Bommireddy Nagi Reddi (2 December 1912 – 25 February 2004) was an Indian film producer and director mainly 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 ...

. He set up

Vijaya Vauhini Studios Vijaya Vauhini Studios was one of the premier motion picture movie studios in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is the combination of Vijaya Productions and Vauhini Studios. B. Nagi Reddy (Bommireddy Nagi Reddy) was the founder of Vijaya Produ ...

Chennai Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

, which was then Asia's biggest film studio. As his elder brother (who was also a director) had the same initials and was known as B. N. Reddi, Nagi Reddi was popularly known as B. Nagi Reddi. Some of the movies produced by Nagi Reddi include ''

Patala Bhairavi ''Pathala Bhairavi'' () is a 1951 Indian fantasy film directed by K. V. Reddy who co-wrote the film with Pingali (writer), Pingali and Kamalakara Kameswara Rao. Shot simultaneously in Telugu language, Telugu and Tamil language, Tamil languages ...

'' (1951), ''

Missamma ''Missamma'' () is a 1955 Indian Telugu-language romantic comedy film directed by L. V. Prasad. It was produced by Nagi Reddi and Chakrapani on Vijaya Productions banner. The film stars N. T. Rama Rao, Savitri, Akkineni Nageswara Rao and ...

'' (1955), ''

Maya Bazaar ''Mayabazar'' () is a 1957 Indian epic Hindu mythological film directed by K. V. Reddy. It was produced by Nagi Reddi and Chakrapani under their banner, Vijaya Productions. The film was shot simultaneously in Telugu and Tamil languages, ...

'' (1957), ''

Gundamma Katha ''Gundamma Katha'' () is a 1962 Indian Telugu-language comedy drama film directed by Kamalakara Kameswara Rao and co-produced by Nagi Reddi and Chakrapani under their banner Vijaya Productions. It stars N. T. Rama Rao, Akkineni Nageswara Ra ...

'' (1962), ''Maduve Madinodu'' (1965-Kannada), ''

Enga Veetu Pillai ''Enga Veettu Pillai'' () is a 1965 Indian Tamil-language masala film written by Sakthi T. K. Krishnasamy and directed by Chanakya. A remake of his own 1964 Telugu film ''Ramudu Bheemudu'', it stars M. G. Ramachandran and B. Saroja Devi, with ...

'' (1965), ''

Ram Aur Shyam ''Ram Aur Shyam'' (English: ''Ram And Shyam'') is a 1967 Indian Hindi-language comedy-drama film directed by Tapi Chanakya. The film is a remake of Chanakya's 1964 Telugu film ''Ramudu Bheemudu''. It stars Dilip Kumar in a double role as twin b ...

'' (1967), '' Shriman Shrimati'' (1982), ''

Julie Julie may refer to: * Julie (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the name Film and television * ''Julie'' (1956 film), an American film noir starring Doris Day * ''Julie'' (1975 film), a Hindi film by K. S. Sethumadhava ...

'' (1975), and '' Swarg Narak'' (1978), '' Nam Naadu'' (1969) the latter two of which were in

Hindi Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...

. Reddi has served as the president of

Film Federation of India The Film Federation of India (FFI) is an apex body of the Indian film producers (around 18,000), distributors (around 20,000), exhibitors (around 12,000) and studio owners, headquartered in Mumbai.Shahid Alikhan, R. A. Mashelkar, "Intellectual pro ...

twice, in 1960–61 and 1962–63.

Film career

Nagi Reddi along with his friend and partner Aluri Chakrapani produced over fifty films in four decades in the four South Indian languages and also in Hindi. He made mythological, devotional, and historical

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India *Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language ** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode S ...

movies. Some of his more notable films include ''

Pathala Bhairavi ''Pathala Bhairavi'' () is a 1951 Indian fantasy film directed by K. V. Reddy who co-wrote the film with Pingali and Kamalakara Kameswara Rao. Shot simultaneously in Telugu and Tamil languages, the film was produced by Nagi Reddi and Chakr ...

'', ''

'', and ''

''. He made most of his films in association with screenwriter

Chakrapani Chakrapani may refer to: People with the surname * Aluri Chakrapani (1908–1975), Indian film multilingual writer, producer and director * Chuck Chakrapani, Indian research methodologist, educator, and author * M. G. Chakrapani (1911–1986), I ...

. Nagi Reddi closed down Vijaya-Vahini after the Telugu film industry moved out of studios in the 1970s, and started the Vijaya Hospital and Vijaya Health Centre. A new award was incorporated, commemorating his 100th birth year, the Nagi Reddi, memorial Award for the best Telugu and Tamil family entertainers.

Personal life

He was married and had 3 sons and a daughter and one of his son is a producer B. Venkatarama Reddi.

Awards

;

National Film Awards The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directorat ...

