- P. Adinarayana Rao
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P. Adinarayana Rao Birth name Penupatruni Adinarayana Rao Born 1915
Kakinada, Andhra PradeshDied 1991 Occupations Music director Instruments Harmonium Years active 1950s – 1990s Penupatruni Adinarayana Rao (1915–1991), also known as P. Adinarayana Rao was a reputed Telugu music director, film producer, lyricist and play writer from south Indian film industry.
He co-founded "Aswini Pictures" along with Akkineni Nageswara Rao and produced couple of movies in Telugu and Tamil language. Later, he produced several blockbuster Telugu movies under his own production house Anjali Pictures on his famous actress cum wife's name Anjali Devi. He also did produce and compose music for several Tamil and Hindi movies too.
According to well known music critic V.A.K. Rangarao, "Adinarayana Rao is credited for introducing Hindustani music in contemporary flavour and simplified orchestration, and thereby impressing both laymen audience as well cognoscenti. It is this music that survives him enthralling all the music lovers".[1]
Memorable music compositions from him are "Rajasekhara Neepai Moju Theera Leduraa" in the movie Anarkali released in 1955,[2] "Piluvakuraa Alugakuraa" in the movie Suvarna Sundari released in 1957,[3] "Telugu Veera Levaraa Deeksha Booni Sagara" and "Vastaadu Naraju" in the movie Alluri Seetarama Raju released in 1974[4] and all songs including "Ghana Ghana Sundara" in Bhakta Tukaram, released in 1973.[5]
Well-known music directors like Satyam, Totakura Venkata Raju, Lakshmikant-Pyarelal etc., fine-tuned their skills by working under him as assistant directors.[6][7]
Contents
Life
Adinarayana Rao was born in Goud caste in 1915 at Kakinada of East Godavari in Andhra Pradesh to Penupatruni Krishnayya Goud and Penupatruni Anasuya.[8][9] He did his matriculation from Kakinada.
He started his film career as a child artist at the age of six under Rajarajeswari Naatya Mandali's baton to play the roles of mythological characters like "Narada" and "Savitri". Later, he studied classical music under Patrayani Sitaramsastry in Saluru. By age of 12, he started playing many musical instruments and showing his talent in both music as a composer and on stage as a play writer.[10]
He was well known in Kakinada theatre with plays like Black Market, Vasanta Sena and Veedhi Gaayakulu, which he still continued after entering film industry and was affectionately given a nickname "Abbayi Garu". The play Street Singers written by him was well admired, and his wife Anjali Devi received Gold medal and a citation from Sir Arthur Hope, then governor of Madras Presidency in 1943.[11] He fine-tuned his skills into a well known artist while working under Burmah Shell Amateurs Troupe through famous "Young Mens Happy Club" which produced stalwarts from Telugu film industry like Relangi Venkata Ramaiah, S. V. Ranga Rao, Gandikota Jagannatham and Anjali Devi. It is here, that he met his future wife Anjali Devi.
He along with S. V. Ranga Rao made their debut into film industry with film Varudhini in 1946. Adinarayana Rao wrote lyrics and composed music for two songs in that film. Later, wrote lyrics and composed music for couple of films. Huge break arrived with film Gollabhama directed by C. Pullaiah, in which his wife Anjali Devi made her debut. With film Palletoori Pilla in 1950, he established himself into a well-known and full-fledged music director in the Telugu film industry. He married Anjali Devi in 1948, and they had two sons.[12] His granddaughter Saila Rao is also an actress.
He was versatile in composing music, writing lyrics and story for films, and producing movies in Telugu, Tamil, Marathi, and Hindi under Anjali Pictures. During 80's, he mostly composed music and wrote lyrics under Padmalaya Studios for actor Krishna till he died in 1991.
Aswini Pictures
He founded "Aswini Pictures" along with Akkineni Nageswara Rao and makeup artist K. Gopala Rao to produce movies like "Maayalamaari" in 1951 in Telugu, "Mayakkaari" in Tamil, and "Annadhata" in 1954 for which he wrote lyrics and composed music.
