Mysore Venkatappa Subbaiah Naidu (1896 – 21 July 1962) was an Indian stage artiste in the silent movies era. He was an actor and director, well known for the movies ''
Sati Sulochana'' (1934) in
Kannada, which was also the first
Kannada talkie, ''
Bhookailas'' in
Telugu
Telugu may refer to:
* Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India
*Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India
* Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language
** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode
S ...
and ''
Bhakta Prahlada'' (1958) in Kannada.
He acted in the first Kannada movie and brought distinction to Kannada cinema.
He was the father of Kannada actor
Lokesh and the grandfather of Kannada TV personality
Srujan Lokesh
Srujan Lokesh (born 28 June 1980) is an Indian actor, television presenter, radio presenter and producer who mainly works in the Kannada film industry.
Production house
Lokesh Productions was founded by Srujan Lokesh and his mother Girija Lo ...
.
Recognizing his work in theatre, he was awarded the
Sangeet Natak Akademi Award
Sangeet Natak Akademi Award (IPA: Saṅgīta Nāṭaka Akādamī Puraskāra), also known as the Akademi Puraskar, is an award given by the Sangeet Natak Akademi
Sangeet Natak Akademi (The National Academy of Music, Dance and Drama in Englis ...
in 1961.
Career
Naidu began his acting career appearing in
bit roles in stage plays. He soon flourished as an actor and began to play lead roles and had gained a "sizable fan following" in the Kannada theatre circles. ''
The Indian Express'', on his obituary wrote, "Brawny roles played with vigour and a mellifluous voice through which flowed the typical elan of stage music were his forte."
His film career was marked with frequent collaborations with
R. Nagendra Rao
Rattihalli Nagendra Rao (23 June 1896 – 9 February 1977) was an Indian theatre actor, film actor and director in South Indian cinema. Following his career in theatre, Rao turned to film a where he became an actor, director, producer, screenwr ...
, another famed stage and film personality. They made early Kannada films such as ''
Vasantsena'' (1941), ''
Satya Harishchandra'' (1943) and ''
Mahatma Kabir'' (1947) among others. Naidu's final screen appearance came in the 1958 film ''
Bhakta Prahlada'' on the sets of which he burnt his fingers, and following which he quit films while continuing to perform on stage.
Death
Naidu died on 21 July 1962 of a
cardiac arrest in
Mandya. In the weeks leading to his death, he was actively involved in theatre with his troupe, Sahitya Samrajya Nataka Mandali. He was in Mandya with the troupe and was playing the role of
Ambarisha in a play. His body was brought to
Bangalore the same day and a public viewing was held at Subedar Chatram Road. Funeral services were held on 22 July. Hearing the news of his death, his wife Munivenkatamma died the same day.
Partial filmography
References
External links
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1896 births
1962 deaths
Male actors in Kannada cinema
Indian male film actors
Male actors from Karnataka
20th-century Indian male actors
20th-century Indian film directors
Indian male silent film actors
Indian male stage actors
Film directors from Karnataka
People from Kodagu district