Dada Saheb Phalke Award The Dadasaheb Phalke Award is India's highest award in the field of cinema. It is presented annually at the National Film Awards ceremony by the Directorate of Film Festivals, an organisation set up by the Ministry of Information and Broadc ...

– 1986. *

National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Kannada The National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Kannada is one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, the organization set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India. It is one of severa ...

– ''Maduve Madinodu'' (1965) ;

Filmfare Awards The Filmfare Awards are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Hindi-language film industry of India.Al The Filmfare ceremony is one of the most famous film events in India. The awards were first introduced by th ...

Filmfare Best Film Award (Telugu) The Filmfare Award for Best Film is given by the ''Filmfare'' magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films. The award was first given in 1954. Here is a list of the award winners and the nominees of the respective years. Eac ...

–

(1957) * Filmfare Best Film Award (Telugu) –

(1962) ;

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 ...

* The Government 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 ...

awarded him the Raghupathy Venkaiah award in 1987. ;Tamil Nadu State Awards * The Government of

Tamil Nadu Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...

awarded him the

Kalaimamani Award The Kalaimamani is the highest civilian award in the state of Tamil Nadu, India. These awards are given by the ''Tamil Nadu Iyal Isai Nataka Mandram'' (literature, music and theatre), a unit of the Directorate of Art and Culture, Government of ...

in 1972. ;Other Honours * He was awarded an honorary doctorate by Srikrishnadevaraya University and Sri Venkateswara University.

Other businesses and philanthropy

Nagi Reddi served as chairman of the board of Trustees of

Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanams (TTD) is an independent trust which manages the temples including the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple in Andhra Pradesh. The trust oversees the operations and finances of the richest and the most visited religious cent ...

between 1980 and 1983, and is credited for building the

Vaikuntam Queue Complex Vaikuntham Queue Complex is a facility used in Tirumala Venkateswara Temple Sri Venkateswara Swami Vaari Temple is a Hindu temple situated in the hill town of Tirumala at Tirupati in Tirupati district of Andhra Pradesh, India. The Temple is ...

that now serves to regulate pilgrims for darshan in the

Tirumala Venkateswara Temple Sri Venkateswara Swami Vaari Temple is a Hindu temple situated in the hill town of Tirumala at Tirupati in Tirupati district of Andhra Pradesh, India. The Temple is dedicated to Venkateswara, a form of Vishnu, who is believed to have appeared ...

. Nagi Reddi founded the Vijaya Medical & Educational Trust in 1972. The trust runs the Vijaya Hospital (1972), Vijaya Health Center (1987) and Vijaya Heart Foundation (1996). Nagi Reddi headed the South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce four times and the All-India Film Sammelan for two terms. Nagi Reddi started the '' Andhra Jyothi'' newspaper in 1945. He also established the children's magazine ''

Chandamama ''Chandamama'' was a classic Indian monthly magazine for children, famous for its illustrations. It also published long-running mythological/magical stories that ran for years. Originally, "Chandamama" was started in Telugu by Chakrapani and ...

'' in July 1947. The magazine was eventually printed in nearly a dozen different languages. He was the founder of Vijaya Hospitals in Vadapalani, Chennai.

Filmography

As Producer

*'' Shriman Shrimati'' (1982) (producer) (as B. Nagi Reddi) *'' Swayamvar'' (1980) (producer) (as B. Nagi Reddi) *'' Swarg Narak'' (1978) (producer) (as B. Nagi Reddi) *''

Yehi Hai Zindagi ''Yehi Hai Zindagi'' () is a 1977 Hindi-language film. Produced by B. Nagi Reddy, it is directed by K. S. Sethumadhavan. The film stars Sanjeev Kumar, Seema Deo, Utpal Dutt, Lucky Ali, Ramesh Deo and Neeta Mehta. The film's music was composed ...

'' (1977) (producer) (as B. Nagi Reddi) *''

Shri Rajeshwari Vilas Coffee Club Shri (; , ) is a Sanskrit term denoting resplendence, wealth and prosperity, primarily used as an honorific. The word is widely used in South and Southeast Asian languages such as Marathi, Malay (including Indonesian and Malaysian), Javanes ...

'' (1976) (producer) *''

'' (1975) (producer) (as B. Nagi Reddi-Chakrapani) *''

Ganga Manga ''Ganga Manga'' is a 1973 Indian Telugu-language comedy drama film in which Vanisri played a dual role as Ganga and Manga. Krishna and Sobhan Babu played main roles. The film was a remake of the Hindi film ''Seeta Aur Geeta''. Plot Ganga, wh ...

