H. M. Reddy

Hanumappa Muniappa Reddy Hanumappa Muniappa Reddy(12 June 1892 – 14 January >> Read More... , known as H. M. Reddy, was an Indian film director and producer who predominantly worked in Telugu films. He was born on 12 June 1892 in Andhra Pradesh, India. He studied in Bangalore, where he worked as a police inspector. Later he quit the force as he did not want to work for the British and went to Mumbai to learn about the film industry, which was his area of interest, and also worked as a reflector boy in a studio. He started as an assistant director for Ardeshir Irani Khan Bahadur Ardeshir Irani, popularly known as Ar >> Read More... , director of “Alam Ara,” India’s first talkie movie released in 1931.

In 1931, he directed the first Indian multilingual sound film, Kalidasa, in both Tamil and Telugu languages simultaneously. He then produced and directed the first full-length Telugu sound film, Bhakta Prahlada, in 1932. During his career, he has directed 17 films and produced five films, of which four films were made under his banner, Rohini Pictures. He died on 14 January 1960, aged 67, in Chennai. He is known as the “Father of South Indian Cinema.”