Anjali Pictures
He started a production house Anjali Pictures in 1951 by the name of his wife after parting ways with Aswini Pictures. He produced some of the blockbusters in film industry like Paradesi in 1952 in Telegu which was directed by L. V. Prasad in Telugu, Poongottai in Tamil, Anarkali in 1955, Suvarna Sundari in 1957 and Bhakta Tukaram in 1973. In all these movies, his wife Anjali Devi acted as the lead heroine. Most of the movies he produced had Akkineni Nageswara Rao as a lead actor.
He also produced movies in Hindi like Phoolon Ki Sej in 1964 and Suvarna Sundari, for which the he actually wrote the (1957).[13] His film Mahakavi Kshetrayya won award Nandi Award for Best Feature Film.[citation needed]
Filmography
Producer
- Maayalamaari in 1951.
- Mayakkaari in 1951.
- Pardesi in 1953.
- Poongothai in 1953.
- Annadata in 1954.
- Anarkali in 1955.
- Suvarna Sundari in 1957.
- Swarnamanjari in 1962.
- Phoolon Ki Sej in 1964.
- Sati Sakkubai in 1965.
- Ammakosam in 1970.
- Bhakta Tukaram in 1973.
- Mahakavi Kshetrayya in 1976.
Music director
- Golla Bhama in 1947
- Palletoori Pilla in 1950.
- Maayalamaari in 1951.
- Mayakkaari in 1951.
- Pardesi in 1953.
- Poongothai in 1953.
- Annadata in 1954.
- Anarkali in 1955.
- Suvarna Sundari in 1957.
- Manalane Mangayin Bhagyam in 1957.
- Adutha Veetu Penn in 1960.
- Runanubandham in 1960.
- Swarnamanjari in 1962.
- Mangayir Ullam Mangada Selvam in 1962.
- Phoolon Ki Sej in 1964.
- Sati Sakkubai in 1965.
- Ammakosam in 1970
- Agni Pareeksha in 1970.
- Mosagallaku Mosagadu in 1971
- Pedda Koduku in 1972.
- Bhakta Tukaram in 1973.
- Alluri Seetarama Rajuin 1974.
- Mahakavi Kshetrayya in 1976.
- Kannavari Illu in 1978.
- Chandipriya in 1980.
Writer
- Suvarna Sundari in 1957.
Awards
Adinarayana Rao Award
Anjali Devi launched an award on her husband name from 2011. Noted playback singer P. Susheela is the first recipient of that award.[16]
References
- ^ V.A.K. Rangarao credits Adinrayana Rao for introducing Hindustani music
- ^ Raja sekharaa
- ^ Piluvakuraa Alugakuraa
- ^ Vasthaadu naa raju and Telugu veera levaraa
- ^ Ghana Ghana Sundara
- ^ Totakura Venkata Raju (a.k.a T V Raju), Satyam and Lakshmikant-Pyarelal duo (Phoolonki Sej) worked as his assistants
- ^ Satyam was working for Adinarayana Rao
- ^ music director Sree Penupatruni Krishnayya (music director Adinarayana Rao's father)
- ^ Adinarayana Rao (1915-1991)
- ^ Adinarayana Rao Personal Details
- ^ Smt Anjali Profile - Anjali Devi received Gold Medal and a Citation in 1943 from Sir Arthur Hope, Governor, in appreciation of the play 'Street Singers', written by Adinarayana Rao
- ^ Smt Anjali Profile
- ^ Anjali Pictures Production Company Filmography
- ^ P.Adinarayana Rao won the Best Music Director
- ^ Adi Narayana Rao received the award for best music (nationwide), an honor given by the Bombay Journalist Association. It was the first time a south Indian received that award
- ^ Anjali Devi, 84, announced an award in the name of her husband and late composer Adinarayana Rao marking his 20th death anniversary
External links
Categories:- 1915 births
- 1991 deaths
- Indian film producers
- Indian lyricists
- Telugu film score composers
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