Yadavalli Suryanarayana (1888–1939) was an Indian actor and thespian 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 ...

. He made his transition from theater to cinema in 1932. He contributed to the Telugu theatre for over three decades.

Early life

Suryanarayana was born in

Guntur Guntur (), natively spelt as Gunturu, is a city in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and the administrative headquarters of Guntur district. The city is part of the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region and is lo ...

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 ...

in a Telugu Vaidika Brahmin family. He was the eldest son to Yadavalli Ramakrishnayya and Vengamamba. His elder sister Seetha died early. His other siblings were Gopala Krishna, Venkata Subbu Lakshmi and Rama Rao. His father was an officer in the British Government. Coming from an educated family, Suryanarayana successfully completed

matriculation Matriculation is the formal process of entering a university, or of becoming eligible to enter by fulfilling certain academic requirements such as a matriculation examination. Australia In Australia, the term ''matriculation'' is seldom used no ...

, learned

Sanskrit Sanskrit (; stem form ; nominal singular , ,) is a classical language belonging to the Indo-Aryan languages, Indo-Aryan branch of the Indo-European languages. It arose in northwest South Asia after its predecessor languages had Trans-cultural ...

and

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 ...

along with Panchakavyas. He started performing on stage while he was still a student.

Early career

He toured Andhra Pradesh with ''Mylavaram Balabharati Nataka Samajam'' of

Vijaywada 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 ''Seetharamanjaneya Nataka Samajam'' of

Eluru Eluru ( ) is a city and the district headquarters of Eluru district in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is one of the List of municipal corporations in India#Andhra Pradesh, 14 municipal corporations ...

. He portrayed many roles in plays such as Satyavan in ''Savithri'',

Rama Rama (; , , ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the seventh and one of the most popular avatars of Vishnu. In Rama-centric Hindu traditions, he is considered the Supreme Being. Also considered as the ideal man (''maryāda' ...

in '' Rama Paduka Pattabhishekam'', Dushyantudu in '' Sakunthala'', Sarangadhara in '' Sarangadhara'',

Arjuna Arjuna (, , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, �ɾd͡ʒun̪ə is one of the central characters of the ancient Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. He is the third of the five Pandava brothers, and is widely regarded as the most important and renowned among them. ...

in ''

Gayopakhyanam ''Gayopakhyanam'' ( Telugu: గయోపాఖ్యానం) is a Telugu play written by Chilakamarti Lakshmi Narasimham in 1890. It is also called Prachanda Yadavam (The story of fierce Yadava King - Sri Krishna). This play is the forerunner ...

'', Bahuka in ''Chitranaleeyam'', and as

Duryodhana Duryodhana (, Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ̪ʊɾjoːd̪ʱən̪ᵊ ), also known as Suyodhana, is the primary antagonist in the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata.'' He is the eldest of the Kaurava, Kauravas, the hundred sons of King Dhritarashtra and Queen Gan ...

in Veni Samharam, ''

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 ...

'' and Pandava Udyoga Vijayam plays.

Death

He died at the age of 50 in 1939.

Filmography

* 1932 : '' Rama Paduka Pattabhishekam'' as

* 1932 : '' Sakunthala'' as Dushyantudu * 1934 : '' Seeta Kalyanam'' * 1936 : ''

'' as

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Suryanarayana, Yadavalli 1888 births 1939 deaths 20th-century Indian male actors Male actors from Andhra Pradesh Indian male stage actors Male actors in Telugu cinema Indian male film actors People from Guntur Actors from Guntur district Male actors in Telugu theatre