Yaragudipati Varada Rao
Encyclopedia
Yaragudipati Varada Rao also known as Y.V.Rao, was a South Indian actor and film director who directed a number of hits in Kannada
, Telugu
and Tamil
during the 1930s and 1940s. He is the father of prominent Bollywood
and Kollywood
actress and talk show host Lakshmi
.
in the then Madras Presidency
of British India in 1903 in a prominent and wealthy Telugu Brahmin family. On completion of his education, Y.V.Rao plunged into drama and did a few stage plays before moving to Kolhapur and Bombay to act in silent films. In the late 1920s, he moved to Madras. Impressed by Rao's handsome looks and agility, Prakash cast him as hero in many silent films like "Garuda Garva Bhangam", "Gajendra Moksham" , and "Rose of Rajasthan" .
businessman, Chamanlal Doongaji from Bangalore
, launched South India Movietone. The company made the first talking picture in Kannada language
called Sati Sulochana
. Y.V.Rao was given the privilege of directing this film thereby making his name immortal in the annals of Indian film history.
Sathi Sulochana was shot at Chatrapathi Cinetone, in Kolhapur and the shooting took eight weeks. Produced at en enormous cost of Rs. 40,000, Sathi Sulochana created a sensation in Bangalore.
He also directed "Hari Maya" (1932) that starred his first wife, Rajam (actress).
to superstardom.
His next film in Tamil, Lavangi (1946) was based on the life of a poet called Pandit Jagannath, who was believed to have served the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan.
The heroine was Kumari Rukmini, daughter of actress and dancer Nungambakkam Janaki. During the making of the film, Rao fell in love with her and she became his second wife. Their daughter is actress Lakshmi
and granddaughter is Aishwarya (actress)
.
Noteworthy amongst later films of Y.V.Rao was a mythological in Tamil language called Savithri starring M. S. Subbulakshmi
and Shanta Apte.
. Many film projects were announced but did not take off, and the few, which did, fared badly. He died in 1973,at the age of a 70, a very much unhappy man.
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
, Telugu
Telugu language
Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...
and Tamil
Tamil language
Tamil is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly by Tamil people of the Indian subcontinent. It has official status in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu and in the Indian union territory of Pondicherry. Tamil is also an official language of Sri Lanka and Singapore...
during the 1930s and 1940s. He is the father of prominent Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
and Kollywood
Kollywood
Kollywood is a word referring two different movie industries in India and Nepal, derived from the word Hollywood and their local movie centers.* Tamil cinema, the Tamil language film industry based on Kodambakkam, Chennai, Tamil Nadu,...
actress and talk show host Lakshmi
Lakshmi (actress)
Lakshmi Narayan is an Indian National Film Award winning actress who predominantly works in Tamil cinema. Lakshmi has acted in more than 300 films in all south Indian languages apart from few in Bollywood. She has won a Filmfare Best Actress Award and eight Filmfare Awards South.-Early...
.
Early life
Y.V.Rao was born in NelloreNellore
Nellore , is a city and headquarters of Potti Sri Ramulu Nellore District, formerly Nellore district.And in the state of Andhra Pradesh. Ancient name of Nellore was "Vikrama Simhapuri"....
in the then Madras Presidency
Madras Presidency
The Madras Presidency , officially the Presidency of Fort St. George and also known as Madras Province, was an administrative subdivision of British India...
of British India in 1903 in a prominent and wealthy Telugu Brahmin family. On completion of his education, Y.V.Rao plunged into drama and did a few stage plays before moving to Kolhapur and Bombay to act in silent films. In the late 1920s, he moved to Madras. Impressed by Rao's handsome looks and agility, Prakash cast him as hero in many silent films like "Garuda Garva Bhangam", "Gajendra Moksham" , and "Rose of Rajasthan" .
