Akkineni Nageswara Rao, widely known as ANR, was an Indian actor and film producer, primarily known for his works in Telugu cinema. Over his seven decade career, he starred in numerous landmark films, becoming one of the most prominent figures in the industry. Nageswara Rao received numerous accolades, including seven state Nandi Awards, five Filmfare Awards South and a Tamil Nadu State Film Award. He was honoured with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the highest recognition in Indian cinema, in 1990. Additionally, he was awarded the Padma Vibhushan (2011), Padma Bhushan (1988) and Padma Shri (1968), by the Government of India for his contributions to art and cinema.
Daggubati Ramanaidu was an Indian film producer known for his work in Telugu cinema. He founded Suresh Productions in 1964 which became of one of the largest film production companies in India. He was one of the most influential movie moguls in Indian cinema. He was placed in the Guinness Book of World Records for the most films produced by an individual, with more than 150 films in all official Indian languages. He also served as a Member of Parliament for the Bapatla constituency in Andhra Pradesh in the 13th Lok Sabha from 1999 to 2004.
Meena Durairaj, known professionally as Meena, is an Indian actress who predominantly works in South Indian films as well as Hindi cinema. She is a trained Bharatanatyam dancer. Meena has acted in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, and Hindi films She is one of the most sought after actresses in the South Indian film industry. In addition to acting, Meena is also a playback singer, TV judge, and occasional dubbing artist. She has received numerous accolades, including two Filmfare Awards South, three Tamil Nadu State Film Awards, two Nandi Award for Best Actress and Cinema Express Awards. In 1998, she was honoured with the Kalaimamani Award by Government of Tamil Nadu.
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, and Hindi cinema. 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.
Manayangath Subramanian Viswanathan, also known as M.S.V., was an Indian music director, singer and actor who predominantly worked in Tamil film industry. Popularly known by the sobriquet "Mellisai Mannar", he composed songs for more than 800 Indian films and various albums across languages primarily in Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu films. He has also acted and sung in a few Tamil films. The Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu J Jayalalithaa conferred the "Thirai Isai Chakravarthy" title on him in August 2012 and presented him with 60 gold coins and a new car.
Kanneganti Brahmanandam is an Indian actor and comedian known for his work in Telugu cinema. Recognised as one of India’s finest and highest-paid comic actors, he holds the Guinness World Record for the most screen credits for a living actor, having appeared in over 1,000 films. Brahmanandam has received numerous accolades, including six Nandi Awards and two Filmfare Awards, and was honoured with the Padma Shri, India’s fourth-highest civilian award, in 2009. He was also awarded an honorary doctorate by Acharya Nagarjuna University.
Bangalore Saroja Devi is an Indian actress who has acted in Tamil, Kannada, Telugu and Hindi films. She acted in around 200 films over seven decades. She is known by the epithets "Abhinaya Saraswathi" in Kannada and "Kannadathu Paingili" in Tamil. She is one of the most successful actresses in the history of Indian cinema.
Bharathiraja is an Indian film director and actor who works mainly in the Tamil film industry. Making his debut in 1977 with 16 Vayathinile, he is known for realistic and sensitive portrayals of rural life in his films and popularly referred to as Iyakkunar Imayam. As of 2017, he has won six National Film Awards, four Filmfare Awards South, six Tamil Nadu State Film Awards and a Nandi Award. He has also directed films in Telugu and Hindi. The Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri award, India's fourth-highest civilian honour, in 2004 for his contribution to the film industry. In 2005, he was conferred with the Doctor of Letters from Sathyabama University.
Sivaji: The Boss is a 2007 Indian Tamil-language Vigilante film co-written and directed by S. Shankar and produced by AVM Productions. The film stars Rajinikanth in the main lead role alongside Shriya Saran, Vivek and Suman. In the film, a software systems architect returns to India from US to provide free medical treatment and education, but has to face hurdles from the system and an influential political leader.
P. Bhanumathi Ramakrishna was an Indian actress, singer, film producer, director, music composer, and novelist. She is regarded as the first female super star of Telugu cinema. She is also considered the first female director of Telugu cinema with her debut directorial Chandirani (1953). Bhanumathi appeared in over 100 films predominantly in Telugu and Tamil languages. She was awarded the Padma Bhushan in 2001 for her contribution to the Indian cinema. She was honored among "women in cinema" at the 30th International Film Festival of India.
Kongara Jaggayya was an Indian actor, littérateur, journalist, lyricist, dubbing artist and politician known for his works predominantly in Telugu cinema and Telugu theatre. He was known as Kanchu Kantam Jaggayya (Telugu) for his booming voice. In a film career spanning forty years as a matinee idol, he starred in eighty films, as a lead actor, and lead antagonist in a variety of genres. In 1967, he was elected as a member of the fourth Lok Sabha, from the constituency of Ongole, becoming the first Indian film actor to be elected as a member of the Parliament.
Koduri Marakathamani Keeravaani, professionally known as M. M. Keeravani, is an Indian music composer, singer and lyricist, primarily associated with Telugu cinema. In a career spanning over three decades, Keeravani has earned numerous accolades, including an Academy Award, a Golden Globe Award, a Critics' Choice Movie Award, two National Film Awards, eleven Nandi Awards, eight Filmfare Awards, and a LAFCA Award. In 2023, the Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri for his contributions towards Indian cinema.
Arjun is a 2004 Indian Telugu-language action drama film co-written and directed by Gunasekhar and produced by G. Ramesh Babu. The film starred Mahesh Babu as the titular character along with Shriya Saran, Keerthi Reddy, Raja, Prakash Raj, and Saritha. The music was composed by Mani Sharma. The film released on 18 August 2004 and was an average grosser at the box office.
Jayachitra is an Indian actress films who works mostly in Tamil, Telugu and Kannada films.
Anandan "Drums" Sivamani is an Indian percussionist. He plays many instruments including drums, octoban, darbuka, udukai, ghatam and kanjira. He performed drumming during the Indian Premier League in 2008 and 2010. He is affiliated with the Chennai Super Kings team, but gained recognition through his role as A. R. Rahman's lead percussionist. They have been close friends since childhood. In 2019, he was conferred with Padma Shri.
Sankaramanchi Janaki, widely known as Sowcar Janaki, is an Indian actress known for her works in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada films. In a career spanning over seven decades, Janaki has appeared in nearly 390 films. She also performed on stage in over 300 shows and was a radio artist during her earlier years. She is the recipient of two Nandi Awards, a Kalaimamani, and India's fourth-highest civilian award, Padma Shri. Her younger sister, Krishna Kumari, was also a noted actress.
Seetamalakshmi is a 1978 Indian Telugu-language film written and directed by K. Viswanath. The film stars Talluri Rameswari and Chandra Mohan. It was released on 27 July 1978. It won two state Nandi Awards and a Filmfare Award for Best Actress - Telugu for Talluri Rameswari. Seetamalakshmi was remade in Tamil as Enippadigal (1979), and in Hindi as Sitara (1980).
T. S. B. K. Moulee is an Indian film director, writer, playwright, and actor known for his works in Telugu and Tamil cinema. His celluloid scripts include Kamal Haasan's Pammal K. Sambandam, the biographical sports drama film Ashwini, and Nala Damayanthi in the year 2003.
Sripathi Panditaradhyula Balasubrahmanyam, commonly known as SPB or Balu, was an Indian playback singer, television presenter, actor, music composer, dubbing artist, and film producer. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest Indian singers of all time. He predominantly worked in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, and Hindi films and sang in a total of 16 languages.
