Kodi Ramakrishna (23 July 1949 – 22 February 2019) was an
Indian film
The Cinema of India consists of motion pictures produced in India, which had a large effect on world cinema since the late 20th century. Major centers of film production across the country include Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad, Visakhapatnam, Ko ...
director, screenwriter and actor known for his works predominantly in
Telugu cinema
Telugu cinema, also known as Tollywood, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Telugu language, widely spoken in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Telugu cinema is based in Film Nagar, Hy ...
. One of the most prolific film directors of Telugu film industry, Kodi Ramakrishna has directed over 100 feature films in a variety of genres.
He is known as a celluloid visionary who introduced high-end
visual effects
Visual effects (sometimes abbreviated VFX) is the process by which imagery is created or manipulated outside the context of
a live-action shot in filmmaking and video production.
The integration of live-action footage and other live-action foota ...
to the
South Indian film industry
The Cinema of South India refers collectively to the six distinct film industries based in Southern region of India namely Tamil, Telugu, Tulu, Kannada, Konkani, and Malayalam. Although these industries developed independently for a long ...
through his supernatural fantasy films''.
''
Kodi Ramakrishna began his career as an associate to
Dasari Narayana Rao
Dasari Narayana Rao (4 May 1947 – 30 May 2017) was an Indian film director, producer, screenwriter, actor, lyricist, and politician known for his works predominantly in Telugu cinema, in addition to Hindi cinema. He has directed more than 150 ...
in ''Korikale Gurralaite'' (1979). His debuted as a director with the film ''
Intlo Ramayya Veedhilo Krishnayya
''Intlo Ramayya Veedilo Krishnayya'' () is a 1982 Indian Telugu-language film directed by debutant Kodi Rama Krishna and produced by K. Raghava starring Chiranjeevi, Madhavi and debutant Gollapudi Maruthi Rao.
Released on 22 April 1982, The fil ...
'' (1982). His filmography includes drama films like ''
Intlo Ramayya Veedhilo Krishnayya
''Intlo Ramayya Veedilo Krishnayya'' () is a 1982 Indian Telugu-language film directed by debutant Kodi Rama Krishna and produced by K. Raghava starring Chiranjeevi, Madhavi and debutant Gollapudi Maruthi Rao.
Released on 22 April 1982, The fil ...
'' (1982), ''
Mangamma Gari Manavadu'' (1984), ''Maa Pallelo Gopaludu'' (1985), ''
Srinivasa Kalyanam'' (1987), ''Aahuthi'' (1987), ''
Muddula Mavayya
''Muddula Mavayya'' is a 1989 Indian Telugu-language drama film produced by S. Gopal Reddy under the Bhargav Art Productions banner and directed by Kodi Ramakrishna. It stars Nandamuri Balakrishna, Vijayashanti and musical score by K. V. Maha ...
'' (1989), ''
Pelli
Pelli is the surname of:
* Arttu Pelli (born 1996), Finnish ice hockey
* César Pelli (1926–2019), Argentine architect
* Denis Pelli (born 1954), Professor of Psychology and Neural Science at New York University
* Fulvio Pelli (born 1951), Swi ...
'' (1997), and ''
Dongaata'' (1997);
social problem film
A social problem film is a narrative film that integrates a larger social conflict into the individual conflict between its characters. In the context of the United States and of Hollywood, the genre is defined by fictionalized depictions of soc ...
s such as ''
Ankusam'' (1989), ''
Bharat Bandh
''Bharat Bandh'' is a 1991 Telugu political thriller film directed by Kodi Ramakrishna and produced by A. Subhash. The film stars Vinod Kumar, Archana, Rahman and Costumes Krishna in the lead roles. The music was composed by Vijaya Shekhar.
...
'' (1991), and ''
Sathruvu
''Sathruvu'' () is a 1991 Indian Telugu-language crime thriller film directed by Kodi Ramakrishna and produced by M. S. Raju under Sumanth Art Productions. It stars Venkatesh, Vijayashanti, and Kota Srinivasa Rao with music composed by Raj–Ko ...
