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Bapu (artist)
Encyclopedia
Bapu is an Indian film director, known for his works in Telugu cinema
.
He is a music artist
, painter
, cartoonist
, and designer
. He has directed the 1976 Telugu film, Seetha Kalyanam which was screened at the BFI London Film Festival and Chicago International Film Festival
in 1978.
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. He has also directed a Tamil film Neeti Devan Mayagugiran.
, West Godavari district, Andhra Pradesh
, India
in a Niyogi
family. He was graduated with a degree in Law from the University of Madras
in 1955. He worked as a political cartoonist for the newspaper Andhra Patrika in 1955.
His paintings focus on Hindu mythological
characters, and he has painted the Hindu epic Ramayana
as a pictorial story
. His character portrayals, such as Shiva
, Bhima
, Duryodhana
, look distinctly male with wide chests, large jaws and large biceps; while Krishna
and Rama
are more feminine in build. All his female characters have doe eyes, a waist-hip ratio of 0.7
, voluptuous breasts, long hair and a sharp nose. The phrase Bapu Bomma ("Bapu's painting") has become synonymous with a beautiful Telugu
girl. Another character called Rendu Jadala Seetha ("Seetha with two plaits") became a synonym
for any girl wearing her hair in two plaits.
Bapu has also introduced a new style of cursive writing in Telugu. The font is his own handwriting and reflects the same simplicity as his art.
Bapu paintings also decorated the cover pages of many magazines in India and Abroad. Telugu Naadi Magazine published from USA for Telugu audience have published Bapu's great paintings. Bapu also later served on their advisory board to guide and have an outstanding content for the magazine that catered to Telugu people.
Most of his movies have a female protagonist
; a breakaway style from the formulaic movies that relegate female lead characters to song and dance numbers. His penchant for preserving the Telugu nativity in his movies can be seen in the choice of artists, especially the dusky female leads and weak villains.
and drew 101 pictures for each of the stories in Amaravati Kathalu
.
Bapu is one-half of the Bapu-Ramana (Mullapudi Venkata Ramana
) pair that made movies in Telugu cinema. Ramana provided an able foil, providing script and dialogue to suit Bapu's visuals.
Bapu collaborated with Ramana to give life to Ramana's character Budugu
in the form of pictures.
Through his movies he brought to focus renowned artists such as Ravu Gopal Rao, Rajendra Prasad and Aamani.
Filmfare Awards South
Other Honours
కొంటె బొమ్మల బాపు KonTe Bommala Bapu,
కొన్ని తరముల సేపు Konni Tharamula Sepu,
గుండె ఊయలలూపు Gunde OOyala-loopu,
ఓ కూనలమ్మ O Koonalammaa.
Telugu cinema
The Cinema of Andhra Pradesh, also referred to as Telugu Cinema or Tollywood, is the Telugu film industry in India. The Telugu language film industry is known for being one of the three largest in terms of no.of films produced yearly in India. The Prasads IMAX theatre in Hyderabad is one of the...
.
He is a music artist
Artist
An artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
, painter
Painting
Painting is the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a surface . The application of the medium is commonly applied to the base with a brush but other objects can be used. In art, the term painting describes both the act and the result of the action. However, painting is...
, cartoonist
Cartoonist
A cartoonist is a person who specializes in drawing cartoons. This work is usually humorous, mainly created for entertainment, political commentary or advertising...
, and designer
Designer
A designer is a person who designs. More formally, a designer is an agent that "specifies the structural properties of a design object". In practice, anyone who creates tangible or intangible objects, such as consumer products, processes, laws, games and graphics, is referred to as a...
. He has directed the 1976 Telugu film, Seetha Kalyanam which was screened at the BFI London Film Festival and Chicago International Film Festival
Chicago International Film Festival
The Chicago International Film Festival is an annual film festival held every fall. Founded in 1964, it is the longest-running competitive film festival in North America....
in 1978.
He has also directed Bollywood
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
films like Hum Paanch
Hum Paanch
Hum Paanch was an Indian sitcom. It was first aired in 1995. It ran for few years before it went off-the-air. It returned for a second season in 2005 and was taken off-the-air again in mid 2006...
, Seeta Swayamvar, Anokha Bhakt, Bezubaan, Woh Saat Din, Pyari Behna, Mohobbat, Mera Dharam, Diljala and Prem Pratigya. He has also directed a Tamil film Neeti Devan Mayagugiran.
