Kotipalli Raghava (9 December 1913 – 31 July 2018), popularly known as K. Raghava, was an Indian film producer known for his work in

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 ...

. He began his career in the film industry during the

silent film A silent film is a film without synchronized recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) or key lines of dialogue may, w ...

era and went on to become a prominent producer, eventually founding the production company Pratap Arts Productions. Over the course of his career, Raghava produced 30 films across multiple languages, including 28 in Telugu, one film each in Hindi and Tamil. Raghava's notable works include films such as ''Thatha Manavadu'' (1973), '' Samsaram Sagaram'' (1974), ''Chaduvu Samskaram'' (1975), '' Toorpu Padamara'' (1976), ''

Surya Chandrulu ''Surya Chandrulu'' is a Telugu film released on 1978 under Prathap art production banner. This movie was directed by V. C . Guhanadhan. Chandra Mohan and Vijaya Nirmala played a key role. Ramesh Naidu was music director for this movie . Cas ...

'' (1978), ''

Intlo Ramayya Veedhilo Krishnayya ''Intlo Ramayya Veedilo Krishnayya'' () is a 1982 Indian Telugu-language film directed by Kodi Ramakrishna in his directorial debut. The film stars Chiranjeevi, Madhavi, and features Gollapudi Maruthi Rao in his acting debut, alongside Poornima ...

'' (1982), and ''Tarangini'' (1982). In addition to his work as a producer, Raghava played a crucial role in launching the careers of prominent directors like

Dasari Narayana Rao Dasari Narayana Rao (4 May 1942 – 30 May 2017) was an Indian film director, screenwriter, actor, producer, lyricist, and politician, primarily known for his work in Telugu cinema. Over his four decade career, he directed more than 150 feature ...

and

Kodi Ramakrishna Kodi Ramakrishna (23 July 1949 – 22 February 2019) was an Indian film director, screenwriter, and actor, known for his work in Telugu cinema. Over the course of his career, he directed more than 100 films across various genres, earning a repu ...

. His contributions to Telugu cinema were widely recognized, culminating in the prestigious

Raghupathi Venkaiah Award The Raghupathi Venkaiah Award is an award issued by the Indian state government of Andhra Pradesh to recognise lifetime achievements in Telugu cinema. The award was introduced in 1981 in honour of Raghupathi Venkaiah Naidu, one of India's film p ...

in 2009 for his lifelong service to the industry.

Early life

Raghava was born on 9 December 1913 in a poor family in Kotipalli, near

Kakinada Kakinada (; formerly known as Cocanada) is a Port, port city and municipal corporation in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Situated along the Bay of Bengal, it serves as the headquarters of Kakinada district and is a prominent economic and c ...

, in present-day

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 ...

Career

At the age of eight, Raghava ran away from home following a fight with his father and joined the

East India Film Company The East India Film Company was an Indian film production company, based in Calcutta, Bengal Presidency, British India. It was the first Indian film company to screen a movie at an international film festival. Started in 1932 in Calcutta, by R. L ...

Calcutta Kolkata, also known as Calcutta (List of renamed places in India#West Bengal, its official name until 2001), is the capital and largest city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of West Bengal. It lies on the eastern ba ...

as a trolley puller for three years. His first assignment in the film industry was working on the film ''Bhakta Prahlada'' (1932). Then, he moved to

Vijayawada Vijayawada ( ), formerly known by its colonial name Bezawada, is the second largest city and a major commercial hub in the Andhra Pradesh state of India. The city forms an integral part of the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region and is situated on th ...

and worked at Maruthi Talkies, the first theatre established in the Telugu States. After a few years, Raghava worked in various roles, including as an assistant to producer Motilal Chamria, and filmmaker

Raghupathi Venkaiah Naidu Raghupathi Venkaiah Naidu (15 October 1869 – 15 March 1941) was an Indian filmmaker and entrepreneur widely regarded as the father of Telugu cinema. A pioneer of Indian cinema, Naidu established the first Indian-owned movie theatres in South ...

