Kasinadhuni Viswanath was an Indian film director, screenwriter and actor. One of the greatest auteurs of Telugu cinema, he received international recognition for his works, and is known for blending parallel cinema with mainstream cinema. He was honored with the "Prize of the Public" at the "Besançon Film Festival of France" in 1981. In 1992, he received the Andhra Pradesh state Raghupathi Venkaiah Award, and the civilian honor Padma Shri for his contribution to the field of arts. In 2017, he was conferred with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the highest award in Cinema of India.
Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao, often referred to by his initials NTR, was an Indian actor, filmmaker and politician who served as Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh for seven years over three terms. He starred in over 300 films, predominantly in Telugu cinema, and was referred by the media as Viswa Vikhyatha Nata Sarwa Bhouma. Rao received three National Film Awards for co-producing Thodu Dongalu (1954) and Seetharama Kalyanam (1960) under National Art Theater, Madras, and for directing Varakatnam (1970). Known for his breakthrough performances in Raju Peda (1954) and Lava Kusa (1963), Rao garnered the Nandi Award for Best Actor for Kodalu Diddina Kapuram in 1970, and the Inaugural Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Telugu in 1972 for Badi Panthulu.
Ghantasala Venkateswararao, known mononymously by his surname as Ghantasala, was an Indian playback singer and film composer known for his works predominantly in Telugu and Kannada cinema and also in Tamil, Malayalam, Tulu and Hindi language films. He is considered as one of the greatest singers of Telugu cinema. In 1970, he received the Padma Shri award, India's fourth highest civilian award for his contribution to Indian cinema. According to The Hindu and The Indian Express, Ghantasala was 'such a divine talent and with his songs he could move the hearts of the people'. 'Ghantasala's blending of classical improvisations to the art of light music combined with his virtuosity and sensitivity puts him a class apart, above all others in the field of playback singing'. Gifted with what Indian film historian V. A. K. Ranga Rao called 'the most majestic voice', Ghantasala helped Telugu film music develop its own distinct character which remains unparalleled. He is referred to as the 'Gaana Gandharva' for his mesmerising voice and musical skills.
Mullapudi Venkata Ramana was an Indian writer known for his work in Telugu language. Noted for his humorous and metaphorical style of writing, Mullapudi received Raghupathi Venkaiah Award from the Government of Andhra Pradesh in 1986 for his contributions to Telugu cinema and he also won six Nandi Awards.
Sattiraju Lakshminarayana, known professionally as Bapu, was an Indian film director, painter, illustrator, cartoonist, screenwriter, music artist, and designer known for his works in Telugu cinema along with a few Hindi films. In 2013, he was awarded the Padma Shri, for his contribution to Indian art and cinema. He has garnered two National Honors, two National Film Awards, seven state Nandi Awards, two Filmfare Awards South, a Raghupathi Venkaiah Award, and a Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award – South.
Nandamuri Balakrishna, simply known as Balakrishna or Balayya or NBK, is an Indian actor, producer and politician. He appeared in more than 100 Telugu films over forty years in a variety of roles and established himself as one of the leading actors of Telugu cinema. He won three Nandi Awards and one South Indian International Movie Award. He is an elected member of the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly from Hindupuram constituency since 2014.
Telugu cinema, also known as Tollywood, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Telugu language, widely spoken in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Telugu cinema is based in Film Nagar, Hyderabad. As of 2021, Telugu cinema is the largest film industry in India in terms of box-office. Telugu films sold 23.3 crore tickets in 2022, the highest among various film industries in India.
Seetha Kalyanam is a 1976 Indian Telugu-language Hindu mythological film directed by Bapu from a screenplay written by Mullapudi Venkata Ramana. Based on the Bala Kanda, the ensemble cast film relates events from the birth of Lord Rama, the seventh incarnation of Vishnu, up to his wedding to Seetha, incarnation of Lakshmi.
