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Chittoor Nagayya
Born	Vuppaladadiyam Nagayya Sarma (1904-03-28)28 March 1904 Repalle, Madras Presidency, British India (present-day Andhra Pradesh, India)
Died	30 December 1973(1973-12-30) (aged 69)
Occupation(s)	Actor, composer, director, producer, writer and playback singer
Years active	1938–1973
Awards	Padma Shri (1965)

Vuppaladadiyam Nagayya Sarma (28 March 1904 – 30 December 1973), popularly known as Chittoor Nagayya, was an Indian actor, singer, music composer, and director known for his works in Telugu cinema, Tamil cinema, and Telugu theatre. Nagayya was one of the first multilingual filmmakers in India. Indian film journalist Baburao Patel described Nagayya as "The Paul Muni of India". Nagayya was considered the best character actor in South Indian cinema during 1940s and 1950s. In 1965, he became the first South Indian actor to receive the Padma Shri in Arts from the Government of India for his contributions to Indian cinema.

Brought up in Chittoor, Nagayya was closely connected to Rama Vilasa Sabha, a Telugu theatre association in the city. He made his film debut in Gruhalakshmi (1938). He worked in several films of Vauhini Pictures such as Vande Mataram (1939), Sumangali (1940), Devata (1941), Swarga Seema (1945), and Beedhalapatlu (1947). Nagayya was also the protagonist in Viswa Mohini (1940), the first film on the Indian motion picture world.

Nagayya made significant contributions to Telugu cinema, and starred in about two hundred Telugu films. He was a method actor, and his forte was usually playing intense characters, often immersing himself in the study of the real character's traits and mannerisms. His other prominent film roles include the 14th-century poet Pothana in Bhakta Potana (1942), 17th-century saint Tyagaraja in Thyagayya (1946), 12th-century saint Gora Kumbhar in Chakradhari (1948), and Sivaram in the social problem film Naa Illu (1953).

In 1964, Nagayya essayed the 17th-century saint Bhadrachala Ramadasu in the film Ramadasu which he had also co-written, directed and produced. The film won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Telugu. Nagayya also starred in about one hundred and sixty films in Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, and Hindi. In his honour, the Chittoor Nagayya Kalakshetram of Arts was established in Chittoor of Andhra Pradesh.

Early life

Nagayya was born on 28 March 1904 in a Telugu family in a tiny hamlet near Repalle, Guntur district, Andhra Pradesh. His parents were Ramalinga Sarma and Venkata Lakshmamba. His maternal grandmother adopted him and took him to her native village, Gonugur, near Kuppam and later to Chittoor. He took up studies with a scholarship provided by the Tirupati Devasthanam and took his degree in Chittoor.

After working as a clerk in a government office, Nagayya became a journalist with Andhra Patrika. Mahatma Gandhi and Nehru influenced him and he participated in the freedom struggle (Dandi Satyagraha) in 1930, later going on to work for some gramophone companies including Hutchins as well as attending the Gowhati Congress conclave with S. Srinivasa Iyyengar. He was married to Jaya Lakshmi, but she died giving birth to a daughter a year after. He then married Girija, and she too died due to miscarriage in the eighth month. His first daughter died of an undiagnosed illness. He then participated in long stays at Ramana Maharshi Ashram. He had family in Tirupati who are his brother's (Vuppaladadiyam Subrahmanya Sarma) son, Vuppaladadiyam S. Haragopal and daughters (Late Amruthavalli and Late Kusuma), Lakshmi Narasimha and their children, Vuppaladadiyam Shyam Sundar and Vuppaladadiyam Pavan Kumar.

Accolades

Civilian Awards

• Padmashri, Government of India in 1965

National honors

• Abinava Thyagaraju by the Maharaja of Travancore

National Film Awards

• National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Telugu (director) – 1964 for Ramadasu

State Awards

• Best Actor Award by the Andhra Film Journalists Association
• Felicitated by a life size statue in Panagal Park, Chennai at his demise.

