Raghupathi Venkaiah Naidu

Raghupathi Venkaiah Naidu (15 October 1887 – 15 March 1941), known widely as the father of Telugu cinema, was an Indian artiste and film maker. Naidu was a pioneer in the production of silent Indian films and talkies. Starting in 1909, he was involved in many aspects of Indian cinema's history, like travelling to different regions in Asia to promote film work. He was the first to build and own cinema halls in Madras. The Raghupati Venkaiah Award is an annual award incorporated into Nandi Awards to recognize people for their contributions to the Telugu film industry.