Vemuri Gaggayya (1895–1955) was an Indian actor and singer known for his works 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 ...

, and

Telugu theatre Telugu theatre is Indian theatre in the Telugu language, based in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Gurajada Apparao wrote the play, '' Kanyasulkam'' in 1892, which is often considered the greatest play in the Telugu language.20th Ce ...

. Gaggayya was an important member of the "Mylavarama Bala Bharathi Nataka Samajam" in Mylavaram, Krishna district during 1913–28. Through "Mylavaram Theatre", Gaggayya became a household name for

mythological Myth is a genre of folklore consisting primarily of narratives that play a fundamental role in a society. For scholars, this is very different from the vernacular usage of the term "myth" that refers to a belief that is not true. Instead, the ...

roles. His theatrical performances made

C. Pullayya Chittajallu Pullayya (01January1898 – 6 October 1967) was an Indian film director and screenwriter. He is one of the earliest film personalities in Telugu cinema being associated with the industry right from the silent era. Pullayya started ...

to persuade him to enter the film industry. In 1933, he acted in the film '' Sati Savitri'', directed by Pullayya, as

Yama Yama (), also known as Kāla and Dharmarāja, is the Hindu god of death and justice, responsible for the dispensation of law and punishment of sinners in his abode, Naraka. He is often identified with Dharmadeva, the personification of ''Dharm ...

. The film received an honorary diploma at the 2nd Venice Film Festival. His other prominent roles are

Kamsa Kamsa (, ) was the tyrant ruler of the Vrishni kingdom, with its capital at Mathura, Uttar Pradesh, Mathura. He is variously described in Hindu texts, Hindu literature as either a human or an asura; The Puranas describe him as an asura, while ...

in '' Sri Krishna Leelalu'' (1935), Jalandhara in '' Sati Tulasi'' (1936), womaniser in '' Chandika'' (1940), and

Hiranyakasipu Hiranyakashipu (, ), also known as Hiranyakashyap, was a daitya king of the asuras in the Puranas. In Hinduism, Hiranyakashipu's younger brother, Hiranyaksha, was slain by the Varaha (boar) avatar of Vishnu. Angered by this, Hiranyakashipu d ...

in '' Bhakta Prahlada'' (1942). He is known for rendering songs such as "Po Bala Pommikan" and "Dhikkaramulu Saituna".

Early life

Gaggayya was born in 1895 at Vemuru in

Guntur district Guntur district is one of the twenty six districts in the Coastal Andhra region of the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The administrative seat of the district is located at Guntur, the List of urban agglom ...

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 ...

. He lost his father in early childhood. His elder brother tried to educate him but failed in his efforts. He married Ramalaxmi in 1913. During those days, Surabhi Drama company used to be played throughout the Andhra Pradesh and attracted huge crowds. Influenced by this, he learned music and singing songs. He joined the same troupe and acted in many plays touring with them.

Personal life

His son Vemuri Ramayya was also a stage actor.

Death

Vemuri Gaggayya died in 1955 on 30 December in his native village, Vemuru.

Filmography

# '' Savithri (1933)'' –

# ''Seeta Kalyanam'' (1934) # '' Sri Krishna Leelalu'' (1935) –

# ''

Draupadi Vastrapaharanam Draupadi (), also referred to as Krishnā, Panchali and Yajnaseni, is the central heroine of the ancient Indian epic ''Mahabharata''. In the epic, she is the princess of Panchala Kingdom, who later becomes the empress of Kuru Kingdom. She i ...

'' (1936) – Sisupala # '' Sati Tulasi'' (1936) # ''Mohini Rugmangada'' (1937) # ''Jarasandha'' (1938) # ''Bhakta Markandeya'' (1938) –

# '' Chandika'' (1940) – Giriraju # '' Mahiravana'' (1940) – Mairavana # ''Dakshayagnam'' (1941) –

Daksha Daksha ( ,) is a Hindu god whose role underwent a significant transformation from Vedic mythology, ''Vedic'' to Itihasa-Purana, ''Itihasa-Puranic'' mythology. In the ''Rigveda'', Daksha is an ''Adityas, aditya'' and is associated with priestly ...

# '' Bhakta Prahlada'' (1942) –

Hiranyakashipu Hiranyakashipu (, ), also known as Hiranyakashyap, was a daitya king of the asuras in the Puranas. In Hinduism, Hiranyakashipu's younger brother, Hiranyaksha, was slain by the Varaha (boar) avatar of Vishnu. Angered by this, Hiranyakashipu ...

# ''

Seeta Rama Jananam ''Sri Seeta Rama Jananam'' () is a 1944 Indian Telugu-language Hindu mythological film, produced and directed by Ghantasala Balaramayya under the Pratibha Productions banner. The film stars Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Tripurasundari, Vemuri Gagga ...

'' (1942) –

Ravana According to the Mahakavya, Hindu epic, ''Ramayana'', Ravana was a kingJustin W. Henry, ''Ravana's Kingdom: The Ramayana and Sri Lankan History from Below'', Oxford University Press, p.3 of the island of Lanka, in which he is the chief antag ...

# ''Garuda Garvabhangam'' (1943)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Gaggaiah, Vemuri 1895 births 1955 deaths Telugu male actors Indian male stage actors 20th-century Indian male actors Male actors from Andhra Pradesh Actors from Guntur district Andhra University alumni Indian male film actors Male actors in Telugu theatre