. He also assisted popular narrator

Kasturi Siva Rao Kasturi Siva Rao (6 March 1913 – 24 February 1966) was an Indian actor, comedian, playback singer, producer and director known for his works in Telugu cinema. He was one of the first star comedians of Telugu cinema. Career Kasturi Siva Rao st ...

in reading out scripts to the audience at a time when movies did not have an audio system. He also worked as a cleaner for

Tanguturi Prakasam Tanguturi Prakasam popularly known as Prakasam Pantulu (23 August 1872 – 20 May 1957), was an Indian jurist, political leader, social reformer, and anti-colonial nationalist who served as the Premier of the Madras Presidency. Prakasam subseq ...

. Raghava secured a stable job working for the Maharaja of Mirzapur at Sobhanachala Studios, who produced films like ''Bheeshma'' (1944) and ''Palnati Yuddham'' (1947). After the death of director

Gudavalli Ramabrahmam Gudavalli Ramabrahmam was an Indian film director, screenwriter, and producer who worked in Telugu cinema. He is known for directing critically acclaimed social problem films like '' Mala Pilla'' (1938) and '' Raithu Bidda'' (1939). At a time ...

during the production of ''Palnati Yuddham'', Raghava played a crucial role in suggesting

L. V. Prasad Akkineni Laxmi Vara Prasada Rao (17 January 1907 – 22 June 1994), known professionally as L. V. Prasad, was an Indian film director, producer, actor, and businessman. He was one of the pioneers of Indian cinema and is the recipient of the Da ...

to complete the remaining portions of the film, cementing his reputation for meticulous planning and discipline in film production. Later, he took on stunt roles in films such as ''

Pathala Bhairavi ''Pathala Bhairavi'' () is a 1951 Indian fantasy film directed by K. V. Reddy who co-wrote the film with Pingali and Kamalakara Kameswara Rao. Shot simultaneously in Telugu and Tamil languages, the film was produced by Nagi Reddi and Chakra ...

'' (1951) and ''

Raju Peda ''Raju Peda'' () is a 1954 Indian Telugu-language film directed and produced by B. A. Subba Rao. The film stars N. T. Rama Rao, Lakshmirajyam, S. V. Ranga Rao and Master Sudhakar, with music composed by S. Rajeswara Rao. It is based on Mark Tw ...

'' (1954). Raghava’s significant career breakthrough came when he joined

Gemini Studios Gemini Studios was an Indian film studio based in Madras, Tamil Nadu. It was launched when S. S. Vasan, a businessman of many ventures (including the ownership of Ananda Vikatan) bought Motion Picture Producers' Combines from Krishnaswamy Su ...

, where he acted in small roles and performed stunts. His expertise in multiple languages caught the attention of

MGM Studios Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Studios Inc. (also known as Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer Pictures, commonly shortened to MGM or MGM Studios) is an American film and television production and distribution company headquartered in Beverly Hills, California. Metro ...

, who hired him as the production manager for the English-language film '' Tarzan Goes to India'' (1962). This role took him to

Rome Rome (Italian language, Italian and , ) is the capital city and most populated (municipality) of Italy. It is also the administrative centre of the Lazio Regions of Italy, region and of the Metropolitan City of Rome. A special named with 2, ...

, and he earned a substantial payment of $20,000 for his work.

Film production

Inspired by the films like ''

Sugar Colt ''Sugar Colt'' is a 1966 Italian and Spanish spaghetti Western directed by Franco Giraldi, produced by Franco Cittadini and Stenio Fiorentini, written by Sandro Continenza, Augusto Finocchi, Giuseppe Mangione and Fernando Di Leo, composed by ...

'' (1967) and ''

Death Rides a Horse ''Death Rides a Horse'' () is a 1967 Italian spaghetti Western directed by Giulio Petroni, written by Luciano Vincenzoni and starring Lee Van Cleef and John Phillip Law. Plot Bill, a boy whose father was killed and mother and sister were gang-r ...

