Bellary Raghava
Encyclopedia
Bellary Raghava was a noted India
n playwright
from Bellary
, India
.
Tadpatri Raghavacharlu, populary known as 'Bellary' Raghava, was a renowned actor. He was born on 2 August 1880. He received his early education at Bellary and later graduated in law
from the Madras University. His uncle Dharmavaraṃ Rāmakr̥ṣṇamācāryulu
, who was a pioneering dramatist in Telugu, initiated him on the stage. He was also associated with another great dramatist from Bellary, Kolachalam Srinivasa Rao
. An accomplished actor of extraordinary calibre he was known for supreme mastery of expression. Expressive eyes set in a mobile face, he could modulate his visage and resonant voice to suit the emotion appropriate to any role, from that of a vidushaka to a maharaja. He was equally at home in plays in English, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi; his three main centers of activity were Bellary, Bangalore and Madras. At Bangalore he founded the Amateur Dramatic Association of Bangalore in 1909. he advocated and developed the naturalistic style in acting. He was very particular that women should always play the female roles on the stage. In 1927 he went to England and took part in English dramas with Laurence Olivier
and Charles Laughton
. On his return to India he encouraged playwrights to set aside the classical style and to take to naturalistic plays. Instead of protracted declamations and conversations, he advocated short dialogues coupled with appropriated gestures. His presentation of Tappevaridi by Rajamannar in 1930 in Madras was hailed by many as a momentous event heralding a new era. Among his admirers were Mahatma Gandhi
, Rabindranath Tagore
and George Bernard Shaw
. The arrival of the cinema
was a blow to the promise of a modern theatre that Raghava envisaged. He tried his hand at acting in films but this satisfied neither him nor his audience. Besides being a versatile actor, he was also a busy lawyer
and an ardent social worker. All his earnings were spent in development of the art that was his passion and for the uplift of the down-trodden. As a man he was incomparable. After doing yeoman service to the cause of the Indian theatre he died on 17 April 1946.
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...
n playwright
Playwright
A playwright, also called a dramatist, is a person who writes plays.The term is not a variant spelling of "playwrite", but something quite distinct: the word wright is an archaic English term for a craftsman or builder...
from Bellary
Bellary
Bellary is a historic city in Bellary District in Karnataka state, India.-Origins of the city's name:There are several legends about how Bellary got its name....
, 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...
.
Tadpatri Raghavacharlu, populary known as 'Bellary' Raghava, was a renowned actor. He was born on 2 August 1880. He received his early education at Bellary and later graduated in law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...
from the Madras University. His uncle Dharmavaraṃ Rāmakr̥ṣṇamācāryulu
Dharmavaram Ramakrishnamacharyulu
Dharmavaraṃ Rāmakr̥ṣṇamācāryulu was a renowned Telugu dramatist and playwright from Bellary. He was known as "Andhra Nataka Pithamaha" and wrote more than 30 original plays.-Early life:...
, who was a pioneering dramatist in Telugu, initiated him on the stage. He was also associated with another great dramatist from Bellary, Kolachalam Srinivasa Rao
Kolachalam Srinivasa Rao
Kolachalam Srinivasa Rao was a noted dramatist from Bellary.A pleader and a non-professional theatre practitioner from Bellary, Srinivasa Rao belonged to the family of Mallinatha Suri, the world-famous writer acclaimed as Vyakyatha Shiromani...
. An accomplished actor of extraordinary calibre he was known for supreme mastery of expression. Expressive eyes set in a mobile face, he could modulate his visage and resonant voice to suit the emotion appropriate to any role, from that of a vidushaka to a maharaja. He was equally at home in plays in English, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi; his three main centers of activity were Bellary, Bangalore and Madras. At Bangalore he founded the Amateur Dramatic Association of Bangalore in 1909. he advocated and developed the naturalistic style in acting. He was very particular that women should always play the female roles on the stage. In 1927 he went to England and took part in English dramas with Laurence Olivier
Laurence Olivier
Laurence Kerr Olivier, Baron Olivier, OM was an English actor, director, and producer. He was one of the most famous and revered actors of the 20th century. He married three times, to fellow actors Jill Esmond, Vivien Leigh, and Joan Plowright...
and Charles Laughton
Charles Laughton
Charles Laughton was an English-American stage and film actor, screenwriter, producer and director.-Early life and career:...
. On his return to India he encouraged playwrights to set aside the classical style and to take to naturalistic plays. Instead of protracted declamations and conversations, he advocated short dialogues coupled with appropriated gestures. His presentation of Tappevaridi by Rajamannar in 1930 in Madras was hailed by many as a momentous event heralding a new era. Among his admirers were Mahatma Gandhi
Mahatma Gandhi
Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi , pronounced . 2 October 1869 – 30 January 1948) was the pre-eminent political and ideological leader of India during the Indian independence movement...
, Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore
Rabindranath Tagore , sobriquet Gurudev, was a Bengali polymath who reshaped his region's literature and music. Author of Gitanjali and its "profoundly sensitive, fresh and beautiful verse", he became the first non-European Nobel laureate by earning the 1913 Prize in Literature...
and George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw
George Bernard Shaw was an Irish playwright and a co-founder of the London School of Economics. Although his first profitable writing was music and literary criticism, in which capacity he wrote many highly articulate pieces of journalism, his main talent was for drama, and he wrote more than 60...
. The arrival of the cinema
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
was a blow to the promise of a modern theatre that Raghava envisaged. He tried his hand at acting in films but this satisfied neither him nor his audience. Besides being a versatile actor, he was also a busy lawyer
Lawyer
A lawyer, according to Black's Law Dictionary, is "a person learned in the law; as an attorney, counsel or solicitor; a person who is practicing law." Law is the system of rules of conduct established by the sovereign government of a society to correct wrongs, maintain the stability of political...
and an ardent social worker. All his earnings were spent in development of the art that was his passion and for the uplift of the down-trodden. As a man he was incomparable. After doing yeoman service to the cause of the Indian theatre he died on 17 April 1946.