Adurthi Subba Rao (16 December 1912 – 1 October 1975) 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, ...

director, cinematographer, screenwriter, editor and producer 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, ...

. Rao is widely regarded as the intellectual fountain head of Indian

drama film In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super- ...

s.Master movie maker – The Hindu
/ref> He has garnered seven

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 ...

. Rao made his foray into cinema as Associate to

Uday Shankar Uday Shankar (8 December 1900 – 26 September 1977) was an Indian dancer and choreographer, best known for creating a fusion style of dance, adapting European theatrical techniques to Indian classical dance, imbued with elements of Indian cl ...

in the 1948 dance film Kalpana, which was showcased in the "Treasures from

National Film Archive of India The National Film Archive of India (NFAI) was established as a media unit of the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting in February 1964. It is was a member of the International Federation of Film Archives. In March 2022, it was merged wit ...

" at the

39th International Film Festival of India The 39th International Film Festival of India was held in Panaji, Goa from 22 November 2008 to 1 December 2008. Winners * Golden Peacock (Best Film): "Tulpan" by "Sergey Dvortsevoy" * Silver Peacock Special Jury Award: Malani Fonseka fo ...

. The 1960 film Nammina Bantu was a work of drama in the broader sense achieved by means of

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), lit ...

s who represented

mimesis Mimesis (; grc, μίμησις, ''mīmēsis'') is a term used in literary criticism and philosophy that carries a wide range of meanings, including '' imitatio'', imitation, nonsensuous similarity, receptivity, representation, mimicry, the a ...

throughout the narrative. The film was simultaneously shot in

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia ** Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, na ...

as '' Pattaliyin Vetri''. Upon release both versions received critical acclaim. The Telugu work was screened at the

San Sebastián International Film Festival The San Sebastián International Film Festival ( SSIFF; es, Festival Internacional de San Sebastián, eu, Donostia Zinemaldia) is an annual FIAPF A category film festival held in the Spanish city of Donostia-San Sebastián in September, in ...

. The film also won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Telugu for that year. The 1964 film Doctor Chakravarthy was adapted by Rao based on Koduri Kousalya Devi's Novel ''Chakrabhramanam''. The box office success was awarded the

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

, and the state Nandi Awards for that year. Rao's next work was

Mooga Manasulu ''Mooga Manasulu'' () is a 1964 Indian Telugu-language romantic drama film directed by Adurthi Subba Rao who co-wrote the film with Acharya Aatreya and Mullapudi Venkata Ramana. The film stars Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Savitri and Jamuna, with ...

based on the concept of

reincarnation Reincarnation, also known as rebirth or transmigration, is the philosophical or religious concept that the non-physical essence of a living being begins a new life in a different physical form or body after biological death. Resurrectio ...

, the first of its kind in Indian cinema in the genre of semi-

fiction Fiction is any creative work, chiefly any narrative work, portraying individuals, events, or places that are imaginary, or in ways that are imaginary. Fictional portrayals are thus inconsistent with history, fact, or plausibility. In a tradi ...

intended to be more serious in tone with elements that encourage a broader range of moods throughout the narrative. The film was remade 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 ...

as ''

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city ...

'' (1967) directed by Rao himself, while the

Praptham ''Praptham'' () is a 1971 Indian Tamil-language film, directed and produced by Savitri. The film stars Sivaji Ganesan and Savitri. It is a remake of the 1964 Telugu film ''Mooga Manasulu''. The film was released on 14 July 1971, and became a b ...

'' (1971) was adapted from Rao's work. The Telugu version received the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Telugu, and the

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 ...

in 1964 and was screened at the

Karlovy Vary International Film Festival The Karlovy Vary International Film Festival ( cs, Mezinárodní filmový festival Karlovy Vary) is a film festival held annually in July in Karlovy Vary, Czech Republic. The Karlovy Vary Festival is one of the oldest in the world and has becom ...

. In 1968, Rao experimented with

courtroom drama A legal drama is a genre of film and television that generally focuses on narratives regarding legal practice and the justice system. The American Film Institute (AFI) defines "courtroom drama" as a genre of film in which a system of justice pla ...

and

detective fiction Detective fiction is a subgenre of crime fiction and mystery fiction in which an investigator or a detective—whether professional, amateur or retired—investigates a crime, often murder. The detective genre began around the same time as sp ...

in his work

Sudigundalu ''Sudigundalu'' () is a 1968 Indian Telugu-language philosophical film, produced by Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Adurthi Subba Rao under the Chakravarthy Chitra banner and directed by Adurthi Subba Rao. It stars Akkineni Nageswara Rao, and has mus ...