Selected filmography

Actor

Composer and play back singer

Playback singer

• Ramadasu (1964)
• Tenali Raman
• Gumasta (1953/II) (playback singer and composer)
• Naa Illu (1953) (playback singer and composer)
• Yogi Vemana (1947) (playback singer and composer)
• Thyagayya (1946) (playback singer and composer)
• Swargaseema (1945) (playback singer and composer)
• Bhakta Potana (1942) (playback singer and composer)
• Devatha (1941) (playback singer and composer)
• Sumangali (1940) (playback singer and composer)
• Viswa Mohini (1940) (playback singer)
• Vande Mataram (1939) (playback singer and composer)
• Gruhalakshmi (1938) (playback singer)

Director (partial filmography)

• Ramadasu (Telugu, 1964)
• En Veedu (Tamil, 1953)
• Naa Illu (Telugu, 1953)
• Thyagayya (Telugu, 1946)

Producer (partial filmography)

• Naa Illu (1953)

Writer (partial filmography)

• Thyagayya (1946)

References

1. "Nagaiah — noble, humble and kind-hearted". 8 April 2005.
2. ^ Muthiah, S. (23 May 2010). "Madras miscellany". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 7 August 2022.
3. "Paul Muni of India – Chittoor V.Nagayya". Bharatjanani.com. 6 May 2011. Archived from the original on 26 March 2012. Retrieved 21 September 2011.
4. "Acting Mentor". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 27 March 2016. Retrieved 21 October 2014.
5. ^ Autobiography – Chittor V. Nagaiah, RK Books, Hyderabad, 2004.
6. Amazon / Books / Indian actor Chittoor V. Nagaiah: A Monograph, by K. N. T. Sastry (Author)
7. "A revolutionary filmmaker". The Hindu. 22 August 2003. Archived from the original on 17 January 2004. Retrieved 23 April 2023.
8. ^ "Chittoor Nagaiah statue to be installed in Tirupati". The Hindu. 18 July 2006.
9. "Chittoor Nagaiah statue to be installed in Tirupati". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 18 July 2006. Archived from the original on 5 August 2011.
10. Umashanker, K. (9 September 2014). "Mahati Kalakshetram to retain Chittoor Nagaiah's name". The Hindu.
11. "Chittoor V. Nagaiah – A Monograph". Archived from the original on 1 January 2019. Retrieved 20 April 2013.
12. "Nagaiah – noble, humble and kind-hearted". The Hindu. Chennai, India. 8 April 2005. Archived from the original on 25 November 2005.
13. Chittoor V. Nagaiah: A Monograph
14. "Srimathi (1966)". Indiancine.ma. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
15. "Pattukunte Padivelu (1967)". Indiancine.ma. Retrieved 14 December 2023.
16. "Veeranjaneya (1968)". Indiancine.ma. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
17. "Sri Rama Katha (1969)". Indiancine.ma. Retrieved 18 February 2024.
18. "Jarigina Katha (1969)". Indiancine.ma. Retrieved 5 October 2023.
19. "Muhurtha Balam Cast and Crew".
20. "Amma Kosam (1970)". Indiancine.ma. Retrieved 4 October 2023.
21. "Vidhi Vilasam (1970)". Indiancine.ma. Retrieved 11 January 2024.
22. "Anuradha Movie (1971)".
23. Rowdeelaku Rowdeelu Telugu Full Movie | Ramakrishna | Vijayalalitha | Sridhar | TVNXT Telugu, retrieved 8 May 2023
24. "Vintha Samsaram on Moviebuff.com". Moviebuff.com. Retrieved 14 April 2024.
25. "Nijam Nirupistha (1972)". Indiancine.ma. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
26. "Uttama Illalu (1974)". Indiancine.ma. Retrieved 27 January 2024.
27. "Mallela Manasulu on Moviebuff.com". Moviebuff.com. Retrieved 30 January 2024.

External links

• V. Nagayya at IMDb

• 1904 births
• 1973 deaths
• 20th-century Indian composers
• 20th-century Indian male actors
• 20th-century Indian male singers
• 20th-century Indian screenwriters
• 20th-century Indian singers
• Film directors from Andhra Pradesh
• Film musicians from Andhra Pradesh
• Film producers from Andhra Pradesh
• Indian arts administrators
• Indian male film actors
• Indian male stage actors
• Indian theatre directors
• Male actors in Hindi cinema
• Male actors in Kannada cinema
• Male actors in Tamil cinema
• Male actors in Telugu cinema
• Indian male film score composers
• People from Chittoor district
• People from Guntur district
• Recipients of the Padma Shri in arts
• Screenwriters from Andhra Pradesh
• Singers from Andhra Pradesh
• Telugu film directors
• Telugu film producers
• Telugu film score composers
• Telugu male actors
• Telugu playback singers