Bellary Raghava Biography 
Bellary Raghava was an Indian writer, theatre personality and actor belong to Telugu entertainment world. He authored numerous plays and also remained a popular stage actor. He acted in early Telugu talkies - Raithu Bidda (1939) and Chandika (1940), and his works received acclaim. He also played Duryodhana in H. M. Reddy's Draupadi Maanasamrakshanam in 1936. He died in 1946 at the age of 65, and Ballari Raghava Puraskaram award was instituted in his memory, which promotes artists for their contributions towards theatre and cinema.
Tadipatri Raghavacharylu, best known as Bellary Raghava was born on 2 August 1880 in Anantapuram, Andhra Pradesh. He studied at Bellary High School and at Christian College, Madras. He also completed his law studies. Since young he was inclined towards acting and plays. At the age of 12 he founded Shakespeare Club in Bellary, where he staged many Shakespeare plays. During his youth days, he joined Sreenivasarao Kolachalam's group "Sumanohara" in Bangalore, where he turned a stage actor playing lead roles. In 1909 he founded the Amateur Dramatic Association of Bangalore, and then began a new innings of Raghava’s career.
He wrote many plays and successfully staged them also. Some of his notable theatre works include Saripadani sangatulu, Savitri, Brihannala, Padukapattabhishekamu, Tappevaridi, Harischandra, Ramaraju charitra, Ramadasu etc. He also visited many countries where he delivered speeches and lectures on Indian art. As an actor he was known for his natural style of acting, and he also appeared in a few Telugu movies in the late 1930s. Though his films were well-received, he preferred to concentrate on to his theatre career. He also supported women artists performing on stage. During his lifetime this legendary theatre personality made great efforts to help Bellary win international theatrical acclaim.
Published: March 01, 2019
Updated: March 01, 2019
