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P Pullaiah Still

P Pullaiah (02-05-1911)

The great director and producer of early Telugu Cinema, P Pullaiah born at Nellore Town in Andhra Pradesh on 2nd May 1911. He married actress Santha Kumari. They floated Padmasri Pictures Banner and produced 8 Telugu films. He has the credit of directing the most popular Telugu Drama Kanyasulkam, written by Gurajada Appa Rao. He is responsible for making the great singer Ghantasala appear on screen in his film Sri Venkateswara Mahathyam with the song “Seshasaila Vasari venkatesa”. As director he has created the great musical hit Jayabheri. P Pullaiah remade the big Tamil hit Kadalikka Neramillai as Preminchi Choodu in Telugu with ANR, Jaggaiah, Relangi, Chalam, Rajasri and Kanchana in lead roles. If this news presenter is correct, Pullaiah is the first director to have opted Vishakapatnam to shoot (out door only) his film Pranamithrulu.

In recognition of his great service to Telugu film Industry, Andhra Pradesh Govt. honored him with the Prestegious Raghupathi Venkaiah Award in the year 1981. Pullaiah’s wife Santha Kumari was also honored with Raghupathi Venkaiah Award. Thus P Pullaiah and Santha Kumari are the only pair from Telugu film industry to have been honored with Raghupathi Venkaiah Award. Most of the films directed by P Pullaiah had success at box-office.

List of films (selected) by P Pullaiah As director:

  1. Harishchandra (1935)
  2. Sarangadhara (1937)
  3. Balaji (1939)
  4. Dharmapathni (1941)
  5. Premabandham (1941)
  6. Subhadra (1941)
  7. Bhagya Lakshmi (1943)
  8. Mayamaschindra (1945)
  9. Thirugubatu (1950)
  10. Dharmadevatha (1952)
  11. Rechukka (1954)
  12. Kanyasulkam (1955)
  13. Ardhangi (1955)
  14. Jayabheri (1959)
  15. Bandaramudu (1959)
  16. Sri Venkateswara Mahathyam (1960)
  17. Sirisampadalu (1962)
  18. Muralikrishna (1964)
  19. Preminvhi Choodu (1965)
  20. Pranamithrulu (1967)
  21. Alludu Menalludu (1970)
  22. Koduku Kodalu (1972)
  23. Andaru Bagundali (1975)

List of films as Producer:

  1. Dharmapathni (1941)
  2. Ardhangi (1955)
  3. Sri Venkateswara Mahathyam (1960)
  4. Sirisampadalu (1962)
  5. Preminchi Choodu (1965)
  6. Pranamithrulu (1967)
  7. Alludu Menalludu (1970)
  8. Koduku Kodalu (1972)

101st  birth anniversary of this great director and producer of early Telugu Cinema is on 2nd May 2012. Business of tollywood.com salutes at this great telugu film personality on  his birthday.