Aacharya Aatreya

Aacharya Aatreya Biography

Dr. Aacharya Aatreya was a legendary playwright associated with Telugu literature in the 20^th century. He is the author of the famous play, Kanyasulkam, based on the social evil Kanyasulkam existed in Telugu culture during British rule. The play was written under the request of British to create social awareness among people and eradicate this evil. Noted actor J. V. Ramana Murthi played the pivot role in this social play. A doyen of theater, he introduced many techniques to theatre which were followed by many artists later. He was also a lyricist and story writer in Telugu Cinema. For his outstanding contributions to Telugu literature he was awarded an Honorary Doctorate Degree by Dr. B.R. Ambedkar Open University of Hyderabad.

His full name is Kilambi Venkata Narasimhacharyulu, born on 7 May 1921 in Nellore district, Andhra Pradesh. His pen name is based on their family Gothra. As a theater personality, his works even impressed British then, who used this artist to write social relevant subjects to be staged. ‘N.G.O’ – one of his famous plays revolutionized Telugu theater. Most of his plays were written on the subjects of social reforms, peace etc. He was one of the pioneers of Telugu drama in the pre-independent period, also known by the name ‘Rangastalam’.

He authored 10 Natakams (plays) and 15 Natikas. His famous play, Viswa Shanti was written soon after bomb blast at Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War Second. The play was written on the theme, Universal peace. 1950 movie Deeksha marked his film career as a lyricist. Poraa Baabu Po was his first film song, composed by Pendyala Nageswara Rao and sung by M. S. Rama Rao. Since then he was associated with Telugu cinema as a lyricist till late 1980s. He was active in writing till he died on 13 September 1989 in Chennai. He was fondly called ‘Manasu Kavi'.

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Updated: March 06, 2016