is an Indian actress and politician known for her works predominantly in Telugu and Tamil cinema. She has also worked in few Kannada, Malayalam, and Hindi films. Known as natural actress, in a career spanning over 5 decades she received nine state Nandi Awards for her acting in works such as Jyothi (1976), Idi Katha Kaadu (1979), Premabhishekam (1981), Meghasandesam (1982), and Dharmaatmudu (1983).

<i>Meghasandesam</i> 1982 film directed by Dasari Narayana Rao

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.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mickey J. Meyer</span> Indian music composer and singer

Mickey J. Meyer is an Indian music composer and singer known for his works predominantly in Telugu Cinema. He has received two Filmfare Awards South, and three state Nandi Awards for the Best Music Direction. An alumnus of Trinity College of Music, Meyer started his career in 2005 and composed music for films such as Happy Days (2007), Kotha Bangaru Lokam (2008), Leader (2010), A Aa (2016) and Shyam Singha Roy (2021).

<i>Kotha Bangaru Lokam</i> 2008 Indian film

Kotha Bangaru Lokam is a 2008 Indian Telugu-language romantic drama film directed by debutant Srikanth Addala, and produced by Dil Raju. The film stars Varun Sandesh and Shweta Basu Prasad with Prakash Raj, Jayasudha, Brahmanandam, and Rao Ramesh in supporting roles. The film has music composed by Mickey J. Meyer and cinematography by Chota K. Naidu.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Raja Babu (actor)</span> Indian actor

Punyamurthula Appalaraju, better known by his stage name Raja Babu, was an Indian actor and comedian known for his works predominantly in Telugu cinema. He is noted as one of the finest Telugu comedians. A 9 ft bronze statue of Rajababu was unveiled in his birthplace of Rajahmundry, Andhra Pradesh in 2012.

The 56th Filmfare Awards South ceremony honored its selection of the best South Indian films of 2008 and was held on Friday, 31 July 2009, in Hyderabad, India.

<i>Amma Rajinama</i> 1991 Indian film

Amma Rajinama is a 1991 Indian Telugu film directed by Dasari Narayana Rao and cinematography by Chota K. Naidu. The Mother character is portrayed by Sharada. This is one of the movies where director Dasari touches upon women issues.

<i>Kante Koothurne Kanu</i> 1998 Indian film

Kante Koothurne Kanu is a 1998 Indian Telugu-language drama film written, directed and produced by Dasari Narayana Rao starring Ramya Krishna in the lead role. The film won the National Film Award Special Mention Feature Film, "for taking a stand on gender discrimination" at the 46th National Film Awards, and won five state Nandi Awards including Best Feature Film. The film was later remade in Kannada Language as Hetthare Heranne Herrabekku (2007).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Srikanth Addala</span> Indian film director and screenwriter

Srikanth Addala is an Indian film director and screenwriter who works in Telugu cinema. After working as an assistant director for several films, Addala made his directorial debut in 2008 with Kotha Bangaru Lokam. He went on to write and direct films such as Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu (2013), Mukunda (2014), Brahmotsavam (2016), and Narappa (2021).

<i>Premabhishekam</i> (1981 film) 1981 Indian film

Premabhishekam is a 1981 Indian Telugu-language romantic drama film written and directed by Dasari Narayana Rao. Produced by Venkat Akkineni and Nagarjuna Akkineni under Annapurna Studios banner. It stars Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Jayasudha, Sridevi, Murali Mohan, Mohan Babu and music composed by Chakravarthy. This film is copied from "send me no flowers" 1964 hollywood movie. Released on 18 February 1981, Premabhishekam was a commercial success and industry hit grossing over 4crore at the box office. It had a theatrical run of 527 days and became the first film to complete a 75-week run in Andhra Pradesh. The film won four Nandi Awards and two Filmfare Awards South. It was later remade in Tamil as Vazhvey Maayam and in Hindi as Prem Tapasya

<i>Pandavulu Pandavulu Tummeda</i> 2014 Indian film

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.

<i>Bangaru Kutumbam</i> 1994 Indian film

Bangaru Kutumbam is a 1994 Indian Telugu-language drama film, produced by Kaikala Nageswara Rao under the Ramaa Films banner, presented by Satyanarayana and directed by Dasari Narayana Rao. It stars Akkineni Nageswara Rao and Jayasudha with music composed by Raj–Koti. The film was a box office success and won two Nandi Awards.

<i>Bahudoorapu Batasari</i> 1983 Indian film

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.

Siva Shankar is a 2004 Indian Telugu-language action drama film starring Mohan Babu and Soundarya.

GandhamSatyamurthy was an Indian screenwriter who predominantly worked in Telugu cinema. He worked as a story writer for over 90 films and as a dialogue writer for over 400 films. He is the father of film composer Devi Sri Prasad and singer Sagar.

<i>Kondaveeti Simhasanam</i> 2002 Indian film

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.

References

  1. Chowdhary, Y. Sunita (12 March 2015). "Ready with his 'tiger'". The Hindu.
  2. narasimham, m.l. (2 January 2011). "Campus love story". The Hindu.
  3. "Govt. Jr. College, Ramachandrapuram, Ramachandrapuram". schoolsworld.in. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  4. 1 2 "Off the beaten track". The Hindu . 9 May 2010.
  5. "Nandiawards2004response - Telugu cinema news". idlebrain.com. 9 October 2005. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  6. "56th Idea Filmfare Awards 2008". ragalahari.com. Retrieved 5 August 2009.
  7. "Nandi awards 2008 announced - Telugu cinema news". idlebrain.com. 24 October 2008. Retrieved 27 May 2024.
  8. Filmfare Awards (South): The complete list of Winners Archived 10 May 2015 at the Wayback Machine