Telugu Historyతెలుగు చరిత్ర

Rohini Pictures, Madras

The film company of H. M. Reddy, the director of the first Telugu talkie, set up at Madras in 1937 or 1938. Its first film, Gruhalakshmi (1938), against drink and full of patriotic songs, began the age of Telugu social films and introduced Chittoor V. Nagaiah. B. N. Reddi worked with it before founding Vauhini. By 1953 Reddy also owned the Rohini Studios at Madras.

Rohini Pictures was the film company of H. M. Reddy, who had directed the first Telugu talkie, Bhakta Prahlada, in 1931.1 Its first film, Gruhalakshmi (1938), was one of the two films whose success began the age of Telugu social films.2 The company also gave the singer and actor Chittoor V. Nagaiah his first part in films.3

H. M. Reddy comes to Madras

The film almanac of 1953 says H. M. Reddy entered films in 1927 at Bombay.1 In 1931 he directed the first Tamil talkie and the first Telugu talkie for the Krishna Movietone.1 Kodavatiganti Kutumbarao writes that Reddy then left the Bombay province, came to Madras and set up Rohini Pictures.2 In 1953 Kutumbarao said Reddy was known as the “grandfather” of the Telugu talkie.4

Gruhalakshmi

K. N. T. Sastry names the team that made Gruhalakshmi: H. M. Reddy, B. N. Reddi, K. Ramnoth, Shekar, Parepalli Seshaiah and the actress Kannamba.5 The hero was Ramanujachari, the heroine Kannamba and the vamp Kanchanamala.3 On B. N. Reddi’s advice, H. M. Reddy gave Nagaiah the part of a patriot. Sastry says Reddy, called “the Tiger of the Talkie”, rarely took advice from anyone.3

The film told of a man who took to drink, and of his faithful wife.67 Sastry says Reddy put patriotic feeling into it. Nagaiah, in a Gandhi cap and with the national flag on his shoulder, went from village to village singing patriotic songs.6 The souvenir of 1956 says Gruhalakshmi “created history” in South Indian films and made Kanchanamala a star overnight.8 It adds that Reddy later produced the same film again.8

The parting of the Reddys

In 1939 H. M. Reddy and B. N. Reddi parted. Sastry writes that H. M. Reddy took little trouble to keep accounts of what he spent.9 B. N. Reddi went on to found Vauhini Pictures.910

Later films

The Andhra year book of 1954–55 lists the films of Rohini Pictures as Gruhalakshmi, Tenali Ramakrishna, Gharana Donga, Nirdoshi and the Hindi Justice.10 The souvenir’s list dates Tenali Ramakrishna to 1941.11 By June 1956, the souvenir’s statistics say, Rohini Pictures had made 15 films.12

Kutumbarao was not impressed by Reddy’s later work. Writing in 1953, he said Reddy made few films after Gruhalakshmi. Films like Tenali Ramakrishna pleased the public but not the critics.4 In 1952 he wrote that Reddy had not won an important place in Telugu film history, because he founded no tradition.13

Studio and industry

By 1953 H. M. Reddy owned the Rohini Studios on Arcot Road, Kodambakkam, in Madras.14 In July 1950 he gave evidence to the Film Enquiry Committee as president of the South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce.15

Where the sources disagree

When Rohini Pictures began. The year book says the company was founded in 1937.10 Kutumbarao tells of its founding along with the release of its first film, Gruhalakshmi, in 1938.2

Footnotes

  1. Indian Motion Picture Almanac (1953), p. 378, Who’s Who, “Reddy, H. M.” (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  2. Kutumbarao, “Telugu chitralu: simhavalokanam”, Andhra Prabha, 1 October 1953, in Cinema Vyasalu, Vol. 1, p. 172 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  3. Sastry, Chittoor V. Nagaiah (2000), p. 20 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  4. Kutumbarao, “Toli mali darsakulu”, Telugu Swatantra, 23 October 1953, in Cinema Vyasalu, Vol. 2 (Viplava Rachayitala Sangham, 2000), p. 248 (in Telugu) (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩ ↩2

