Vemuri Gaggayya (1895–1955) was an Indian actor, singer, and thespian known for his works in

Telugu cinema 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, ...

, and

Telugu theatre Telugu theatre is Indian theatre in the Telugu language, based in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Gurajada Apparao wrote the play, ''Kanyasulkam'' in 1892, which is often considered the greatest play in the Telugu language.20th Cen ...

. In 1933, East India Film Company produced its first Indian film, '' Savitri'' in Telugu. Shot in

Calcutta Kolkata (, or , ; also known as Calcutta , the official name until 2001) is the capital of the Indian state of West Bengal, on the eastern bank of the Hooghly River west of the border with Bangladesh. It is the primary business, commer ...

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 Yama (Devanagari: यम) or Yamarāja (यमराज), is a deity of death, dharma, the south direction, and the underworld who predominantly features in Hindu and Buddhist religion, belonging to an early stratum of Rigvedic Hindu deities. ...

" and " Savithri" respectively. The blockbuster film has received an honorary diploma at

Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival h ...

. Gaggayya was an important member of the "Mylavarama Bala Bharathi Nataka Samajam" in

Mylavaram Mylavaram is a town in NTR district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is located in Mylavaram mandal of Vijayawada revenue division. Mylavaram village has higher literacy rate compared to Andhra Pradesh.In 2011, literacy rate of Mylavar ...

, Krishna district during 1913–28. Through "Mylavaram Theatre", Gaggayya became a household name for

mythological Myth is a folklore genre consisting of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society, such as foundational tales or origin myths. Since "myth" is widely used to imply that a story is not objectively true, the identification of a narrat ...

roles. He won recognition in drama as Yama, God of death, in ''Sati Savitri'', as the demon Hiranyakasipu in '' Bhakta Prahlada''. Some other prominent roles were as the eponymous Mymvana, and as Jalandhara in ''Sati Tulasi''. His theatrical performances made

C. Pullayya Chittajallu Pullayya ( Telugu: చిత్తజల్లు పుల్లయ్య; 1898 – 6 October 1967) was an Indian film director and screenwriter. He is one of the earliest film personalities in Telugu cinema being associated with ...

to persuade to him to enter motion picture. His other notable films include works such as Kamsa in '' Sri Krishna Leelalu'' (1935) and the womanizer in '' Chandika'' (1940). He is known for rendering songs such as "Po Bala Pommikan" and "Dhikkaramulu Saituna".

Early life

Gaggayya was born in 1895 at

Vemuru Vemuru is a village in Bapatla district of the India state of Andhra Pradesh. It is the headquarters of Vemuru Mandal of Bapatla revenue division. Demographics census, the town had a population of 9,796. The total population constitute, 4 ...

Guntur district Guntur district is one of the twenty six districts in the Coastal Andhra region of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The administrative seat of the district is located at Guntur, the largest city of the district in terms of area and with a po ...

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...

. He lost his father in early childhood. His elder brother tried to educate him but failed in his efforts. He married Ramalaxmi in 1913. During those days, Surabhi Drama company used to be played throughout the Andhra Pradesh and attracts huge crowds. Influenced by this, he learned music and singing songs. He joined the same troupe and acted in many plays touring with them.

Personal life

His son Vemuri Ramaiah was also a stage actor.

Death

Vemuri Gaggayya died in 1955 on 30 December in his native village Vemuru.

Filmography

# '' Savithri (1933)'' –

# ''Seeta Kalyanam'' (1934) # '' Sri Krishna Leelalu'' (1935) –

Kamsa Kamsa ( sa, कंस, Kaṃsa, translit-std=IAST) was the tyrant ruler of the Vrishni kingdom, with its capital at Mathura. He is variously described in Hindu literature as either a human or an asura; The Puranas describe him as an asura, whi ...

# '' Draupadi Vastrapaharanam'' (1936) –

Sisupala Shishupala ( sa, शिशुपाल, lit. ''protector of children'', IAST: ''Śiśupāla''; sometimes spelt Sisupala) was the king of the Chedi kingdom, and an antagonist in the Mahabharata. He was the son of King Damaghosha and Srutashubha, ...

# '' Sati Tulasi'' (1936) # ''Mohini Rugmangada'' (1937) # ''Jarasandha'' (1938) # ''Bhakta Markandeya'' (1938) –

# '' Chandika'' (1940) – Giriraju # ''

Mahiravana In some versions of the Ramayana such as the Krittivasi Ramayana, Ahiravan, also called Mahiravana, is a rakshasa (demon) ruler of Patala. He is variously described as either an ally or a brother of the rakshasa king Ravana. In Thai tradition ...

'' (1940) – Mairavana # ''Dakshayagnam'' (1941) –

Daksha In Hinduism, Daksha (Sanskrit: दक्ष, IAST: , lit. "able, dexterous, or honest one") is one of the '' Prajapati'', the agents of creation, as well as a divine king-rishi. His iconography depicts him as a man with a stocky body and a ha ...

# '' Bhakta Prahlada'' (1942) –

Hiranyakashipu Hiranyakashipu (; also known as Hiranyakashyap) was an Asura king of the ''daityas'' from the Puranic scriptures of Hinduism. His name literally translates to "clothed in gold" (''hiranya'' "gold" ''kashipu'' "soft cushion"), and is often int ...

# ''

Seeta Rama Jananam ''Sri Seeta Rama Jananam'' () is a 1944 Indian Telugu-language Hindu mythological film, produced and directed by Ghantasala Balaramayya under the Pratibha Productions banner. The film stars Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Tripurasundari, Vemuri Gaggai ...

'' (1942) –

Ravana Ravana (; , , ) is a rakshasa king of the island of Lanka, and the chief antagonist of the Hindu epic '' Ramayana'' and its adaptations. In the ''Ramayana'', Ravana is described to be the eldest son of sage Vishrava and rakshasi Kaikesi. He ...

# ''Garuda Garvabhangam'' (1943)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gaggaiah, Vemuri 1895 births 1955 deaths Telugu male actors Indian male stage actors 20th-century Indian male actors Male actors from Andhra Pradesh People from Guntur district Andhra University alumni Indian male film actors Male actors in Telugu theatre