Early life and background
Bapu was born in NarsapurNarsapur, West Godavari
Narsapur is a town, Mandal and a municipality in West Godavari district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Its geographical coordinates are 16° 27' 0" north, 81° 40' 0" east. Some say there are other narasapurams in Krishna and Medak districts....
, West Godavari district, Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh
Andhra Pradesh , is one of the 28 states of India, situated on the southeastern coast of India. It is India's fourth largest state by area and fifth largest by population. Its capital and largest city by population is Hyderabad.The total GDP of Andhra Pradesh is $100 billion and is ranked third...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
in a Niyogi
Niyogi
Niyogis are a sect of Hindu Brahmins who gave up priestly occupations and are predominantly Telugu language speakers, from Andhra Pradesh, India.-Theories of origin:...
family. He was graduated with a degree in Law from the University of Madras
University of Madras
The University of Madras is a public research university in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is one of the three oldest universities in India...
in 1955. He worked as a political cartoonist for the newspaper Andhra Patrika in 1955.
Painting
Bapu introduced a painting style of simple bright colors. His unique style consisted of economy of strokes, freehand drawing and a lack of background clutter.His paintings focus on Hindu mythological
Hindu mythology
Hindu religious literature is the large body of traditional narratives related to Hinduism, notably as contained in Sanskrit literature, such as the Sanskrit epics and the Puranas. As such, it is a subset of Nepali and Indian culture...
characters, and he has painted the Hindu epic Ramayana
Ramayana
The Ramayana is an ancient Sanskrit epic. It is ascribed to the Hindu sage Valmiki and forms an important part of the Hindu canon , considered to be itihāsa. The Ramayana is one of the two great epics of India and Nepal, the other being the Mahabharata...
as a pictorial story
Narrative
A narrative is a constructive format that describes a sequence of non-fictional or fictional events. The word derives from the Latin verb narrare, "to recount", and is related to the adjective gnarus, "knowing" or "skilled"...
. His character portrayals, such as Shiva
Shiva
Shiva is a major Hindu deity, and is the destroyer god or transformer among the Trimurti, the Hindu Trinity of the primary aspects of the divine. God Shiva is a yogi who has notice of everything that happens in the world and is the main aspect of life. Yet one with great power lives a life of a...
, Bhima
Bhima
In the Mahābhārata, Bhima is one of the central characters of Mahabharata and the second of the Pandava brothers...
, Duryodhana
Duryodhana
In the Hindu epic the Mahābhārata, Duryodhana is the eldest son of the blind king Dhritarashtra by Queen Gandhari, the eldest of the one hundred Kaurava brothers, Emperor of the world at that time which means Emperor of India or Bharatvarsha as it was known at that time, cousin and the chief...
, look distinctly male with wide chests, large jaws and large biceps; while Krishna
Krishna
Krishna is a central figure of Hinduism and is traditionally attributed the authorship of the Bhagavad Gita. He is the supreme Being and considered in some monotheistic traditions as an Avatar of Vishnu...
and Rama
Rama
Rama or full name Ramachandra is considered to be the seventh avatar of Vishnu in Hinduism, and a king of Ayodhya in ancient Indian...
are more feminine in build. All his female characters have doe eyes, a waist-hip ratio of 0.7
Physical attractiveness
Physical attractiveness refers to a person's physical traits which are perceived to be aesthetically pleasing or beautiful. The term often implies sexual attractiveness or desirability, but can also be distinct from the two; for example, humans may regard the young as attractive for various...
, voluptuous breasts, long hair and a sharp nose. The phrase Bapu Bomma ("Bapu's painting") has become synonymous with a beautiful Telugu
Telugu people
The Telugu people or Telugu Prajalu are an ethnic group of India. They are the native speakers of the Telugu language, the most commonly spoken language in India after Hindi and Bengali...
girl. Another character called Rendu Jadala Seetha ("Seetha with two plaits") became a synonym
Synonym
Synonyms are different words with almost identical or similar meanings. Words that are synonyms are said to be synonymous, and the state of being a synonym is called synonymy. The word comes from Ancient Greek syn and onoma . The words car and automobile are synonyms...
for any girl wearing her hair in two plaits.
