B Nagi Reddi – A Son’s Memoir: A legendary producer’s legacy through the eyes of a son

In south Indian cinema, a production house once had the power to become an identity. Janaki became Shavukaru Janaki after her debut in Shavukaru (Telugu) under Vijaya Productions; Nirmala became Vijaya Nirmala after Enga Veettu Penn (Tamil). Such was the cinematic significance of the studio B. Nagi Reddi created. His fame came from the unforgettable films he produced and the legacy he left behind.

These and many other anecdotes form B. Nagi Reddi: A Son’s Memoir, the English-language portrait by his son Viswam, which reads as both personal remembrance and living history.

Born in Pottipadu, a village in today’s Kadapa district of Andhra Pradesh, B. Nagi Reddi’s journey began far from the arc lights and studios of cinema. Drawn early to India’s freedom movement, he later moved to erstwhile Madras to manage the family business, showing a natural flair for enterprise that took him even as far as Rangoon (Burma). From these scattered geographies, his life gradually converged on Vadapalani, Madras (now Chennai), which became his emotional and professional centre. In time, the area became a hub of the south Indian film industry, shaped by his vision in cinema, publishing, and the institutions he built in healthcare.

The book ‘B Nagi Reddi: A Son’s Memoir’
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

The 250-page book published by Chennai-based Vijaya Publications reads like a parallel history of south Indian cinema. Moving through the formative decades of Telugu and Tamil cinema, it captures the spirit of what is often called the golden era, tracing the rise of Vijaya Productions and offering a first-hand chronicle of an industry in the making, its visionaries and institutions.

Speaking over the phone from Chennai, B. Viswanatha Reddi, aka Viswam, says B. Nagi Reddi – A Son’s Memoir is not written as a monument, but as a memory. Viswam, editor of the iconic Chandamama, a 15-language children magazine, frames his father not as a titan, but as a gentle, disciplined, and private person. “These were unsung heroes,” he says simply. Men who built industries and livelihoods, yet never believed in self-publicity. If they had worked in Bombay (now Mumbai) or Delhi, he feels, history would have deified them. In the south, they preferred dignity over display.

Viswam (right) with his father B Nagi Reddi
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

From the grandeur of Patala Bhairavi and the brilliance of Mayabazar to the entertaining social Missamma, his Telugu productions defined the grammar of classical Indian cinema. In Tamil cinema, his collaborations with M.G. Ramachandran remain unmatched in scale and influence, while his partnerships with Sivaji Ganesan and later Rajinikanth bridged generations of stardom. 

In Telugu, his films with N.T. Rama Rao and Akkineni Nageswara Rao became landmarks, while in Hindi cinema, Ram aur Shyam with Dilip Kumar reflected his national reach.

Institutionally, his acquisition of Vauhini Studios and its merger with Vijaya Studios created one of the most powerful studio ecosystems in Indian cinema, a space where production, training, craft, and infrastructure came together, forming a lifelong creative and ideological partnership with Chakrapani. That same instinct for institution-building extended beyond cinema into healthcare: through Vijaya Hospital and the Vijaya Health Centres, Nagi Reddi created a medical infrastructure that treated not just the public, but generations of film personalities and celebrities from other fields.

Viswam
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement

The book also traces the parallel growth of the south Indian film industry and its camaraderie, its ethical competition and its collective spirit. Viswam remembers an era where studios looked out for one another, where producers worried about the welfare of rival producers, and where growth was seen as shared, not hoarded. His father, he says, constantly backed new entrants, believing stagnation was the real enemy of cinema.

Yet the memoir is as intimate as it is historical. Viswam writes as a son who once felt hurt that even his own family did not fully know what his father had done. The project took years of gathering voices — colleagues, workers, associates — because he never wanted the story to be told in a single voice. “We never wanted to directly narrate the story. We wanted people who were associated with him to speak.”

Viswam’s training at Chandamama shaped the method: no gossip, no exaggeration, no mythology — only chronology, fact, and context. The book does not try to enlarge the stature of Dada Saheb Phalke-awardee B. Nagi Reddi. It shows a man who built studios and hospitals, shaped cinema and publishing, and mentored generations.

B Nagi Reddi – A son’s memoir, by Viswam (B Viswanatha Reddi), published by Vijaya Publications, priced ₹500, is available at bookstores and on Amazon.

Published – February 12, 2026 02:03 pm IST