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 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 ...

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. Kannada cinema is based in Gandhi Nagar ...

. 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 1952, he did his first movie ''Sri Srinivasa Kalyana'' in Kannada. He went on to make Kannada movies after the success of ''Sri Srinivasa Kalyana''. In 1954, he produced and directed ''Kanyadhanam,'' a revolutionary Kannada film for that time. Wishing to remake the same in Telugu, he moved to

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 ...

and settled there. After making two more Kannada movies, he concentrated on producing and directing. 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, film director, film producer, screenwriter, film editor, philanthropist, and politician who served as the Chief Minister o ...

, 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. Vithalacharya was born into a Tulu speaking Shivalli

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

family on 28 January 1920 in Udayavara, in then

Udupi Udupi () also known as 'Odipu' () is a city in the Indian state of Karnataka. It is the administrative headquarters of Udupi district, and one of the fastest-growing cities in Karnataka. Udupi is one of the top tourist attractions in Karnataka an ...

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

Yakshagana Yakshagana is a traditional theatre, found in Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Kasaragod district and Uttara Kannada, Shimoga and western parts of Chikmagalur district, Chikmagalur districts, in the state of Karnataka and in Kasaragod district in Keral ...

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 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 Indian state of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of Mysore district and Mysore division. As the traditional seat of the Wadiyar dynasty, the city functioned as the capital of the ...

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 Vittalacharya remained. Some of the films were directed by others, some by D. Shankar Singh and some by Vittalacharya. 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 Kannada film for that time. Wishing to remake the same in Telugu, he moved to

and settled there till his death.

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 filmmakers 20th-century Indian people Tamil film directors Film directors from Karnataka Film producers from Andhra Pradesh Kannada film producers Telugu film producers Tulu people