Bapu has also introduced a new style of cursive writing in Telugu. The font is his own handwriting and reflects the same simplicity as his art.
Bapu paintings also decorated the cover pages of many magazines in India and Abroad. Telugu Naadi Magazine published from USA for Telugu audience have published Bapu's great paintings. Bapu also later served on their advisory board to guide and have an outstanding content for the magazine that catered to Telugu people.
Cinematic style
The most notable achievement in Bapu's movie making is his success in capturing the nativity of the Telugu people and translating it into visuals. His movies center on realistic family issues and relationships, however his recurring theme is magic realism, with vignettes of mythological characters aiding in the narration.Most of his movies have a female protagonist
Protagonist
A protagonist is the main character of a literary, theatrical, cinematic, or musical narrative, around whom the events of the narrative's plot revolve and with whom the audience is intended to most identify...
; a breakaway style from the formulaic movies that relegate female lead characters to song and dance numbers. His penchant for preserving the Telugu nativity in his movies can be seen in the choice of artists, especially the dusky female leads and weak villains.
Collaborations with other artists
He worked with Satyam SankaramanchiSankaramanchi
Satyam Sankaramanchi is a storyteller who was born in the tiny village of Amaravati near Guntur City, in Andhra Pradesh, India. He started telling all of his stories by weaving a whole new world around this tiny village Amaravati...
and drew 101 pictures for each of the stories in Amaravati Kathalu
Amaravati Kathalu
Amaravati Kathalu is a collection of Telugu short stories written by Satyam Sankaramanchi.The stories are about the people of the village of Amaravati and were first published in the AandhraJoyti newspaper. The series ran for two years...
.
Bapu is one-half of the Bapu-Ramana (Mullapudi Venkata Ramana
Mullapudi Venkata Ramana
Mullapudi Venkata Ramana was a Telugu story writer. He was especially known for his hilarious style of writing. He also created a child character called Budugu...
) pair that made movies in Telugu cinema. Ramana provided an able foil, providing script and dialogue to suit Bapu's visuals.
Bapu collaborated with Ramana to give life to Ramana's character Budugu
Budugu
Budugu is a fictional character created by Mullapudi Venkata Ramana of Andhra Pradesh in India. Budugu is a precocious and bratty child, characterised by his inimitably childish Telugu . Mullapudi describes the world as seen through his eyes with humour. Budugu has an opinion about everything. He...
in the form of pictures.
Through his movies he brought to focus renowned artists such as Ravu Gopal Rao, Rajendra Prasad and Aamani.
Awards and Honours
Nandi AwardsNandi Awards
The Nandi Awards is the most Prominent award ceremony for Telugu films, Telugu Theater & Television, presented annually in Andhra Pradesh, India. "Nandi" means "bull", the awards being named after the big granite bull at Lepakshi — a cultural and historical symbol of Andhra Pradesh.Nandi...
- Raghupathi Venkaiah AwardRaghupathi Venkaiah AwardThe Raghupathi Venkaiah Naidu Award is an annual award introduced to recognize people for their lifetime achievements and contributions to the Telugu film industry....
- Life Time Achievement in Telugu cinema - 1986
- Nandi Award for Best Feature Film
-
- 1968: Balaraju KathaBalaraju KathaBalaraju Katha is a 1970 Telugu Drama film written by Mullapudi Venkata Ramana and directed by Bapu.-The Plot:This is the story of a young boy Balaraju in a historical town Mahabalipuram. He becomes a tourist guide to support his entire family. An elderly childless couple takes a liking to him...
- 1973: Andala RamuduAndala Ramudu (1973 film)Andala Ramudu is a 1973 film directed by Bapu. The story is based on the "Janata Express" story of Mullapudi Venkata Ramana. The film won Nandi Award for Best Feature Film in 1973. Recent film Godavari by Sekhar Kammula enthusiastically made on this classic family entertainment film...
- 1975: Muthyala MugguMuthyala MugguMuthyala Muggu is a 1975 film adaption of Uttara Ramayana from the writer-director duo of Ramana and Bapu. The film stars Sreedhar, Sangeetha, Rao Gopal Rao, Mukkamala, Allu Ramalingaiah and Nutan Prasad. The movie introduced Sangeetha and Rao to the Telugu screen...