'' (1991). He also directed
spy films
Espionage, spying, or intelligence gathering is the act of obtaining secret or confidential information (intelligence) from non-disclosed sources or divulging of the same without the permission of the holder of the information for a tangi ...
like ''
Gudachari No.1'' (1983), and ''Gudachari 117'' (1989), and supernatural
fantasy film
Fantasy films are films that belong to the fantasy genre with fantastic themes, usually magic, supernatural events, mythology, folklore, or exotic fantasy worlds. The genre is considered a form of speculative fiction alongside science fiction f ...
s like ''
Ammoru
Ammoru () is a 1995 Indian Telugu-language Hindu mythological fantasy film directed by Kodi Ramakrishna. The film is produced by Shyam Prasad Reddy, under M. S. Arts Unit. It stars Ramya Krishna as Goddess Ammoru and Soundarya as her devotee, B ...
'' (1995), ''
Devi
Devī (; Sanskrit: देवी) is the Sanskrit word for 'goddess'; the masculine form is ''deva''. ''Devi'' and ''deva'' mean 'heavenly, divine, anything of excellence', and are also gender-specific terms for a deity in Hinduism.
The conce ...
'' (1999), ''
Devullu'' (2000), ''
Anji'' (2004), and ''
Arundhati'' (2009).
''Arundhati'' won ten state
Nandi Awards
The Nandi Awards are the awards that recognise the excellence in Telugu cinema, Telugu theatre and Telugu television, and Lifetime achievements in Indian cinema. Presented annually by the Government of Andhra Pradesh, the award is named after ...
and became one of the highest grossing Telugu films ever at the time. In 2012, he received the state
Raghupathi Venkaiah Award
The Raghupathi Venkaiah Naidu Award is an award issued by the Indian state government of Andhra Pradesh, to recognise lifetime achievements in Telugu cinema. The award was introduced in 1981 in honour of Raghupathi Venkaiah Naidu, a pioneer of t ...
for his contribution to Telugu cinema.
Personal life
Kodi Ramakrishna was born on 23 July 1949 in
Palakollu
Palakollu is a city and the administrative headquarters of Palakollu Mandal in Narasapuram revenue division in West Godavari district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Palakollu is situated in Coastal Andhra region of the state. It occup ...
,
West Godavari district of
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...
.
His career in the Indian cinema industry spanned more than 30 years.
His elder daughter Kodi Divya Deepti entered into film production with ''
Nenu Meeku Baaga Kavalsinavaadini
''Nenu Meeku Baaga Kavalsinavaadini'' () is a 2022 Indian Telugu-language romantic comedy film directed by Sridhar Gade and written by Kiran Abbavaram. It stars Abbavaram, Sanjana Anand and Sonu Thakur. The film has music composed by Mani Sha ...
'' (2022).
Awards
In 2012, he received the state
Raghupathi Venkaiah Award
The Raghupathi Venkaiah Naidu Award is an award issued by the Indian state government of Andhra Pradesh, to recognise lifetime achievements in Telugu cinema. The award was introduced in 1981 in honour of Raghupathi Venkaiah Naidu, a pioneer of t ...
for his contribution to Telugu cinema.
Death
Kodi Ramakrishna died on 22 February 2019 in Hyderabad. He was under treatment at AIG Hospitals, Gachibowli for acute breathing problem.
Filmography
;Director
;Associate director
*''Korikale Gurralayite?'' (1979)
;Actor
*''Mudilla Muchata'' (1985)
*''Attagaaroo Swagatam'' (1986)
*''Inti Donga'' (1987)
*''Aasti Mooredu Aasa Baaredu'' (1995)
*''
Dongaata'' (1997)
*''
Rainbow'' (2008)
References
External links
*
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ramakrishna, Lodi
1949 births
2019 deaths
Telugu film directors
Tamil film directors
Film directors from Andhra Pradesh
People from West Godavari district
20th-century Indian film directors
21st-century Indian film directors
20th-century Indian male actors
Indian male film actors
Male actors from Andhra Pradesh
Male actors in Telugu cinema
Screenwriters from Andhra Pradesh
Telugu screenwriters
21st-century Indian male actors