'' (1973) (producer) *'' Ghar Ghar Ki Kahani'' (1970) (producer) (as B. Nagi Reddi) *'' Nam Naadu'' (1969) (producer) (as B. Nagi Reddi) *''

'' (1967) (producer) (as B. Nagi Reddi) *''

Enga Veettu Pillai ''Enga Veettu Pillai'' () is a 1965 Indian Tamil-language masala film written by Sakthi T. K. Krishnasamy and directed by Chanakya. A remake of his own 1964 Telugu film ''Ramudu Bheemudu'', it stars M. G. Ramachandran and B. Saroja Devi, wi ...

'' (1965) (producer) (as B.Naggi Reddi) *''

'' (1962) (producer) *'' Manithan Maravillai'' (1962) (producer) *'' Paigham'' (1959) (Producer) *''

Appu Chesi Pappu Koodu ''Appu Chesi Pappu Koodu'' () is a 1959 Indian Telugu-language comedy drama film directed by L. V. Prasad. The film was produced by Nagi Reddi and Chakrapani of Vijaya Productions; the latter co-wrote its script with Prasad and Vempati Sada ...

'' (1958) (producer) *''

'' (1957/I) (producer) *''

'' (1957/II) (producer) *''

'' (1955) (producer) *''

Missiamma ''Missiamma'' () is a 1955 Indian Tamil-language romantic comedy film directed by L. V. Prasad. Produced by B. Nagi Reddy and Aluri Chakrapani Vijaya Vauhini Studios, the script was adapted by Chakrapani from the Bengali novel ''Manmoyee Girl ...

'' (1955) (producer) *''

Guna Sundari ''Guna Sundari'' or ''Gunasundari'' is a 1955 Indian Tamil-language film starring Gemini Ganesan and Savitri. The film was remake of the 1949 Telugu film ''Gunasundari Katha''. It was not successful at the box office. Plot Ugra Senan is the k ...

'' (1955) (producer as B. Nagi Reddi) *''

Chandraharam ''Chandraharam'' is a 1954 Telugu-Tamil bilingual swashbuckler film directed by Kamalakara Kameswara Rao in his debut. It was produced by Nagi Reddy-Chakrapani under the Vijaya Productions banner. It stars N. T. Rama Rao, Savitri and Sriran ...

'' (1954) (producer) *''

Pelli Chesi Choodu ''Pelli Chesi Choodu'' () is a 1952 Indian satirical comedy film directed by L. V. Prasad and produced by Nagi Reddi and Chakrapani under their company Vijaya Productions. The film was made simultaneously in Telugu and Tamil, the latter titled ...

'' (1952) (producer) *''

'' (1951) (producer) *''

Shavukaru ''Shavukaru'' () is a 1950 Indian Telugu-language drama film directed by L. V. Prasad. The film was produced by Nagireddy and Chakrapani under the Vijaya Productions banner as their maiden production. It stars N. T. Rama Rao in his first lead ...

'' (1950) (producer)

As Presenter

*'' Shriman Shrimati'' (1982) (presenter) (as B. Nagi Reddi) *'' Swayamvar'' (1980) (presenter) (as B. Nagi Reddi) *'' Swarg Narak'' (1978) (presenter) (as B. Nagi Reddi) *''

'' (1977) (presenter) (as B. Nagi Reddi) a.k.a. Yehi Hai Zindagi (India: Hindi title: video box title) *''

'' (1975) (presenter) (as B. Nagi Reddi) *'' Prem Nagar'' (1974) (presenter) (as B. Nagi Reddi) *''

'' (1967) (presenter) (as B. Nagi Reddi)

In Editorial Department

*''

Hai Hai Nayaka Hai Hai Nayaka is a 1989 Telugu-language comedy drama film, co-written and directed by Jandhyala, starring Naresh and Sri Bharati. Madhavapeddi Suresh composed the music for this film. The film released on 23 February 1989. The film deals wit ...

'' (1989) (assistant editor)

As Director

*''

Enga Veetu Penn ''Enga Veettu Penn'' () is a 1965 Indian Tamil-language drama film directed by Tapi Chanakya and produced by Nagi Reddi and Chakrapani of Vijaya Combines Productions. A remake of the company's own Telugu film ''Shavukaru'' (1950), it feature ...

'' (1966)

Thankful

*''

Ram Tere Kitne Nam ''Ram Tere Kitne Nam'' ( ) is a 1985 Indian Hindi-language film, directed by P. Madhavan and produced by Harish Shah. The film stars Sanjeev Kumar, Rekha in lead roles. The film had musical score by Babul Bose. The film was a remake of director' ...

'' (1985) (sincere thanks) (as Shri Nagi Reddi)

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Reddy B. Nagi 1912 births 2004 deaths Filmfare Awards South winners Tamil film directors Film producers from Andhra Pradesh Dadasaheb Phalke Award recipients People from Kadapa district Film directors from Andhra Pradesh 20th-century Indian film directors Telugu film producers 20th-century Indian businesspeople