| L. V. Prasad | |
|---|---|
| Born | Akkineni Lakshmi Vara Prasada Rao 17 January 1908 Somavarapadu,Elur,West Godavari Andhra Pradesh, India |
| Died | 22 June 1994 (aged 86) |
| Occupation | Actor, Director, Producer |
| Years active | 1930-1990 |
| Spouse | Soundarya Manoharamma |
Akkineni Lakshmi Vara Prasada Rao (Telugu: అక్కినేని లక్ష్మీవరప్రసాదరావు) (17 January 1908 – 22 June 1994), more popularly known as L. V. Prasad was an Indian film producer and actor. He was a recipient of the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award for lifetime contribution to cinema from the Government of India for the year 1982. The L V Prasad Eye Institute, Prasads IMAX in Hyderabad, are a part of L. V. Prasad group.
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Lakshmi Varaprasada Rao was born on 17 January in the year 1908 as the second son to Akkineni Sriramulu and Basavamma in a remote village, Somavarapadu, in Eluru Taluk in the State of Andhra Pradesh, India. Born into an agricultural family Prasad was a pampered child, very intelligent but never interested in studies.
Prasad was drawn by the drums of the touring theatres and drama troupes. Old and worn out film prints used to be shown in ramshackle tents and Prasad used to regularly rush to watch them. He also used to do small roles in the local dramas regularly. This was the passion that drove his life – the passion for acting and the moving image.
At the age of 17, in the year 1924, he got married to his maternal uncle’s daughter Soundarya Manoharamma. Soon they had a baby girl. Prasad’s father was finding the going tough due to mounting debts and was forced to declare insolvency, at which point Prasad looked to a cinema career.
Prasad looked to work at Kohinoor Studios in Dadar, but he spoke neither Hindi nor English and was aware that this would be an obstacle. He obtained temporary work as a cleaner in a tailor's shop, which provided him with accommodation.
Subsequently he worked as an errand boy for Venus Film Company, a business that in fact neither produced any films nor paid him. However, he did meet someone who was able to find him work promoting a carnival, enticing people to visit the exhibition. He then joined India Pictures as an errand boy where [[Akthar Nawaz]] cast him in a bit-part role in the silent film Star of the East. The film was never released. Moti, the sister of Dharilal, his acquaintance from Venus Film Company, then obtained a small role for him in India's first "talkie", Alam Ara. This was released in 1931. Other minor roles followed. These films were made by Imperial Films, through which he met H. M. Reddy. Reddy gave Prasad a small role in Kalidas, the first Tamil "talkie", and subsequently in Baktha Prahlada, the first Telugu "talkie". It was around this time that Prasad made contact with his family and then returned home to visit them. He discovered that his daughter had died and then returned to Bombay with his wife, where his sons, Anand and Ramesh, were born.
Prasad by chance got a role as an assistant director in Kamar-Al–Zaman, directed by Ali Shah. This was also the time that his name was shortened from Akkineni Lakshmi Varaprasad Rao to L. V. Prasad, this being a consequence of a clerk finding the name too long to use. The shortened name stuck with him thereafter.
Prasad was left jobless when Imperial had to retrench. Feeling that he had achieved little in the eight years since first leaving home, he took himself and his family back there with the intention of raising funds to start his own production company. This did not work out but he did get an offer from Reddy to act in the Rohini Pictures production, Grihalakshmi. He left for Madras and life changed: he made an impact in Reddy’s Tenali Ramakrishna and Gharana Dhonga. However, the Second World War was at its peak, the Japanese bombed Madras and Reddy left for Pune, causing Prasad to return once more to his native place. He was deeply depressed now since he found himself a misfit for any job other than cinema.
Tantra Subrahmanyam assigned him a job of a production supervisor and assistant director for the film Kashta Jeevi which took him to Bombay again. The film was abandoned after shooting three reels. Prasad was in no mood to leave now and he got a job as assistant director in a few other films. During this time using his connections with Prithviraj Kapoor he joined Prithvi Theatres and satisfied his acting passion. It was during this time that he met Raj Kapoor, the hero of his first Hindi production Sharada. Though L.V.Prasad was now comfortable the yearning to achieve greater heights made him restless.
In 1943 he got the opportunity to take on the responsibility of assistant director for Gruha Pravesham. Due to circumstances he became the director of the film and then he was also chosen as the hero of the film! Gruha Pravesham, released in 1946 was one of the finest films of the forties and went on to become a classic of the period. After this K. S. Prakasha Rao offered Prasad an important role in Drohi. During this time Ramabrahmam was facing difficulty in finishing his film ‘Palnatti Yuddham’ due to ill health and he chose Prasad to do justice to this film. After this in 1949, Prasad directed Mana Desam and introduced N.T.Rama Rao, later to become a legend in Telugu cinema, in a minor role.
