RaghupathiVenkayya naidu (15 October 1887 – 15 March 1941) considered the father of Telugu cinema hailed from this town.He was an Indian artiste and filmmaker,who 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. Raghupati Venkaiah Naidu’s name shall remain forever in the annals of southern cinema history and his name shall be the first page anyone comes across while discussing the origin of southern cinema.
