Bommireddi Narasimha Reddi (16 November 1908 – 8 November 1977), professionally known as B. N. Reddi, was an Indian film director, producer, and screenwriter. He was an early figure in the

Telugu cinema Telugu cinema, also known as Tollywood, is the segment of Cinema of India, Indian cinema dedicated to the production of Film, motion pictures in the Telugu language, widely spoken in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Based in Film N ...

. Many of his earlier films like ''Vande Mataram'' (1939), '' Devatha'' (1941) had

V. Nagayya Vuppaladadiyam Nagayya Sarma (28 March 1904 – 30 December 1973), popularly known as Chittoor Nagayya, was an Indian actor, singer, music composer, and director known for his works in Telugu cinema, Tamil cinema, and Telugu theatre. Nagayya wa ...

as the lead. His ''Malliswari'' (1951) starring

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, film director, film producer, screenwriter, film editor, philanthropist, and politician who served as the Chief Minister o ...

and

Bhanumathi Bhānumati or Bhanumathi is an Indian name. It may refer to: * Bhanumati (Yadava princess), a Yadava princess in the scripture, Harivamsha * Bhanumati (wife of Duryodhana), wife of Duryodhana, the antagonist of the Indian epic Mahabharata * P. Bh ...

is considered a timeless

Indian film The cinema of India, consisting of motion pictures made by the Indian film industry, has had a large effect on world cinema since the second half of the 20th century. Indian cinema is made up of various film industries, each focused on pr ...

classic. Reddi was the first film personality to receive the

Dadasaheb Phalke Award The Dadasaheb Phalke Award is India's highest Film award, award in the field of cinema, given by the Government of India and presented annually at the National Film Awards. The recipient is honoured for their "outstanding contribution to the ...

from South India the highest honorary award of

Indian cinema The cinema of India, consisting of motion pictures made by the Indian film industry, has had a large effect on world cinema since the second half of the 20th century. Indian cinema is made up of various film industries, each focused on p ...

. He was awarded India's third highest civilian honour the

Padmabhushan The Padma Bhushan (IAST: ''Padma Bhūṣaṇa'', lit. 'Lotus Decoration') is the third-highest civilian award in the Republic of India, preceded by the Bharat Ratna and the Padma Vibhushan and followed by the Padma Shri. Instituted on 2 January ...

, and the

Doctor of Letters Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or '), also termed Doctor of Literature in some countries, is a terminal degree in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. In the United States, at universities such as Drew University, the degree ...

Early life

BommiReddi Narasimha Reddi was born on 16 November 1908 in a farmer family at Y.Kothapalli village in the present-day

Kadapa district YSR Kadapa district is one of the twenty six districts in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. In the 2022 reorganisation of Andhra Pradesh districts, the district boundary was largely restricted to the Kadapa parliamentary constituency area. ...

. His father Narasimha Reddi used to export onions from Chennai to Rangoon (Yangoon) for a living. He was eldest of four brothers; others are

Nagi Reddi Bommireddy Nagi Reddi (2 December 1912 – 25 February 2004) was an Indian film producer primarily associated with Telugu cinema, along with notable contributions to Tamil and Hindi films. He co-founded Vijaya Vauhini Studios in Madras, which ...

, B. N. Konda Reddi and B. Ramalinga Reddi. He was schooled in

Proddatur Proddatur, natively known as Proddaturu, is a city in the YSR Kadapa District of Andhra Pradesh, located on the banks of the Penna River. The city is a municipality, and also the mandal headquarters of Proddatur mandal. It is the second-largest ...

and later continued the schooling in Madras. He enrolled in

Pachaiyappa's College Pachaiyappa's College is one of the oldest educational institutions in Chennai, in the South Indian state of Tamil Nadu. In addition, it is the first sole Indian college in Madras Presidency. History Pachaiyappa's College, Chennai is the resul ...

, but left without graduating. He later studies auditing and accounting and worked as an apprentice in an auditing firm.

Career

When H. M. Reddi decided to turn a producer, B.N. Reddi and B. Nagi Reddi joined hands with him to form Rohini Pictures.

Awards

;Civilian honours *

;National honours *

Doctor of letters Doctor of Letters (D.Litt., Litt.D., Latin: ' or '), also termed Doctor of Literature in some countries, is a terminal degree in the arts, humanities, and social sciences. In the United States, at universities such as Drew University, the degree ...

;

National Film Awards The National Film Awards are awards for artistic and technical merit given for "Excellence within the Cinema of India, Indian film industry". Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India ...

1955 Events January * January 3 – José Ramón Guizado becomes president of Panama. * January 17 – , the first nuclear-powered submarine, puts to sea for the first time, from Groton, Connecticut. * January 18– 20 – Battle of Yijian ...

– President's Silver Medal for Best Feature Film in Telugu – ''

Bangaru Papa ''Bangaru Papa'' () is a 1955 Indian Telugu-language film produced and directed by B. N. Reddy on Vauhini Productions banner. The film stars S. V. Ranga Rao, Jaggayya, Krishna Kumari, Jamuna. It is based on the 1861 English novel ''Silas M ...

'' *

1957 Events January * January 1 – The Saarland joins West Germany. * January 3 – Hamilton Watch Company introduces the first electric watch. * January 5 – South African player Russell Endean becomes the first batsman to be Dismissal (cricke ...

– Certificate of Merit for Best Feature Film in Telugu – ''

Bhagya Rekha ''Bhagya Rekha'' () is a 1957 Indian Telugu-language drama film, produced by Ponnaluri Brothers under the Ponnaluri Brothers Pvt. Ltd. banner and directed by B. N. Reddy. It stars N. T. Rama Rao, Jamuna and music composed by Pendyala Nage ...

'' *1966 –

National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Telugu The National Film Award for Best Telugu Feature Film is one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the National Film Development Corporation of India. It is one of several awards presented for feature films and awarded with Rajat Kam ...

– ''Rangula Ratnam'' *1974 –

at the

22nd National Film Awards The 22nd National Film Awards, presented by Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India to celebrate the best of Indian Cinema released in 1974. On the occasion of 25th Anniversary ...

;

Filmfare Awards The Filmfare Awards are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Indian cinema.Al The Filmfare ceremony is one of the most famous film events in India. The awards were introduced by Filmfare magazine of The Times G ...

Filmfare Best Film Award (Telugu) The Filmfare Award for Best Film is given by the '' Filmfare'' magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films. The award was first given in 1954. Here is a list of the award winners and the nominees of the respective years. E ...

– '' Bangaru Panjaram'' (1969) ;

Nandi Awards The Nandi Awards are annual awards presented by the Government of Andhra Pradesh to recognise excellence in Telugu cinema, theatre, and television, as well as lifetime achievements in Indian cinema. The awards are named after the monolithic ...

(in

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of South India ** Telugu literature, is the body of works written in the Telugu language. * Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Tel ...

) * Best Feature Film - Gold - ''Rangula Ratnam'' (1966) * Third Best Feature Film - Bronze - '' Bangaru Panjaram'' (1969) * Best Story Writer - ''Pelli Kani Pelli'' (1976)

Filmography

B. N. Reddi directed 11

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

s. *

Producer

*''Bhakta Pothana'' (1942) - Production supervision

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Reddy, Bomireddi Narasimha 1977 deaths Dadasaheb Phalke Award recipients 1908 births Recipients of the Padma Bhushan in arts People from Rayalaseema People from Kadapa district