- 1991: Pelli Pustakam
- 1968: Balaraju Katha
Filmfare Awards South
Filmfare Awards South
Filmfare Awards South is the South Indian segment of the annual Filmfare Awards, presented by The Times Group to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the South Indian film industry. The awards are separately given for Kannada, Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam films...
- Filmfare Best Director Award (Telugu) - Seetha KalyanamSeetha KalyanamSeetha Kalyanam is a 1976 Telugu film by the director-writer duo Bapu- Ramana . The film deals with a part of the evergreen wedding epic of Ramayana.The film tells the tales of Rama and of the 10 incarnations of Vishnu...
(1976) - Filmfare Best Director Award (Telugu) - Vamsa Vriksham (1980)
Other Honours
- "Kala Prapoorna" by Andhra UniversityAndhra UniversityAndhra University or Andhra Viswa Kala Parishad , located in Visakhapatnam, north east coastal Andhra Pradesh, is one of the older premier universities in India with a broad focus...
in 1991. - Raja-Lakshmi Award in 1982 from Sri Raja-Lakshmi FoundationSri Raja-Lakshmi FoundationSri Raja-Lakshmi Foundation is a Charitable Trust that promotes Arts, Sciences, Literature, Medicine, Journalism, Humanities and other intellectual pursuits and to honour distinguished persons in these fields. Established in 1979 in Chennai by P.V...
, Chennai.
As director
- saakshi, 1967
- Bangaru Pichika, 1968
- Buddhimanthudu, 1969
- Inti Gowravam, 1970
- Balaraju KathaBalaraju KathaBalaraju Katha is a 1970 Telugu Drama film written by Mullapudi Venkata Ramana and directed by Bapu.-The Plot:This is the story of a young boy Balaraju in a historical town Mahabalipuram. He becomes a tourist guide to support his entire family. An elderly childless couple takes a liking to him...
, 1970 - Sampoorna RamayanamSampoorna RamayanamSampoorna Ramayanam is a 1971 Telugu mythological film directed by Bapu. It is based on the Valmiki Ramayanam. It is a commercial hit film with artistic picturisation and good songs particularly Ramaya Tandri.-Story:...
, 1971 - Andala RamuduAndala Ramudu (1973 film)Andala Ramudu is a 1973 film directed by Bapu. The story is based on the "Janata Express" story of Mullapudi Venkata Ramana. The film won Nandi Award for Best Feature Film in 1973. Recent film Godavari by Sekhar Kammula enthusiastically made on this classic family entertainment film...
, 1973 - Shri Ramanjaneya YuddhamShri Ramanjaneya YuddhamShri Ramanjaneya Yuddham is a classical Telugu cinema directed by Bapu . The movie was released in the year 1974...
, 1974 - Muthyala MugguMuthyala MugguMuthyala Muggu is a 1975 film adaption of Uttara Ramayana from the writer-director duo of Ramana and Bapu. The film stars Sreedhar, Sangeetha, Rao Gopal Rao, Mukkamala, Allu Ramalingaiah and Nutan Prasad. The movie introduced Sangeetha and Rao to the Telugu screen...
, 1975 - Seetha Kalyanam, 1976
- Sri Rajeswari Vilas Coffee Club, 1976
- Bhakta KannappaBhakta KannappaBhakta Kannappa is a 1976 Telugu film directed by Bapu. It is based on the life of Saiva devotee, Kannappa Nayanar. The film is the remake of Kannada film Bedara Kannappa, the first film of legendary actor Dr. Rajkumar...
, 1976 - Sita SwayamvarSita SwayamvarSita Swayamvar is a 1976 Bollywood film directed by Bapu. The film stars are Ravi Kumar and Jayapradha.-Cast:* Ravi Kumar ... Bhagwan Shri Vishnu / Bhagwan Shri Ram* Jayapradha ... Devi Maa Lakshmi / Devi Maa Sita...
, 1976 - Sneham, 1977
- Manavoori Pandavulu, 1978
- Gorantha Deepam, 1978
- Anokha Shivbhakt, 1978
- Toorpu Velle Railu, 1979
- Vamsa Vriksham, 1980
- Rajadhi Raju, 1980
- Kaliyuga Ravanaasurudu, 1980
- Hum Paanch, 1980
- TyagayyaTyagayya (1981 film)Tyagayya is a 1981 Telugu film directed by Bapu. The cast included J.V. Somayajulu in the lead role. The film is based on the life of Tyagaraja....