, the film received special mention at the Tashkent and Moscow Film Festivals for its inherent " film with a key" narrative. The film has garnered the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Telugu, The Nandi Award for Best Feature Film, and the

Filmfare Award for Best Film - Telugu ''Filmfare'' is an Indian English-language fortnightly magazine published by Worldwide Media. Acknowledged as one of Indian most popular entertainment magazines, it publishes pieces involving news, interviews, photos, videos, reviews, events, an ...

for that year and was featured at the

International Film Festival of India The International Film Festival of India (IFFI), founded in 1952, is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia. Held annually, currently in the state of Goa, on the western coast of the country, the festival aims at providing a common p ...

Early life and career

He was born to Sathanna Panthulu and Rajalakshmamma on 16 December 1912. His father was the

Tehsildar In India and Pakistan, a Tehsildar or Mamlatdar is a tax officer accompanied by revenue inspectors. They are in charge of obtaining taxes from a tehsil with regard to land revenue. A tehsildar is also known as an executive magistrate of the relev ...

Rajahmundry Rajahmundry, officially known as Rajamahendravaram, is a city in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and District headquarters of East Godavari district. It is the sixth most populated city in the state. During British rule, the District of Ra ...

. Adurthi Subbarao completed school final (

Matriculation Matriculation is the formal process of entering a university, or of becoming eligible to enter by fulfilling certain academic requirements such as a matriculation examination. Australia In Australia, the term "matriculation" is seldom used now ...

) at the age of 14. He joined

Kakinada Kakinada ( formerly called Kakinandiwada, Coringa, and Cocanada; ) is the sixth largest city of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh and serves as the district headquarters of the Kakinada District. It lies on the coast of the Bay of Bengal. J. ...

PR College to do his Pre-University Course. He joined the

St. Xavier's College, Mumbai St. Xavier's College is a private, Catholic, autonomous higher education institution run by the Bombay Province of the Society of Jesus in Mumbai, Maharashtra, India. It was founded by the Jesuits on January 2, 1869. The college is aff ...

in a three-year course of

Photography Photography is the art, application, and practice of creating durable images by recording light, either electronically by means of an image sensor, or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film. It is emplo ...

, and completed two years. He then worked in the processing and printing department of Bombay Film Lab. Then he joined film editor Dina Narvekar as his assistant. He started his film career as a cinematographer, editor and screenwriter. His directorial journey started as an assistant director in

Bollywood Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" ...

, under

for his

Hindi film Hindi cinema, popularly known as Bollywood and formerly as Bombay cinema, refers to the film industry based in Mumbai, engaged in production of motion pictures in Hindi language. The popular term Bollywood, is a portmanteau of "Bombay" (fo ...

Kalpana. He has also worked as an editor and assistant director for the film. His debut film as an editor was Tamil film ''Parijatapaharanam''.

Mainstream

In 1957 Rao adapted Sharat Chandra Chatterjee's

Bengali Bengali or Bengalee, or Bengalese may refer to: *something of, from, or related to Bengal, a large region in South Asia * Bengalis, an ethnic and linguistic group of the region * Bengali language, the language they speak ** Bengali alphabet, the w ...

novel ''Nishkruti'', which was simultaneously shot in Telugu as '' Thodi Kodallu'', and

as ''

Engal Veettu Mahalakshmi ''Thodi Kodallu'' () is a 1957 Indian Telugu-language drama film directed and edited by Adurthi Subba Rao who co-wrote the script with D. Madhusudhana Rao and Acharya Aatreya. Madhusudhana Rao produced the film under Annapurna Pictures. It st ...

'' (1957); both movies were made simultaneously by the same banner and director, and some of the scenes and artists are the same in both versions. The film won the Certificate of merit for Best Feature Film in Telugu. In 1959 Rao directed

romantic drama Romance films or movies involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters. Typically their journey ...

Mangalya Balam, Rao adapted Mangalya Balam to the Telugu screen from the

work '' Agni Pariksha'', The Telugu version was simultaneously shot in

as '' Manjal Mahimai''; both versions became box office successes. The former winning the

, and the

Filmfare Award for Best Film – Telugu The Filmfare Award for Best Film – Telugu is given by the Filmfare magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards South for Telugu films. The award was first given in 1964 for films released around 1963. Here is a list of the award winners a ...

in 1960. In 1961, Rao directed

K. S. Gopalakrishnan K. S. Gopalakrishnan was an Indian screenwriter, director, producer, and lyricist, who worked in Tamil, Malayalam and Hindi films. Since the early 1960s, he directed 70 films. He spent most of his career directing and producing movies with soc ...