'' (1967) which he watched during his time in Rome, Raghava decided to venture into film production. His collaboration with K. Balachander led to the adaptation of the latter's play ''Major Chandrakanth'' into the film '' Sukha Dukhalu'' (1968). With the money he saved, Raghava partnered with Ekamreswara Rao and Surya Chandra to establish Falguna Films. Their first production was '' Jagath Kiladeelu'' (1969), a major success, followed by films like ''Jagath Jettilu'' (1970) and ''Jagath Jenthrilu'' (1971). Later, he started producing films independently under the banner of Pratap Art Productions, named after his son Pratap. Raghava produced 27 films under the banners Falguna Pictures and Pratap Arts, with most of them becoming commercial successes. His work included producing films in multiple languages, such as the Hindi film ''Itni Si Baat'' (1981) and the Tamil film ''

Minor Mappillai ''Minor Mappillai'' () is a 1996 Indian Tamil-language comedy film directed by V. C. Guhanathan. The film stars Ajith Kumar, Ranjith, newcomer Rajkumar, Subhashri, and Keerthana in lead roles; Srividya, Vadivelu, and Vivek (actor), Vivek appear ...

'' (1996). Raghava was instrumental in launching the careers of several iconic figures in the Telugu film industry. He introduced filmmakers such as

( ''Thatha Manavadu''),

(''

''), Rajasri (''Chaduvu Samskaram''), and others. He is also credited with giving Konidela Venkata Rao, the father of

Chiranjeevi Konidela Chiranjeevi (born Konidela Sivasankara Varaprasad; 22 August 1955) is an Indian actor, philanthropist and former politician known for his work in Telugu cinema. Known as the "Mega Star", he is widely regarded as one of the most succe ...

, a role in ''Jagath Kiladeelu''. Raghava played a pivotal role in establishing the Telugu film industry in

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 ...

after its relocation from

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). He collaborated with industry stalwarts like N. T. Rama Rao,

Akkineni Nageswara Rao Akkineni Nageswara Rao (20 September 1924 – 22 January 2014), known as ANR, was an Indian actor and film producer in Telugu cinema. Over his seven decade career, he became a prominent figures in the industry, and is among most influential ac ...

, and Rama Naidu to develop the film infrastructure in Hyderabad. Raghava set up Pratap Dubbing Theatre and was a key figure in the development of

Film Nagar Film Nagar, also known as Tinsel Town or Tollywood, is a neighbourhood in the western part of Hyderabad, Telangana, India. It is notable for its place as the home of the entertainment industry, including several of Telugu cinema's historic stu ...

, which became a major hub for the Telugu film industry.

Personal life

Raghava married Hamsarani, the sister of prominent producer M. K. Radha from

Pondicherry Pondicherry, officially known as Puducherry, is the Capital city, capital and most populous city of the Puducherry (union territory), Union Territory of Puducherry in India. The city is in the Puducherry district on the southeast coast of Indi ...

. The couple had two children, a daughter named Prasanthi and a son named Pratap Mohan. Raghava could speak about eight languages. He passed away on 31 July 2018 at the age of 104 due to a heart attack in Hyderabad.

Filmography

Producer * '' Sukha Dukhalu'' (1968) * '' Jagath Kiladeelu'' (1969) * ''Jagath Jettilu'' (1970) * ''Jagath Jenthrilu'' (1971) * '' Thatha-Manavadu'' (1973) * '' Samsaram Sagaram'' (1974) * ''Chaduvu Samskaram'' (1975) * '' Toorpu Padamara'' (1976) * ''

'' (1978) * ''Anthuleni Vinthakatha'' (1979) * ''Itni Si Baat'' (1981) * ''

'' (1982) * ''Tarangini'' (1982) * ''Triveni Sangamam'' (1983) * ''Ee Prasnaku Baduledi?'' (1986) * ''Yugakartalu'' (1987) * ''Ankitham'' (1990) * ''

'' (1996) (Tamil) ;Stunt master * '' Palnati Yuddham'' (1947) * ''

'' (1951) * ''

'' (1954) ;Actor * '' Bala Nagamma'' (1942) * ''Chandralekha'' (1948)

Awards

Raghava received numerous awards during his career, including the

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 ...

for films like ''Thatha Manavadu'' (1972) and '' Samsaram Sagaram'' (1973). His contribution to Telugu cinema earned him the title Cine Bhishma, reflecting his patriarchal role in the industry. Raghava was honoured with the

in 2009 for his contributions to the Telugu film industry.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Raghava, K. 1913 births 2018 deaths Telugu film producers Film producers from Andhra Pradesh 20th-century Indian people