Paying a tribute to Bapu, great Indian film director, music artist, painter, illustrator, cartoonist, and designer. He was awarded the Padma Shri, for his contribution to Indian art and cinema. He has won two National Film Awards, five Andhra Pradesh state Awards.
Bapu's directorial venture saakshi was showcased at Tashkent film festival in 1968. SeetaKalyanam was screened at the BFI London Film Festival and Chicago International Film Festival in 1978. Tyagayya (1981 film) was showcased at the Indian Panorama of International Film Festival of India in 1982. He has also directed Bollywood films like Hum Paanch, Seeta Swayamvar, Anokha Bhakt, Bezubaan, Woh Saat Din, Pyari Behna, Mohobbat, Mera Dharam, Diljala and Prem Pratigya.
Bapu met Mullapudi Venkataramana in 1942 in P.S. High School, Madras. They studied there in standards V and VI and then continued schooling at Kesari High School.Ramana’s first short story 'Amma Maata Vinakapothe' was published in 1945 in 'Bala', a children's magazine published by Radio Annayya (Nyayapathi Raghava Rao),he was 14 then. Bapu illustrated the story. That was the beginning of their career as a writer-producer -illustrator- filmmaker duo”. Started as an illustrator-story writer team and then turning into a film-director-writer duo, they have contributed immensely to the enrichment of Telugu cultural ethos through literature and cinema. When one mentions Bapu, then one is bound to mention Ramana's name too and vice versa. The most notable achievement in his movie making is his success in capturing the nativity of Telugu people and translating it great on-screen visuals. When ever the renowned duo of Bapu and Ramana come together for a project, viewers expect a spectacular visual of nativity with an equally enthralling storyline. Their mythological ventures like Sampoorna Ramayanam, Ramanjaneya Yuddham and Seeta Kalyanam have been the milestones of Telugu cinema, while historical films like Thyagayya, Bhakta Kannappa and Sree natha kavisarvabhouma have been hugely successful. Bapu-Ramana combination has created movie magic on the large screen with some of the path breaking films in Telugu cinema and are ever remembered for films like Radha kalyanam, Velugu needalu, Bharyabharthalu, Bhogimanta, Mutyala muggu, 'Sakshi, Mr. Pellam', Pelli pustakam and Manavoori Pandavulu which popularised actors of those days like Krishna, Krishnam Raju, Chiranjeevi and Ravu Gopalarao.
Today we screen a film made by Saichand Tripuraneni on this versatile Director.
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