Annapurna Studios is an Indian film studio facility founded in 1976 by the Telugu actor Akkineni Nageswara Rao. It is located on a site in

Banjara Hills Banjara Hills is an urban commercial centre and one of the most affluent neighbourhoods in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. This is an upmarket locality close to Jubilee Hills. This area was a hilly forest and was least inhabited in the past. Only a ...

Hyderabad Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...

. The studio provides comprehensive production and

post-production Post-production, also known simply as post, is part of the process of filmmaking, video production, audio production, and photography. Post-production includes all stages of production occurring after principal photography or recording indivi ...

services. It is also a film production and distribution company, previously known as Annapurna Pictures. Registered in 1951 as Annapurna Pictures (P) Ltd., it was founded by Nageswara Rao and his mentor Dukkipati Madhusudana Rao. The first film made on the banner was '' Donga Ramudu'' (1955). It has produced over 60

feature films A feature film or feature-length film (often abbreviated to feature), also called a theatrical film, is a film ( motion picture, "movie" or simply “picture”) with a running time long enough to be considered the principal or sole presentation ...

till date. In 2011, Akkineni family launched a non-profitable educational institute called the Annapurna International School of Film and Media. The family serves as directors on the company board.

Annapurna Studios

Background

Telugu film industry was originally based in based in

Madras Chennai, also known as Madras ( its official name until 1996), is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. According to the 2011 Indian ce ...

(now Chennai) before the industry started moving to the capital of

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (ISO 15919, ISO: , , AP) is a States and union territories of India, state on the East Coast of India, east coast of southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, seventh-largest state and th ...

, in the late 1970s, largely due to the influence of Akkineni Nageswara Rao. Nageswara Rao was one of the first to move his film business entirely to Hyderabad, motivating others to follow suit and contributing significantly to the industry's relocation. He made it clear to the film producers that he would work in their films only if they were produced in Andhra Pradesh, except for Vauhini and Venus Studios, for which he used to work in Madras. In 1976, the Andhra Pradesh government allocated 22

acres The acre ( ) is a unit of land area used in the British imperial and the United States customary systems. It is traditionally defined as the area of one chain by one furlong (66 by 660 feet), which is exactly equal to 10 square chains, ...

of land in

, Hyderabad to Akkineni Nageswara Rao for the purpose of building a film studio, aimed at promoting the Telugu film industry in Hyderabad. According to a ''

Deccan Herald ''Deccan Herald'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper published from the Indian state of Karnataka. It was founded by businessman K. N. Guruswamy and launched on 17 June 1948. It is published by The Printers Mysore, a privately hel ...

'' report, the land was secured at a nominal price of 7,5008,000 per acre, totaling approximately 1.51.8

lakh A lakh (; abbreviated L; sometimes written lac) is a unit in the Indian numbering system equal to one hundred thousand (100,000; scientific notation: 105). In the Indian 2, 2, 3 convention of digit grouping, it is written as 1,00,000. F ...

for the entire plot.

Foundation

Annapurna Studios was established by Akkineni Nageswara Rao in 1976 on the 22-acre site allotted to him by the Andhra Pradesh government in Banjara Hills. It was inaugurated by the then

President of India The president of India (ISO 15919, ISO: ) is the head of state of the Republic of India. The president is the nominal head of the executive, the first citizen of the country, and the commander-in-chief, supreme commander of the Indian Armed ...

Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed (13 May 1905 – 11 February 1977) was an Indian lawyer and politician who served as the President of India from 1974 to 1977. Born in Delhi, Ahmed studied in Delhi and Cambridge and was called to the bar from the Inner ...

. The first film to be made in the studio was ''

Secretary A secretary, administrative assistant, executive assistant, personal secretary, or other similar titles is an individual whose work consists of supporting management, including executives, using a variety of project management, program evalu ...

'' (1976), starring Nageswara Rao and Vanisri, and produced by D. Ramanaidu. This move helped Hyderabad develop into a major centre for Telugu cinema.

Facilities

The studio mainly provides services for films, including

sound stages A sound stage (also written soundstage) is a large, soundproof structure, building or room with large doors and high ceilings, used for the production of theatrical film-making and television productions, usually located on a secured movie or te ...

for

set construction Set construction is the process undertaken by a construction manager to build full-scale scenery, as specified by a production designer or art director working in collaboration with the director of a production to create a set for a theatr ...

, outdoor sets, floors, back-lots, data storage,

editing Editing is the process of selecting and preparing written language, written, Image editing, visual, Audio engineer, audible, or Film editing, cinematic material used by a person or an entity to convey a message or information. The editing p ...

dubbing Dubbing (also known as re-recording and mixing) is a post-production process used in filmmaking and the video production process where supplementary recordings (known as doubles) are lip-synced and "mixed" with original production audio to cr ...

sound effects A sound effect (or audio effect) is an artificially created or enhanced sound, or sound process used to emphasize artistic or other content of films, television shows, live performance, animation, video games, music, or other media. In m ...

visual effects Visual effects (sometimes abbreviated as VFX) is the process by which imagery is created or manipulated outside the context of a live-action shot in filmmaking and video production. The integration of live-action footage and other live-action fo ...

digital intermediate Digital intermediate (DI) is a motion picture finishing process which classically involves digitizing a motion picture and manipulating the color and other image characteristics. Definition and overview A digital intermediate often replaces or a ...

Dolby Vision Dolby Vision is a set of technologies developed by Dolby Laboratories for high dynamic range (HDR) video. It covers content creation, distribution, and playback. It includes dynamic metadata that define the aspect ratio and adjust the picture ...