Film Direction
Eventually,by the start of the 1930s, Y.V.Rao moved to film direction and made silent films like Pandava Nirvana (1930), Pandava Agnathavaas(1930) and Hari Maya(1932).The First Kannada Talkie
In 1932, a MarwariMarwaris
Marwari or Marwadi or Rajasthani people are Indian ethnic group, that inhabit the Rajasthan region of India. Their language Rajasthani is a part of the western group of Indo-Aryan languages....
businessman, Chamanlal Doongaji from Bangalore
Bangalore
Bengaluru , formerly called Bengaluru is the capital of the Indian state of Karnataka. Bangalore is nicknamed the Garden City and was once called a pensioner's paradise. Located on the Deccan Plateau in the south-eastern part of Karnataka, Bangalore is India's third most populous city and...
, launched South India Movietone. The company made the first talking picture in Kannada language
Kannada language
Kannada or , is a language spoken in India predominantly in the state of Karnataka. Kannada, whose native speakers are called Kannadigas and number roughly 50 million, is one of the 30 most spoken languages in the world...
called Sati Sulochana
Sati Sulochana
Sati Sulochana is a film made in Kannada language. The film was released in the year 1934 and is the first talkie film in Kannada language...
. Y.V.Rao was given the privilege of directing this film thereby making his name immortal in the annals of Indian film history.
Sathi Sulochana was shot at Chatrapathi Cinetone, in Kolhapur and the shooting took eight weeks. Produced at en enormous cost of Rs. 40,000, Sathi Sulochana created a sensation in Bangalore.
He also directed "Hari Maya" (1932) that starred his first wife, Rajam (actress).
Chintamani
In 1937,Y.V.Rao directed the Tamil film 'Chintamani' which eventually became a blockbuster and went on to create new records in the Tamil film industry. More importantly, it was the movie which propelled M. K. Thyagaraja BhagavatharM. K. Thyagaraja Bhagavathar
Mayavaram Krishnamurthy Thyagaraja Bhagavathar , also called M.K.T., was a Tamil film actor, producer and Carnatic music singer. He is considered to be one of the most successful Tamil film actors ever....
to superstardom.
Other Films
Vishwamohini is his Telugu film directed and acted in 1940. This film is a love triangle satirizing the film industry.His next film in Tamil, Lavangi (1946) was based on the life of a poet called Pandit Jagannath, who was believed to have served the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan.
The heroine was Kumari Rukmini, daughter of actress and dancer Nungambakkam Janaki. During the making of the film, Rao fell in love with her and she became his second wife. Their daughter is actress Lakshmi
Lakshmi (actress)
Lakshmi Narayan is an Indian National Film Award winning actress who predominantly works in Tamil cinema. Lakshmi has acted in more than 300 films in all south Indian languages apart from few in Bollywood. She has won a Filmfare Best Actress Award and eight Filmfare Awards South.-Early...
and granddaughter is Aishwarya (actress)
Aishwarya (actress)
Aishwarya ; is a South Indian actress who has acted in Malayalam, Tamil and Telugu movies. She is the daughter of popular actress Lakshmi. Her mother tongue is Telugu.-Career:...
.
Noteworthy amongst later films of Y.V.Rao was a mythological in Tamil language called Savithri starring M. S. Subbulakshmi
M. S. Subbulakshmi
Madurai Shanmukhavadivu Subbulakshmi , also known as M.S., was a renowned Carnatic vocalist. She was the first musician ever to be awarded the Bharat Ratna, India's highest civilian honor. She is the first Indian musician to receive...
and Shanta Apte.
Later life
The 1950s saw a decline in Y.V.Rao's career till he stopped making movies for good. Apart from a decline in his career, his personal life too suffered setbacks. He was plagued by legal cases and financial problems during the later years of his life. He separated from his wife RukminiRukmini
In Hinduism, Rukmini is the principal wife and queen of Krishna at his city of Dwarka. Krishna heroically kidnaps her from an un-wanted marriage at her request . Of Krishna's 16,108 queens, Rukmini is the first and most prominent...
. Many film projects were announced but did not take off, and the few, which did, fared badly. He died in 1973,at the age of a 70, a very much unhappy man.