B. Vittalacharya (28 January 1920 – 28 May 1999) was an Indian film director and producer known for his works in

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India *Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language ** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode S ...

and

Kannada cinema Kannada cinema, also known as Sandalwood, or Chandanavana, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Kannada language widely spoken in the state of Karnataka. The 1934 film ''Sati Sulochana'' directed ...

. He was known as ''Janapada Brahma'' in the Telugu film industry. Vittalacharya formed his film production company ''Vittal Productions,'' which produced the first film directed by him, ''Rajya Lakshmi''. In 1954, he produced and directed ''Kanyadhanam,'' a revolutionary film for that time. Wishing to remake the same in Telugu, he moved to

Madras Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

and settled there. After making two more Kannada movies, he concentrated on producing and directing only Telugu movies. He also directed movies for other producers. He directed a total of 19 movies with

N. T. Rama Rao Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao (28 May 1923 – 18 January 1996), often referred to by his initials NTR, was an Indian actor, filmmaker and politician who served as List of Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh fo ...

, the doyen of Telugu cinema at the time. Though he did not get any awards, most of his films were box office successes and he was fondly called "Jaanapada Brahma" and "Maayaajala Mannan" by his fans. He was well known for the visual effects shown in most of his movies.

Biography

B. Vithala Acharya was born into a Kannada

Madhwa Brahmin Madhva Brahmins (also often referred as Madhvas or Sadh-Vaishnavas), are Hindu Brahmin communities in India, who follow Sadh Vaishnavism and Dvaita philosophy propounded by Madhvacharya. They are found mostly in the Indian states of Karnataka, Ma ...

family on 28 January 1920 in Udayavara, in then

Udupi Udupi (alternate spelling Udipi; also known as Odipu) is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. Udupi is situated about north of the educational, commercial and industrial hub of Mangalore and about west of state capital Bangalore by road. ...

Taluk as a seventh child. He was interested in dramas, Bayalata and

Yakshagana Yakshagaana is a traditional theatre, developed in Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Uttara Kannada, Shimoga and western parts of Chikmagalur districts, in the state of Karnataka and in Kasaragod district in Kerala that combines dance, music, dialogue, ...

since childhood. His father Padmanabhacharya was a noted ayurvedic doctor, who used to treat patients free of cost. He studied only up to third class. He left the house to seek his fortune at the age of nine years. Reaching Arasikere, he did odd jobs and finally bought an Udupi Restaurant from his cousin. He successfully ran the hotel. He participated in the

Quit India Movement The Quit India Movement, also known as the August Kranti Movement, was a movement launched at the Bombay session of the All India Congress Committee by Mahatma Gandhi on 8th August 1942, during World War II, demanding an end to British rule in ...

against the British Government along with some friends. He was imprisoned. After release from the Jail, he handed over his hotel business to his younger brother. He established One Touring Cinema in Hassan District along with his friend Sri D. Shankar Singh and others. He was the executive partner running the Touring Talkies on a daily basis. He multiplied the single Touring Talkies into four units. He used to watch each and every film they screened and learnt film making techniques practically. In 1944, he married Jayalakshmi Acharya, the third daughter of Sri. U. Ramadasa Acharya of K. R. Pete. With the same friends and Shankar Singh, they moved to

Mysore Mysore (), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern part of the state of Karnataka, India. Mysore city is geographically located between 12° 18′ 26″ north latitude and 76° 38′ 59″ east longitude. It is located at an altitude of ...

and formed a film production company under the banner of Mahatma Pictures. They produced 18 Kannada pictures from 1944 to 1953, among them very successful ones like ''Naga Kanya'', ''Jagan Mohini'', and ''Srinivasa Kalyana''. During that period, one by one the partners parted company and finally only D.Shankar Singh and Vittala Acharya remained. Some of the films were directed by others, some by D.Shankar Singh and some by Vittala Acharya. In 1953, he parted ways with D.Shankar Singh, and formed his own company under the banner Vittal Productions and produced and directed his first film, ''Rajya Lakshmi''. In 1954, he produced and directed ''Kanyadhanam'', a revolutionary film for that time. Wishing to remake the same in Telugu, he moved to

and settled there till his death. After making two more Kannada movies, he concentrated on producing and directing only Telugu and Tamil movies. He directed movies for other producers also.

Filmography

References

External links

*
Complete list of films directed by B.Vittalacharya
{{DEFAULTSORT:Vithalacharya, B. Telugu film directors Kannada film directors 1920 births 1999 deaths People from Udupi Tulu people 20th-century Indian film directors Tamil film directors Film directors from Karnataka Film producers from Andhra Pradesh Kannada film producers Telugu film producers