Vedantam Raghavaiah

Vedantam Raghavaiah (Telugu: వేదాంతం రాఘవయ్య) (1919–1971) was a veteran Telugu film actor, choreographer, director and producer.

Devadasu

He was the director and producer of the Telugu film Devdas (1953) with music by C.R. Subburaman. The hero of Raghavaiah's Devadas, Akkineni Nageshwara Rao, became an overnight star. Nageshwara Rao has gone on record to say that the director shot him only at night so that he could get a "natural" feel for the hero's drunken stupor.

Subburaman (1921–52) did not live long enough to see the film released. He was a partner of Vinoda Pictures which he had formed with writer Samudrala Raghavacharya and Raghavaiah.

Personal life

• He hailed from the village of Kuchipudi, and was an accomplished dancer. He first worked as a choreographer in films like Raitu Bidda, Vipranarayana, Swargaseema and Vande Mataram.
• He had six daughters and a son. Actress Shubha is his daughter.
• His wife Suryaprabha was an actress. Her sister Pushpavalli was a more popular actress who is married to Gemini Ganeshan. Their daughter Rekha is a Hindi actress.

Filmography

• Mohini Rugmangada (1937) (actor in the Balagopala Tarangam)
• Raitu Bidda (1939) (dancer and choreographer)
• Seeta Rama Jananam (1942) (choreographer)
• Panthulamma (1943) (choreographer)
• Garuda Garvabhangam (1943) (actor and choreographer)
• Swargaseema (1945) (choreographer)
• Tyagayya (1946) (choreographer)
• Palnati Yudham (1947) (choreographer)
• Yogi Vemana (1947) (choreographer)
• Vande Mataram (1948) (choreographer)
• Laila Majnu (1949) (choreographer)
• Raksharekha (1949) (actor and choreographer)
• Strisahasam (1951) (producer and director)
• Shanti (1952) (producer and director)
• Devdas (Telugu and Tamil) (1953) (producer and director)
• Annadata (1954) (director)
• Anarkali (1955) (director)
• Chiranjeevulu (1956) (director)
• Bhale Ramudu (Telugu, 1956) (director)
• Prema Pasam (Tamil, 1956) (director)
• Suvarna Sundari (1957) (screenplay writer and director)
• Bhale Ammayilu (Telugu, 1957) (director)
• Iru Sahodarigal (Tamil, 1957) (director)
• Manalane Mangayin Bhagyam (1957) (director)
• Raja Nandini (1958) (director)
• Intiguttu (1958) (director)
• Bala Nagamma (1959) (director)
• Jai Bhawana (1959) (director)
• Adutha Veetu Penn (1960) (director)
• Mamaku Tagga Alludu (1960) (director)
• Runanubandham (1960) (director)
• Swarnamanjari (1962) (director)
• Mangayir Ullam Mangada Selvam (1962) (director)
• Aadabrathuku (1965) (director)
• Nanna Kartavya (1965) (director)
• Sati Sakkubai (1965) (director)
• Rahasyam (1967) (director)
• Sati Sumati (1967) (director)
• Kumkumabharina (1968) (director)
• Sapta Swaralu (1969) (director)
• Ulagam Ivvalavuthan (1969) (director)
• Bhale Ethu Chivaraku Chittu (1970) (director)

External links

• Hindu article on Vedantam Raghavaiah
• Vedantam Raghavaiah in IMDB