Rathna Shekar Reddy is an Indian actor. He is the co-founder of the prominent Hyderabad-based theatre group Samahaara, along with writer-director

Anjali Parvati Koda Biography Anjali Parvati Koda is a playwright, a writer-director in Telugu films, co-founder of Hyderabad's theatre group Samahaara, and a stand up comedian. She's also acted in plays such as ''Hamlet'' and Anton Chekov's ''The Bear''. Theatr ...

. He starred in the National Award-winning Telugu film, ''Na Bangaaru Talli.''

Career

Reddy is a Hyderabadi theatre and Telugu film actor and an alumnus of the

Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute The Lee Strasberg Theatre & Film Institute (originally the Lee Strasberg Theatre Institute) is an acting school founded in 1969 by actor, director, and acting teacher Lee Strasberg. The Institute is located in Union Square on East 15th Street, ...

. He is best known for his critically acclaimed theatre productions like ''Purushotham'', ''Dominic Wesley'', ''Last Wish Baby'', Gregor Samsa and others, and his work in movies like ''Ishq'' (Telugu) and ''Ente'' (Malayalam). His body of work includes ''The Imaginary Invalid'', ''Fiddler on the Roof'', ''Purushotham'', ''Wait Until Dark'', and ''The Last Wish Baby''. Reddy conducts theatre workshops which run full, produces and directs plays for both Samahaara and outside institutions like schools, colleges, corporations and others. His movies include ''Mana Kuralle'', in which he plays a negative lead, ''Antha Scene Ledu'', lead in the award-winning ''Naa Bangaaru Thalli'',http://www.sakshipost.com/index.php/entertainment/news-gossip/29131-naa-bangaaru-talli-wins-two-international-awards.html?psource=Related%20Articles ''

Yuddham Sharanam ''Yuddham Sharanam'' () is a 2017 Indian Telugu-language action thriller film produced by Sai Korrapati on Varahi Chalana Chitram banner and directed by debutant Krishna Marimuthu. The movie stars Naga Chaitanya and Lavanya Tripathi. Srikanth p ...

'' and others. His TV show ''Wow Emi Ruchi'', for which he was the host for more than a 100 episodes gained him tremendous popularity on the small screen.

Movies

His movies include National Award winner for Best Feature Film - Telugu '' Na Bangaaru Talli'' ( Ente in Malayalam), the award-winning ''Gutthi-the Riddle'', '' Virodhi'', ''

Ishq Ishq ( ar, عشق, ''‘išq'') is an Arabic word meaning "love" or "passion", also widely used in other languages of the Muslim world and the Indian subcontinent. The word ''ishq'' does not appear in the Quran, which instead uses derivatives o ...

'', ''

Yamudiki Mogudu Yamudiki Mogudu may refer to: * Yamudiki Mogudu (1988 film), a Telugu-language fantasy film * Yamudiki Mogudu (2012 film) ''Yamudiki Mogudu'' is a 2012 Indian Telugu-language fantasy comedy film directed by E. Satti Babu, produced by Chanti Adda ...

'', '' Mana Kurralle'', ''

'' and others. He won the best actor award at the Abhinandana Akkineni Film Awards 2015 for his role of Vijay in the film ''Naa Bangaaru Thalli'', which was presented to him on 21 September 2015 at Ravindra Bharathi auditorium, Hyderabad.

Samahaara

Rathna Shekar began with touring their maiden production ''The Crest of the Peacock'', an educational play on mathematics across the twin cities to schools and colleges, staging more than 50 shows. Their plays, ''Purushotham-He'', ''the Victim of Spiders'' and ''Pressure Cookers'' have gotten critical acclaim. They have worked on many productions since including another original play, ''Dominic Wesley'', written by Koda, directed by UK-based Stu Denison, Unlucky (based on

Samuel Beckett Samuel Barclay Beckett (; 13 April 1906 – 22 December 1989) was an Irish novelist, dramatist, short story writer, theatre director, poet, and literary translator. His literary and theatrical work features bleak, impersonal and tragicomic ex ...

's plays) also directed by Denison,

Rabindranath Tagore Rabindranath Tagore (; bn, রবীন্দ্রনাথ ঠাকুর; 7 May 1861 – 7 August 1941) was a Bengali polymath who worked as a poet, writer, playwright, composer, philosopher, social reformer and painter. He resh ...

's ''Post Office'',

Woody Allen Heywood "Woody" Allen (born Allan Stewart Konigsberg; November 30, 1935) is an American film director, writer, actor, and comedian whose career spans more than six decades and multiple Academy Award-winning films. He began his career writing ...

's ''God'',

Athol Fugard Athol Fugard, Hon. , (born 11 June 1932), is a South African playwright, novelist, actor, and director widely regarded as South Africa's greatest playwright. He is best known for his political and penetrating plays opposing the system of apar ...

's ''The Island'' and many workshop productions.

