Celebrating fifty-seven years of the first Telugu talkie cinema, ‘Bhakta Prahlada’, Vizag Film Society (VFS) is organising a three-day Telugu Festival starting February 5, 2025, in the Visakhapatnam Public Library.
Affiliated to the Federation of Film of Southern Region (FFSSR), the VFS has been promoting Telugu cinemas through its film-screening initiatives.
The three-day festival, starting today, will be conducted in the air-conditioned hall in the Public Library from 5:30 to 9 pm.
During these three-day screenings, three much-acclaimed movies – Nandmuri Taraka Rama Rao’s ‘Rythu Bidda, a sharp critique on feudal exploitation, ‘Oka Oori Katha’, and Keervani’s one of the best musicals ‘Naa Autograph’ are going to be screened.
The entries for the movie are free of cost and for more details about this Visakhapatnam film festival, contact Narava Prakasa Rao, Secretary of VFS at 9032477463.
First Film Studio in Andhra Pradesh
As we mark 57 years of Bhakta Prahlada, let’s see Visakhapatnam’s role in shaping the Telugu cinema. Visakhapatnam has a long history in the Tollywood industry, it is said that the first film production studio in Andhra Pradesh “Andhra Cinetone” was established in Visakhapatnam in the year 1936.
Before Andhra Cinetone, there was a film studio in Madras called Glass Studio which was founded by Raghupathi Venkayya. However, Andhra Cinetone paved the path for Telugu cinema to grow independently from Tamil cinema. The studio was established by Gottumukkula Jagannadha Raju who is also known for introducing digital theatre sound with the film Jagadamba.
Andhra Cinetone produced two notable talkies Bhakta Jayadev and Pushpatastram. Interestingly, the location of Andhra Cinetone studio in Seethammadhara later housed the office of Eenadu, a Telugu newspaper daily founded by Media Moghul Ramoji Rao.
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