C. Pullaiah

C. Pullaiah Biography

C. Pullaiah was a legendary filmmaker associated with Telugu cinema who lived during the period, 1898 – 6 October 1967. As a filmmaker he is best known for the iconic film, Lava Kusa (1963), based on an episode of Hindu epic, Ramayana. It received National award for best regional film in Telugu. He can be called as the father of theatre movement in Andhra Pradesh. He also moved to Mumbai in the 1920s to study more about films and also appeared in bit roles in silent films made in the 1920s. Noted filmmaker C. S. Rao was his son, and Pullaiah’s wife’s name was Rajasulochana. East India Film Company's first Indian film Sati Savitri was directed by him, and it was shown at Venice Film Festival, where it was honoured with a diploma.

Chittajallu Pullayya, also known as C. Pullayya was born in the year 1898 in Kakinada of Andhra Pradesh. He is best known for spearheading theatre movement in undivided Andhra Pradesh, a space for exhibiting movies. To learn more about filmmaking he moved to Mumbai in 1920s, then known as Bombay in British India, where he worked for some years. He worked in various departments of filmmaking and also played bit roles in silent films. He worked as his assistant for the silent film, Bhishma Pratigjna, under R.S. Prakash, the illustrious son of Raghupathi Venkayya Naidu. After learning about the art of filmmaking he returned to his hometown. By that time he bought a camera and other equipment needed for filmmaking.

He made a silent film Markandeya. Later he realized that there is no theatre to show his film. For this purpose he built a tent, and this tent theatre was named as ‘City Electric Cinema'. It showed movies to local people. He then took the projector and chairs to various towns and exhibited his film, thus pioneering a theatre movement in Andhra Pradesh. With the advent of talkies, he joined East India Film Company. East India Film Company's first Indian film Sati Savitri was directed by him. Pakkinti Ammayi, Vara Vikrayam, and Maalati Madhavam are some of the movies he directed under the East India Film Company. He passed away on 6 October 1967.

Published: February 26, 2019

Updated: February 26, 2019