Aluri Chakrapani

Aluri Venkata Subbarao (5 August 1908 – 24 September 1975), popularly known by his pen name Chakrapani, was an Indian screenwriter, film producer, studio owner, and director in Telugu cinema. He received two Filmfare Awards and was notable for his association with Vijaya Vauhini Studios, one of Asia's largest studios at the time. Chakrapani was also a partner at Vijaya Productions alongside B. Nagi Reddi and co-founded Chandamama, the children's magazine.

Early life Chakrapani was born in Ithanagar village near Tenali, Guntur in present-day Andhra Pradesh, into a Kamma middle-class agricultural family. He initially studied Hindi under the tutelage of the well-known author Vraj Nandan Sharma and later taught himself Tamil, Sanskrit, and English, mastering all three languages.

Literary career In 1932, Chakrapani contracted tuberculosis and was admitted to the Madanapalle sanatorium for treatment. During his stay, he reportedly learned to read and write Bengali in just three months from a fellow patient. which he translated as Devadasu in 1933. His translations of Bengali novels became immensely popular among Telugu readers.

Film career Chakrapani's film career took off when he became a close friend of B. Nagi Reddi while working as a writer for Vauhini Productions' Swarga Seema (1945). Well-versed in both Hindi and Bengali, Chakrapani brought a unique literary perspective to Telugu cinema. After joining forces with Nagi Reddi, Chakrapani took on editorial roles for Andhra Jyothi, Yuva, and Chandamama under BNK Press. The first edition of Chandamama was released in July, 1947. They made Chandamama popular not only in Telugu language but in ten other Indian languages. He started in 1934 the monthly publication of Yuva magazine from Chennai which was later shifted to Hyderabad. Well-known writer Kodavatiganti Kutumba Rao was a partner in this venture. Kodavatiganti Kutumba Rao, a very close friend of aluri and a literary colossus in Telugu Literature, edited it for 28 years, till his death in August 1980.