Maganti Murali Mohan is an Indian actor, producer, politician, and business executive from Telugu cinema. In 1973, Murali Mohan debuted in Jagame Maya, produced by Atluri Poornachandra Rao. He gained recognition with the 1974 film Tirupati, directed by Dasari Narayana Rao. He has acted in over 350 feature films. He has served in various positions in the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC) and the Andhra Pradesh Film Development Corporation. He was the Honorary President of the Telugu Movie Artists Association until the elections in 2015.
Hanumappa Muniappa Reddy, known as H. M. Reddy, was an Indian film director and producer, known for his works in Telugu cinema. He directed the first Indian multilingual sound film Kalidas (1931), shot in Telugu and Tamil. He then produced and directed the first full length Telugu sound film, Bhakta Prahlada in 1932.
Jandhyala Subrahmanya Sastry, known mononymously by his surname Jandhyala, was an Indian film director, screenwriter, playwright, and actor known for his works in Telugu cinema and Telugu theatre. He is popularly known as Hasya Brahma. In a career spanning more than two decades, he directed over 40 films and wrote the dialogue for more than 300 films. He won three state Nandi Awards one each for Best Director, Best Story Writer, and Best Dialogue Writer and one Filmfare Award for Best Director – Telugu. The Hindu referred to him as the 'King of Comedy in Tollywood'.
Vemuri Gaggayya (1895–1955) was an Indian actor, singer, and thespian known for his works in Telugu cinema, and Telugu theatre. In 1933, East India Film Company produced its first Indian film, Savitri in Telugu. Shot in Calcutta on a budget of ₹75,000 and based on a popular stage play by Mylavaram Bala Bharathi Nataka Samajam, the film was directed by the father of the "Telugu Theater Movement", Chittajallu Pullayya, casting Vemuri Gaggayya and Dasari Ramathilakam as "Yama" and "Savithri" respectively. The blockbuster film has received an honorary diploma at Venice Film Festival.
Kalyanam Raghuramaiah (1901–1975), popularly known as Eelapata Raghuramaiah, was an Indian actor, and thespian known for his works in Telugu cinema, and Telugu theatre. A recipient of the Sangeet Natak Akademi Award, and the Padmashri, He was known for the roles of Krishna or Dushyantha, Bhavanisankar, Narada etc. He performed those roles for about 60 years. He indulged in elaborate raga alapana, based on different ragas while rendering padyams.
Devata is a 1941 Indian Telugu-language drama film directed by B. N. Reddy. The huge success of this film led to the making of more films with the same title in 1964 by B. Padmanabham and in 1982 by D. Ramanaidu. The film was remade in Malayalam as Pavappettaval (1967).
Sita Rama Kalyanam is a 1961 Indian Telugu-language Hindu mythological film directed by N. T. Rama Rao in his directorial debut. It stars N. T. Rama Rao, Haranath, Geetanjali, B. Saroja Devi, Kanta Rao, Sobhan Babu. The film was produced by N. Trivikrama Rao on 'National Art Theatres' banner. The music composed by Gali Penchala Narasimha Rao.
Vikram is a 1986 Telugu-language romantic action film directed by V. Madhusudhana Rao, produced by Akkineni Venkat under the Annapurna Studios banner. Nagarjuna, Shobana and music was composed by Chakravarthy. The film was a remake of the Hindi film Hero (1983) and it is the debut of Nagarjuna as a hero.
Mikkilineni Radhakrishna Murthy was an Indian actor and thespian known for his works predominantly in Telugu cinema. He was the founder of the theater group Praja Natya Mandali. He has received the honorary Kalaprapoorna from Andhra University, for his contributions towards Telugu theater and cinema.
Lakshmi Kalyanam is a 1968 Indian Tamil-language film, directed by G. Or. Nathan and produced by A. L. Srinivasan. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan, Sowcar Janaki, Vennira Aadai Nirmala, K. Balaji and M. N. Nambiar. It was released on 15 November 1968. The film was remade in Telugu as Pelli Koothuru (1970).
Seetharama Kalyanam is a 1986 Telugu-language drama film, produced K. Murari of Yuva Chitra Arts and directed by Jandhyala. It stars Nandamuri Balakrishna, Rajani and music composed by K. V. Mahadevan.
