Early life
Raghava studied at Bellary High School and at Christian College, Madras. He then practiced law after graduating from Madras Law College in 1905. Aged 12, he founded Shakespeare Club in Bellary and played in Shakespeare dramas. Raghava also portrayed main characters in various dramas in the Sreenivasarao Kolachalam's group "Sumanohara" in Bangalore. In 1909 he founded the ''Amateur Dramatic Association of Bangalore''.Notable theatre works
''Harischandra'', ''Padukapattabhishekamu'', ''Savitri'', ''Brihannala'', ''Ramaraju charitra'', ''Ramadasu'', ''Tappevaridi'', ''Saripadani sangatulu'', etc. were his noted dramas. He visited various countries like Sri Lanka, England, France, Germany and Switzerland and gave seminars and lectures on Indian drama art. He advocated and developed the naturalistic style in acting. He was very particular that women should always play female roles on the stage. In 1927 he went to England and took part in English dramas with Laurence Olivier and Charles Laughton. His presentation of ''Tappevaridi'' by Rajamannar in 1930 in Madras, has received critical reception as a momentous event heralding a new era in Telugu theatre.Cinema
In 1936, Raghava played ''Duryodhana'' in H. M. Reddy's ''Draupadi Maanasamrakshanam''. He then acted in ''Death
Raghava died on 16 April 1946. The ''Ballari Raghava Puraskaram'' award was instituted in his memory. It is presented to talented artists who contributed to drama and cinema. In 1981, a postal stamp was released in his memory.References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Raghava, Bellary 1880 births 1946 deaths People from Anantapur, Andhra Pradesh Telugu-language writers Indian arts administrators Indian theatre directors 20th-century Indian dramatists and playwrights Indian male dramatists and playwrights Telugu-language dramatists and playwrights University of Madras alumni People from Anantapur district 20th-century Indian male actors Indian male film actors Dramatists and playwrights from Andhra Pradesh Male actors in Telugu cinema 19th-century Indian male actors Male actors in Telugu theatre Indian male stage actors 19th-century Indian dramatists and playwrights Male actors from Andhra Pradesh 20th-century Indian male writers Male actors in British India Dramatists and playwrights in British India