Bringing Hyderabad Theatre Together

The group Samahaara under the guidance of Rathna Shekar Reddy is credited with making theatre popular and involving the young crowd in Hyderabad. Their most significant contribution to the

Theatre of India Theatre of India is one of the most ancient forms of theatre and it features a detailed textual, sculptural, and dramatic effects which emerged in mid first millennium BC. Like in the areas of music and dance, the Indian theatre is also defi ...

, apart from their original productions, has been organizing four editions of The Hyderabad Theatre Festival, namely The Hyderabad Theatre Festival 2009, The Hyderabad Theatre and Short-Film Festival 2010 and the Samahaara Hyderabad Theatre and Rock Music Festival 2011. and the Hyderabad Theatre Festival 2012. The Festival has been instrumental in bringing together the various amateur and professional theatre groups in Hyderabad and improving the quality and scale of the plays. The platform of HTF as it is abbreviated has been a great boost for theatre groups in Hyderabad. Many of Samahaara's stand-alone productions are performed at various auditoriums across the city, including the open-cultural center Lamakaan, the iconic

Ravindra Bharathi Ravindra Bharathi is an auditorium located in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. It was named after Rabindranath Tagore. History On 23 March 1960, the then Governor of Uttar Pradesh and a former Chief minister of Andhra State, Bezawada Gopala Red ...

, Telugu University and Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan. HTF 2009 was held in June 2009 at Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan, HTF 2010 was conducted at

in July 2010 for 7 days and HTF 2011 was conducted in December 2011 at three venues: Bharatiya Vidya Bhavan,

and Taramati Baradari. Their project ''Samahaara Theatre Cooperative'' is a unique curation where a group of actors are chosen and given training and also given opportunities to perform on stage for a year with Samahaara.

Contribution to theatre

With his performances and his flair for the art, he has touched the hearts of hundreds and can be termed as a person largely responsible for what can only be called as a 'theatre revolution' in the city visible in the last few years. Youngsters in Hyderabad are now able to find a mentor to mould their talent. He has created a platform for them to develop and display their talent. Other theatre groups in the city have recognized the contribution of Samahaara and Rathna Shekar by crediting "the recent surge in audience interest" to him and to Samahaara's annual Hyderabad Theatre Festival "which opened new vistas for drama lovers in the city". Also the continued efforts in educating and training people in theatre has seen a dramatic rise in interest from the audience - "In order to measure the growth of theatre in Hyderabad, one has to see the workshops at grass root level" say theatre practitioners in the city and "give credit to Ratna Sekhar Reddy for his initiative".

Theatre workshops

After returning from New York, Shekar started to freelance by conducting workshops and directing plays and figuring out ways to build a career in theatre as Hyderabad had nothing much to offer at that time. Samahaara has organised more than 150 theatre workshops for both beginners and professionals by theatre personalities like Rathna Shekar Reddy,

Mike Daisey Mike Daisey (born January 21, 1976) is an American monologist, author, and actor. His monologue ''The Agony and the Ecstasy of Steve Jobs'', about the labor conditions under which Apple devices are made, was used as the basis for a widely shar ...

, Theatre MXT from USA (in association with the US Consulate General Hyderabad), Stu Denison from the UK and David Zinder from Israel. The workshops help promote theatre awareness and increase professional approach and scope in the city. His workshops offer a mix of outdoor theatre activities, reading, analysis, discussion and performances. He has recently completed one hundred workshops, while Samahaara has almost double that to their credit.

Television

Rathna Shekar hosted a TV Show ''Wow Emi Ruchi'' for more than a 100 shows.

Theatre

*''

The Importance of Being Earnest ''The Importance of Being Earnest, A Trivial Comedy for Serious People'' is a play by Oscar Wilde. First performed on 14 February 1895 at the St James's Theatre in London, it is a farcical comedy in which the protagonists maintain fictitious ...

'' by

Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is ...

(English) (Actor-Director) *''

Court Martial A court-martial or court martial (plural ''courts-martial'' or ''courts martial'', as "martial" is a postpositive adjective) is a military court or a trial conducted in such a court. A court-martial is empowered to determine the guilt of me ...

'' by

Swadesh Deepak Swadesh Deepak (born 1943) is an Indian playwright, novelist and short-story writer. Deepak has been active on the Hindi literary scene since the mid-1960s and is best known for ''Court Martial,'' a 1991 play. Deepak's most recent book is ''Maine ...

(Hindi) (Actor-Director) *''The Bear'' by

Anton Chekhov Anton Pavlovich Chekhov (; 29 January 1860Old Style date 17 January. – 15 July 1904Old Style date 2 July.) was a Russian playwright and short-story writer who is considered to be one of the greatest writers of all time. His career a ...

(English) (Actor-Director) *''The Proposal'' by

(English) (Actor-Director) *''

Hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depi ...

'' by

William Shakespeare William Shakespeare ( 26 April 1564 – 23 April 1616) was an English playwright, poet and actor. He is widely regarded as the greatest writer in the English language and the world's pre-eminent dramatist. He is often called England's natio ...