  5. K. N. T. Sastry, Chittoor V. Nagaiah: A Monograph (New Delhi: Publications Division, 2000), p. 19 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩

  6. Sastry, Chittoor V. Nagaiah (2000), p. 31 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩ ↩2

  7. Kutumbarao, “Mailurallu” (1952), Cinema Vyasalu, Vol. 1, p. 160 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩

  8. “Telugu Film”, unsigned article in Indian Talkie, 1931–56: Silver Jubilee Souvenir (Bombay: Film Federation of India, 1956), p. 91 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩ ↩2

  9. Sastry, Chittoor V. Nagaiah (2000), p. 21 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩ ↩2

  10. Kappagantula Satyanarayana (ed.), Prapancha Darsini (Andhra Directory and Year Book 1954–55) (1955), p. 518 (in Telugu) (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩ ↩2 ↩3

  11. Silver Jubilee Souvenir (1956), p. XXII, list of Telugu talkies, 1936–1952 (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩

  12. Silver Jubilee Souvenir (1956), unnumbered page (PDF p. 229), “Producers of ten films and more” (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩

  13. Kodavatiganti Kutumbarao, “Telugu cinema vishishta charitralo konni mailurallu” (1952), in Cinema Vyasalu, Vol. 1 (Viplava Rachayitala Sangham, 2000), p. 159 (in Telugu) (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). Cite-only; paraphrased. ↩

  14. I. K. Menon and S. G. Chandavarkar (compilers), Indian Motion Picture Almanac and Who’s Who, 1953 (Bombay: Film Federation of India, 1953), p. 115, motion picture studios (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩

  15. Film Enquiry Committee, Report of the Film Enquiry Committee, 1951 (New Delhi: Government of India Press, 1951), p. 280, Appendix IV (archive.org (opens in a new tab)). ↩

References

Sources (7)
  1. Kodavatiganti Kutumbarao; Krishnabai and Prasad (eds.), Cinema Vyasalu, Vol. 1 (Vyasa Prapancham 4) (in Telugu) (opens in a new tab), Viplava Rachayitala Sangham, Andhra Pradesh, 2000, pp. 159–160, 172. Cite-only; paraphrased. [Cite only]
  2. Kodavatiganti Kutumbarao; Krishnabai and Prasad (eds.), Cinema Vyasalu, Vol. 2 (Vyasa Prapancham 4) (in Telugu) (opens in a new tab), Viplava Rachayitala Sangham, Andhra Pradesh, 2000, pp. 248. Cite-only; paraphrased. [Cite only]
  3. Kappagantula Satyanarayana (ed.), Prapancha Darsini (Andhra Directory and Year Book 1954-55) (in Telugu) (opens in a new tab), 1955, pp. 518. Cite-only; paraphrased. [Cite only]
  4. K. N. T. Sastry, Chittoor V. Nagaiah: A Monograph (opens in a new tab), Publications Division, Government of India, New Delhi (for the National Film Archive of India), 2000, pp. 3, 19–21, 30–31. Cite-only; paraphrased. [Cite only]
  5. Film Federation of India, Indian Talkie, 1931-56: Silver Jubilee Souvenir (opens in a new tab), Film Federation of India, Bombay, 1956, pp. 91, XXII; statistics, PDF p. 229. [Public domain in India (photographs and unsigned matter); signed articles cite only]
  6. I. K. Menon and S. G. Chandavarkar (compilers), Indian Motion Picture Almanac and Who's Who, 1953 (opens in a new tab), Film Federation of India, Bombay, 1953, pp. 115, 378. [Public domain in India (directory and unsigned matter); signed articles cite only]
  7. Film Enquiry Committee (S. K. Patil, chairman), Report of the Film Enquiry Committee, 1951 (opens in a new tab), Government of India Press, New Delhi, 1951, pp. 280. [Public domain in India]

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