/HDR,

stereo Stereophonic sound, commonly shortened to stereo, is a method of sound reproduction that recreates a multi-directional, 3-dimensional audible perspective. This is usually achieved by using two independent audio channels through a configurat ...

and near field mixing,

Dolby Atmos Dolby Atmos is a surround sound technology developed by Dolby Laboratories. It expands on existing surround sound systems by adding height channels as well as free-moving sound objects, interpreted as three-dimensional objects with neither horiz ...

sound mixing, 5.1/7.1/9.1 sound mixing, conforming and mastering, HD/UHD/DCP mastering, and screening theatres, among other amenities. Annapurna Studios' expansive post-production division was established in 2011, under the auspices of C. V. Rao, starting with a small NLE and audio recording facility. In 2012, Akkineni Nagarjuna unveiled five advanced, integrated production floors within the facility. These floors are touted as modern climate-controlled movie production facilities. The new 100

crore Crore (; abbreviated cr) denotes the quantity ten million (107) and is equal to 100 lakh in the Indian numbering system. In many international contexts, the decimal quantity is formatted as 10,000,000, but when used in the context of the India ...

facility includes shooting floors alongside luxurious five-star make-up rooms, dance rehearsal spaces, a canteen, and reliable diesel generator power. These complement the existing shooting floors, which range from 10,000 to 15,000 square feet, and include outdoor filming areas and backlots. Annapurna Studios then claimed to offer comprehensive

amenities, including editing, dubbing,

animation Animation is a filmmaking technique whereby still images are manipulated to create moving images. In traditional animation, images are drawn or painted by hand on transparent celluloid sheets to be photographed and exhibited on film. Animati ...

computer graphics Computer graphics deals with generating images and art with the aid of computers. Computer graphics is a core technology in digital photography, film, video games, digital art, cell phone and computer displays, and many specialized applications. ...

(CG), digital interface, and

sound mixing Audio mixing is the process by which multiple sounds are combined into one or more audio channels. In the process, a source's volume level, frequency content, dynamics, and panoramic position are manipulated or enhanced. This practical, aest ...

rooms. This was claimed as allowing for the entire film production process, from concept to release, to be completed within the studio. The facilities were tested during the shooting of the film '' Rajanna'' (2011).

Annapurna Pictures

By the turn of the 1950s, Akkineni Nageswara Rao was a sought-after star. His friend and mentor from his

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a Stage (theatre), stage. The performe ...

days, Dukkipati Madhusudana Rao, felt it was the right time to launch their own

production company A production company, production house or production studio is a studio that creates works in the fields of performing arts, new media art, film, television show, television, radio, comics, interactive arts, video games, websites, music, and video ...

. Thus was born Annapurna Pictures (P) Ltd., named after Madhusudana Rao's stepmother. Besides Madhusudana Rao and Nageswara Rao, Katragadda Srinivasa Rao, Koratala Prakasa Rao and T. V. A. Subbarao were its partners. The company was registered in 1951 with Nageswara Rao as chairman and Madhusudana Rao as Managing Director. The first film made on the banner was '' Donga Ramudu'' (1955). The film was co-written and directed by K. V. Reddy. It starred Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Savitri, and Jamuna, with music composed by Pendyala. The film was archived in the curriculum of the

Film and Television Institute of India The Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) is a film institute under the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting (India), Ministry of Information and Broadcasting of the Government of India and aided by the Central Government of India. ...

. Later Annapurna Pictures produced films like '' Thodi Kodallu'' (1957), ''Iddaru Mitrulu'' (1961), '' Chaduvukunna Ammayilu'' (1963), '' Doctor Chakravarty'' (1964), '' Aatma Gowravam'' (1965), and ''

Aatmiyulu Aatmiyulu () is a 1969 Indian Telugu language, Telugu-language Drama (film and television), drama film, produced by D. Madhusudhana Rao under the Saradhi Studios banner and directed by V. Madhusudhana Rao. It stars Akkineni Nageswara Rao and Van ...

'' (1969). Annapurna Pictures has produced over 60

till date.

Film production

Source: AA Combines AS Combines Great India Entertainments Annapurna Pictures *1987 '' America Abbayi'' *1982 '' Pelleedu Pillalu'' *1978 ''Radha Krishna'' *1977 ''Prema Lekhalu'' *1974 '' Bangaaru Kalalu'' *1972 '' Vichitra Bandham'' *1971 ''Amayakuralu'' *1970 '' Jai Jawan'' *1969 ''

'' *1967 ''Poola Rangadu'' *1965 '' Aatma Gowravam'' *1964 '' Doctor Chakravarty'' *1963 '' Chaduvukunna Ammayilu'' *1961 ''Iddaru Mitrulu'' *1961 '' Velugu Needalu'' *1959 '' Mangalya Balam'' *1957 '' Thodi Kodallu'' *1955 ''Donga Ramudu''

Distribution

*2022''

Sardar Sardar, also spelled as Sardaar (, , 'commander', literally 'headmaster'), is a title of royal family, royalty and nobility that was originally used to denote princes, noblemen, chiefs, kings and other Aristocracy (class), aristocrats. It ha ...

'' - Telugu (Dubbed) *2023''

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

'' - Telugu (Dubbed) *2024'' Premalu'' - Telugu (Dubbed) *2024''

Kalki 2898 AD ''Kalki 2898 AD'' () is a 2024 Indian Telugu language, Telugu-language Epic film, epic Mythological film, mythological Science fiction film, science-fiction film co-written and directed by Nag Ashwin. Produced by Vyjayanthi Movies, it features ...

'' - Telugu

Television production

Source:

Annapurna International School of Film and Media

Annapurna International School of Film and Media is the only privately managed, non-profit film and media school in India.

References

{{Nagarjuna (actor) Film production companies based in Hyderabad, India Film production companies of India Indian companies established in 1975 Indian film studios 1975 establishments in Andhra Pradesh