(English) (Actor-Director) *''Dominic Wesley'' by

(English) (Actor-Director) *'' The Zoo Story'' by

Edward Albee Edward Franklin Albee III ( ; March 12, 1928 – September 16, 2016) was an American playwright known for works such as '' The Zoo Story'' (1958), '' The Sandbox'' (1959), '' Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf?'' (1962), '' A Delicate Balance'' (196 ...

(English) (Actor) *''Purushotham'' by

(English) (Actor-Director) *''The Crest of the Peacock'' by Sarada Devi (English) (Actor) *''Maranoparanth'' by Surendra Varma (Hindi) (Actor) *''Urubhangam'' by Bhasa (Telugu) (Actor) *''Pranam Khareedu'' by A.S.Rao (Telugu) (Actor-Director) *''Bhagavat Ajjukiyam'' by Bhavabhuthi (Telugu) (Actor) *''Nagamandala'' by

Girish Karnad Girish Karnad (19 May 1938 – 10 June 2019) was an Indian actor, film director, Kannada writer, playwright and a Jnanpith awardee, who predominantly worked in South Indian cinema and Bollywood. His rise as a playwright in the 1960s marked the ...

(Telugu) (Actor) *''Prajanayakudu Prakasham'' by Prof. M.N.Sharma (Telugu) (Actor) *''Amballa Banda'' by Bhoopal Reddy (Telugu) (Actor) *''Dongatakam'' by Vishwanatha Kaviraju (Telugu) (Actor) *''Taj Mahal Ka Tender'' by Ajay Shukla (Hindi) (Director) *''Karna'' by

(English) (Director) *''Beauty and the Beast'' (Musical) by Gabrielle-Suzanne Barbot de Villeneuve (English) (Director) *''A Distant Plateau'' by Paul Skye (English) (Director) *''12 Angry Men'' by Reginald Rose (English) (Director) *''Jungle Book'' (Musical) by

Rudyard Kipling Joseph Rudyard Kipling ( ; 30 December 1865 – 18 January 1936)''The Times'', (London) 18 January 1936, p. 12. was an English novelist, short-story writer, poet, and journalist. He was born in British Raj, British India, which inspired much o ...

(English) (Director) *''Gregor Samsa'' by

(English) (Director) *''The Good Doctor'' by

Neil Simon Marvin Neil Simon (July 4, 1927 – August 26, 2018) was an American playwright, screenwriter and author. He wrote more than 30 plays and nearly the same number of movie screenplays, mostly film adaptations of his plays. He has received mo ...

(English) (Director) *''

The Wizard of Oz ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' or ''The Wizard of Oz'' most commonly refers to: *'' The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'', a 1900 American novel by L. Frank Baum often reprinted as ''The Wizard of Oz'' ** Wizard of Oz (character), from the Baum novel serie ...

'' (Musical) by L Frank Baum (English) (Director) *''Sound of Music'' (Musical) by

Earnest Lehman Earnest may refer to: People Given name * Earnest Brown IV (born 1999), American football player * Earnest Byner (born 1962), American football player * Earnest Elmo Calkins (1868–1964), early advertising innovator *Earnest Sevier Cox (1880– ...

(English) (Director) *''Farewell'' by Team Samahaara (Multilingual) (Director) *''Princess and the frog'' by

The Brothers Grimm The Brothers Grimm ( or ), Jacob (1785–1863) and Wilhelm (1786–1859), were a brother duo of German academics, philologists, cultural researchers, lexicographers, and authors who together collected and published folklore. They are among the ...

(English) (Director) *''Charlie’s Aunt'' by Brandon Thomas (English) (Director) *''The Last wish Baby'' Adapted by

and Team Samahaara (Multilingual) (Director) *''Beyond the land of Hattamala'' by Badal Sarkar (English) (Director) *''Wait until dark'' by Frederick Knott (English) (Director) *''Fiddler on the roof'' (Musical) by Joseph Stein (English) (Director) *''And Then There Were None'' by

Agatha Christie Dame Agatha Mary Clarissa Christie, Lady Mallowan, (; 15 September 1890 – 12 January 1976) was an English writer known for her 66 detective novels and 14 short story collections, particularly those revolving around fictiona ...

(English) (Director) *''Imaginary Invalid'' by

Molière Jean-Baptiste Poquelin (, ; 15 January 1622 (baptised) – 17 February 1673), known by his stage name Molière (, , ), was a French playwright, actor, and poet, widely regarded as one of the greatest writers in the French language and world ...

(English) (Director) *''Isosceles Triangle'' by C H Phansalkar (Director)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Reddy, Rathna Shekar Male actors in Malayalam cinema Male actors in Telugu cinema Telugu male actors Indian male film actors Telugu-language writers 20th-century Indian dramatists and playwrights Indian male dramatists and playwrights Telugu-language dramatists and playwrights Male actors from Hyderabad, India Living people 20th-century Indian male actors 20th-century Indian male writers 1980 births