Kumudham ''Kumudham'' is a 1961 Indian Tamil-language film, directed by Adurthi Subba Rao and written by K. S. Gopalakrishnan. The film stars S. S. Rajendran, Vijayakumari and Sowcar Janaki. It was released on 29 July 1961 and became a commercial succ ...

; remade in Telugu as ''

Manchi Manasulu ''Manchi Manasulu'' () is a 1962 Indian Telugu-language drama film directed by Adurthi Subba Rao. It stars Akkineni Nageswara Rao and Savitri, with music composed by K. V. Mahadevan. The film was produced by C. Sundaram under the Babu Movies ...

'' (1962). Kumudham was released on 29 July 1961 with final reel length of and became a commercial success at box office. The film received Certificate of Merit for Third Best Feature Film at

9th National Film Awards The 9th National Film Awards, then known as State Awards for Films, presented by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India to felicitate the best of Indian Cinema released in 1961. The awards were announced on 5 April 1962 and were prese ...

. Rao scripted and directed the 1976

biographical film A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of a non-fictional or historically-based person or people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from docudra ...

; ''

Mahakavi Kshetrayya ''Mahakavi Kshetrayya'' is a 1976 Telugu-language biographical film, based on the life of Kshetrayya, produced by P. Adinarayana Rao under the Anjali Pictures banner and directed by Adurthi Subba Rao & C. S. Rao. It stars Akkineni Nageswara ...

'' based on the life of

Kshetrayya Kshetrayya ( Telugu:క్షేత్రయ్య) (–1680) was a prolific Telugu poet. He lived in the area of Andhra Pradesh in South India. He composed a number of ''padams'' and ''keertanas'', the prevalent formats of his time. He is c ...

, Rao had expired in the middle of the making of the film; and director '' C. S. Rao'' completed the rest of the shoot.

Mentor to K. Viswanath and Krishna

Rao's Biography has been published by veteran actor

Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is on ...

, who made his Telugu film debut under the direction of Subba Rao. Veteran director

K. Viswanath Kasinadhuni Viswanath (born 19 February 1930) is an Indian film director, screenwriter and actor, known for his works primarily in Telugu cinema. He is recipient of five National Film Awards, seven state Nandi Awards, ten Filmfare Awards South, ...

has worked as an associate director of Subba Rao for many years. The Telugu film chamber of commerce has instituted the ''Adurthi Subba Rao Award'' in his honor.Events – Adurthi Subbarao Awards Presented gallery clips actors actress stills images
/ref>

Filmography

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 ...

;

*''

'' - 1967 *'' Doctor Chakravarthy'' - 1964 *''

'' - 1963 *'' Nammina Bantu'' - 1960 *'' Mangalya Balam'' - 1959 *'' Thodi Kodallu'' (1957) ;

National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil The Indian Film Award for Best Feature Film in Tamil is one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India. It is one of several aw ...

*''

'' (1961) ; Nandi Awards *1964 - Nandi Award for Best Feature Film - '' Doctor Chakravarthy'' *1967 - Nandi Award for Best Feature Film - ''

'' *1976 - Nandi Award for Best Feature Film - ''

'' ;

Filmfare Awards South Filmfare Awards South is the South Indian segment of the annual Filmfare Awards, presented by the Filmfare magazine of The Times Group to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the Indian film industry encompassing ...

- ''

References

External links

* *
Adurthi Subba Rao
at
Adurthi Subba Rao
at

Kinopoisk Kinopoisk (russian: Кинопоиск, a portmanteau of "cinema" and "search") is a Russian online database of information related to films, TV shows including cast, production team, biographies, plot summaries, ratings, and reviews. Since 2018 ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:Rao, Adurthi Subba Telugu film directors Film producers from Andhra Pradesh Cinematographers from Andhra Pradesh Telugu film cinematographers St. Xavier's College, Mumbai alumni Telugu film producers Filmfare Awards South winners Nandi Award winners 1912 births 1975 deaths Writers from Rajahmundry Film directors from Andhra Pradesh 20th-century Indian film directors Hindi-language film directors Tamil film directors Telugu screenwriters Hindi screenwriters 20th-century Indian dramatists and playwrights Screenwriters from Andhra Pradesh 20th-century Indian screenwriters