In 1950 Vijaya Pictures released their first film ‘Shavukaru’ establishing L.V.Prasad as a great director. N.T.Rama Rao became a hero in Shavukkaru and Janaki the heroine, climbed to fame to become known as ‘Shavukar Janaki’. Samsaram released in the same year brought together the two legends of the Telugu film industry as brothers – N.T.Rama Rao and A. Nageswara Rao in a social drama which created records wherever it was released. The film provided a model for later film makers, a model and theme relevant and popular amongst film makers even today. After this success chased him. He directed some memorable films in the fifties all of them known for their drama and fine humour. Rani a Hindi film took him to Bombay again and after that Jupiter Films engaged L.V.Prasad to direct their Magnum Opus Manohara starring the legendary Shivaji Ganesan in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi. This film elevated Shivaji Ganesan to the greatest heights of stardom.
In the mid fifties the industrialist in L.V.Prasad came into being and he purchased a plot offered by Ranganadha Das to start building his own studio. The combined pressure of building the studio and directing films started telling on his health and in 1955 he suffered from a bout of sciatica. Though he recovered sufficiently, his decision to return immediately to his duties, against the doctor’s advice, resulted in prolonged treatment and diet restrictions till the end.
But L.V.Prasad had more goals to achieve. In 1955 he assigned D. Yoganand to direct his first production ‘Ilavelpu’ in Telugu under the banner Lakshmi Productions. L.V.Prasad established Prasad Productions soon after this in 1956. His second son Ramesh returned from the United States after obtaining his B.E.M.S degree and established Prasad Film Labs in Chennai in 1974. Prasad Productions made many memorable box office hits including Milan, Khilona, Sasural and Ek Duje Ke Liye. L.V.Prasad contributed generously towards the establishment of L.V.Prasad Eye Institute in Hyderabad, which is today, one the foremost eye research institutes in the world. The efforts started by him in 1956 is today one of the largest infrastructure for feature film post production in India with facilities and offices in India, Singapore, Dubai and Hollywood.
During his lifetime L.V.Prasad held many posts and won many awards. In 1982 came the crowning glory of his lifetime – the Dada Saheb Phalke award from the Government of India, the highest recognition in Filmdom in India.
Star of the east (Silent) - Incomplete
1931 : Alam Ara - First Hindi Talkie
1931 : Kalidas - First Tamil Talkie
1931 : Bhakta Prahlada - First Telugu Talkie
1933 : Sita Swayamvar (Hindi)
1940 : Bondam Pelli (Telugu)
1940 : Barrister Parvatishan
1940 : Chaduvukunna Bharya (Telugu)
1982 : Raaja Parvai (Tamil)
1941 : Tenali Ramakrishna
1942 : Gharana Dhonga (Telugu)
1938 : Stree (Hindi)
1931 : Kamar-Al-Zaman (Silent)
1941 : Darpan (Hindi)
1943 : Dawal (Hindi)
1944 : Lady Doctor (Hindi)
1946 : Gruha Pravesham (Telugu)
1947 : Palnati Yudham (Telugu)
1948 : Drohi (Telugu)
1953 : Pempudu Koduku (Telugu)
Kashta Jeevi (Telugu) - Abandoned
1949 : Manadesam (Telugu)
1950 : Shavukar (Telugu)
1950 : Samsaram (Telugu)
1952 : Kalyanam Panni Paar (Tamil)
1952 : Rani (Tamil- Hindi)
1952 : Pelli Chesi Choodu (Telugu)
1953 : Paradesi (Telugu)
1953 : Poongothai (Tamil)
1954 : Manohara (Telugu. Tamil & Hindi)
1955 : Missamma (Telugu)
1955 : Missiamma (Tamil)
1955 : Mangayar Thilagam (Tamil)
1957 : Bhagyavati (Tamil)
1957 : Miss Mary (Hindi)
1958 : Kadan Vaangi Kalyanam (Tamil)
1958 : Appu Chesi Pappu Koodu (Telugu)
1961 : Thayilla Pillai (Tamil)
1963 : Iruvar Ullam (Tamil)
1957 : Sharada (Hindi)
1959 : Chhoti Bahen (Hindi)
1964 : Beti Bete (Hindi)
1966 : Daadi Maa (Hindi)
1969 : Jeene Ki Raah (Hindi)
1972 : Shaadi Ke Baad (Hindi)
1974 : Bidaai (Hindi)
1977 : Jay Vijay (Hindi)
1956 : Ilavelpu (Telugu)
1965 : Illalu (Telugu)
1961 : Sasural (Hindi)
1963 : Ham Rahi (Hindi)
1967 : Milan (Hindi)
1968 : Raja Aur Runk (Hindi)
1970 : Khilona (Hindi)
1976 : Udhar Ka Sindhur (Hindi)
1965 : Idaya Kamalam (Tamil)
1975 : Piriya Vidai (Tamil)
Thande Makkalu (Telugu)
Mane Belagida Sose (Kannada)
1980 : Yeh Kaisa Insaaf (Hindi)
1981 : Ek Duje Ke Liye (Hindi)
1985 : Mera Ghar Mere Bacche (Hindi)
1986 : Swaati (Hindi)
1990 : Bidaai ( Bengali)
1993 : Ardhana (Malayalam)
1994 : Nagpachami (Bengali)
1994 : Sandhyadhara (Bengali)
1996 : Mayer Katha (Bengali)
1996 : Sunapua (Oriya)
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