, 1981 - Radha KalyanamRadha KalyanamRadha Kalyanam is a 1981 Telugu Drama film written by Mullapudi Venkata Ramana and directed by Bapu. It is considered to be one of the best Telugu movies by film critics...
, 1981 - Bezubaan, 1981
- Krishnavatharam, 1982
- Pelleedu Pillalu, 1982
- Neethi Devan Mayangugiran, 1982
- Edi Dharmam Edi Nyayam, 1982
- Manthri gari ViyyankuduManthri Gari ViyyankuduManthri Gari Viyyankudu is a 1983 Telugu film released directed by Bapu and stars Chiranjeevi in the lead role and Poornima Jayaram, Nirmalamma, and Allu Ramalingaiah among important roles...
, 1983 - Woh Saat DinWoh Saat DinWoh Saat Din, or Woh 7 Din, is a 1983 Hindi film directed by Bapu. Produced by Surinder Kapoor, it stars his son Anil Kapoor along with Padmini Kolhapure and Naseeruddin Shah. It is a remake of the 1981 Tamil film Antha Ezhu Naatkal, which was written and directed by the veteran filmmaker K....
, 1983 - Seethamma Setha, 1984
- Seethamma Pelli, 1984
- Mohabbat, 1985
- Pyari Behna, 1985
- Bullet, 1985
- Jackie, 1985
- Mera Dharam, 1986
- Pyaar Ka Sindoor, 1986
- Kalyana Thamboolam, 1986
- Diljala, 1987
- Prem PratigyaaPrem PratigyaaPrem Pratigyaa is a romantic drama Bollywood film of 1989 starring Mithun Chakraborty and Madhuri Dixit in lead roles. The film is directed by Bapu.-Plot:...
, 1989 - Pelli PusthakamPelli PusthakamPelli Pustakam is a 1991 Telugu comedy|drama film produced by Mullapudi Venkata Ramana and starring Rajendra Prasad, Divyavani. It was directed by Bapu and music was scored by K. V. Mahadevan....
, 1991 - Mr. Pellam, 1993
- Srinadha Kavi Sarvabhoumudu, 1993
- Pelli Koduku, 1994
- ParamaatmaParamaatma (1994 film)Paramaatma is a 1994 Hindi-language Indian feature film directed by Bapu, starring Mithun Chakraborty, Juhi Chawla, Amrish Puri and Anjana Mumtaz-Plot:Paramaatma is the story of an honest person , who finds happiness in spiritual life....
, 1994 - Rambantu, 1996
- Radha GopalamRadha GopalamRadha Gopalam is a 2005 Telugu film which stars Srikanth and Sneha. This film was directed by Bapu and music was by Mani Sharma. The performances of Srikanth and Sneha were critically applauded. Sneha won the prestigious Nandi Special Jury Award for her performance in the movie...
, 2005. - SundarakandaSundarakanda (2008 film)Sundarakanda is a Telugu movie directed by well known Telugu director, Bapu. Naresh and Charmi act in the lead roles. The story is provided by Mullapudi Ramana and music by Vidyasagar.This movie is copy of film "What girl wants" in English.Story=...
, 2008 - Sri Rama RajyamSri Rama RajyamThe soundtrack, composed by Ilaiyaraaja, features 16 tracks. The lyrics for all the songs were penned by Jonnavithula.-External links:*...
, 2011
Trivia
- Bapu designed the collection of saris used in the 1991 movie Pelli Pustakam.
- very good at playing HarmonicaHarmonicaThe harmonica, also called harp, French harp, blues harp, and mouth organ, is a free reed wind instrument used primarily in blues and American folk music, jazz, country, and rock and roll. It is played by blowing air into it or drawing air out by placing lips over individual holes or multiple holes...
- The Telugu literary work Koonalamma Patalu ("Poems of the common folk") says the following in praise of Bapu:
కొంటె బొమ్మల బాపు KonTe Bommala Bapu,
కొన్ని తరముల సేపు Konni Tharamula Sepu,
గుండె ఊయలలూపు Gunde OOyala-loopu,
ఓ కూనలమ్మ O Koonalammaa.
External links
- bapuartcollection.com Bapu's Official Website with an extensive art collection
- Website about Bapu and an art gallery
- Bapu Art Gallery
- Telugu one - Bapu bommalu