The Raghupathi Venkaiah Naidu Award is an annual award introduced to recognize people for their lifetime achievements and contributions to the Telugu film industry.

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...

 State Government incorporated this prestigious award in 1981 in the honor of Raghupathi Venkaiah Naidu, a pioneer of Indian film industry. The winner of each year will be felicitated and presented a Golden Nandi, a Gold medal, citation and cash prize of Rs 50,000 at the state government's Nandi Awards

Nandi 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...

 functions.

Winners of the Raghupathi Venkaiah Naidu Award

• 2008: Vijaya Nirmala
  Vijaya Nirmala
  Vijaya Nirmala is a South Indian actress and director. In 2002, the Guinness Book of Records named her as the female director who had made the highest number of films. She has directed 47 movies.-Career:...
  
    (actress, producer and director)
• 2007: Tammareddy Krishna Murthy
  Tammareddy Krishna Murthy
  Tammareddy Krishna Murthy is Telugu film producer and winner of the prestigious Raghupathi Venkaiah Award for 2007.-Biography:...
  
   (producer)
• 2006: Daggubati Rama Naidu
  D. Ramanaidu
  Daggubati Ramanaidu is an Indian movie producer. In 2010, He was conferred with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, India's highest award in cinema by the Government of India for lifetime contribution to Indian cinema. The Guinness Book of Records lists him as the most prolific producer with 130 films...
  
   (producer, actor)
• 2005: M. S. Reddy (producer, writer, and director)
• 2004: Krishnaveni
  Krishnaveni (actress)
  Mrs Krishnaveni is a veteran Telugu actress, singer and producer. She is also known as C. Krishnaveni and M. Krishnaveni.- Biography :...
  
   (actress and producer)
• 2003: V. B. Rajendra Prasad (producer)
• 2002: P. Susheela
  P. Susheela
  Pulapaka Susheela is an Indian playback singer. In a career spanning more than four decades, she has recorded songs in many Indian languages including Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, Hindi, Bengali, Oriya, Sanskrit, Tulu, Badaga and Sinhalese.-Personal life:She is the daughter of Pulapaka...
  
   (playback singer
  Playback singer
  A playback singer is a singer whose singing is prerecorded for use in movies. Playback singers record songs for soundtracks, and actors or actresses lip-sync the songs for cameras, while the actual singer does not appear on screen.-South Asia:...
  
  )
• 2001: Allu Rama Lingaiah
  Allu Rama Lingaiah
  Allu Rama Lingaiah , commonly known as Allu, was an Indian Telugu language comedic actor from Palakollou, India who appeared in over one thousand Tollywood films.- Film career :...
  
   (actor)
• 2000: Tadepalli Lakshmi Kanta Rao
  Tadepalli Lakshmi Kanta Rao
  Tadepalli Lakshmi Kanta Rao, better known as Kanta Rao , was an Indian film actor and film producer from Andhra Pradesh, India. He acted in more than 400 Telugu mythological, social and folklore movies. He also acted in a few Hindi, Kannada and Tamil movies. He produced about five films under the...
  
   (actor, producer)
• 1999: Santha Kumari
  Santha Kumari
  Vellaala Subbamma is an Indian musical artist and film actress. Santhakumari is the wife of the famous yesteryear Telugu Director and Producer P. Pullaiah.-Early years:...
  
   (actress and producer)
• 1998: Gummadi Venkateswara Rao
  Gummadi Venkateswara Rao
  Gummadi Venkateswara Rao popularly known as Gummadi was a popular Telugu film character actor. Though he began to act in films much later than famous artistes like N.T.Rama Rao and Akkineni Nageswara Rao he had through the course of his career acquired a niche for himself vis a vis the character...
  
   (actor)
• 1997: V. Madhusudhana Rao
• 1996: Inturi Venkateswara Rao
  Inturi Venkateswara Rao
  Inturi Venkateswara Rao , known as Inturi was Indian freedom fighter, Trade unionist, writer and film journalist.-Brief lifesketch:Inturi was born at Chandrarajupalem near Sattenapalli in Guntur district in 1909...
  
  
• 1995: K. S. Prakash Rao (actor, cinematographer, director, producer)
• 1994: Anjali Devi
  Anjali Devi
  Anjali Devi is a veteran Telugu actress and producer. She is well known for her mythological role as Sita in Lava Kusha and roles in movies like Suvarna Sundari and Anarkali.- Biography :...
  
   (actress)
• 1993: Dukkipati Madhusudhan Rao (producer)
• 1992: S. Rajeswara Rao
  S. Rajeswara Rao
  Salur Rajeswara Rao was a composer of musical scores for South Indian films for over half a century. He also sang, and played the harmonium....
  
   (composer)
• 1991: K. Viswanath (Film director)
• 1990: Dasari Narayana Rao
  Dasari Narayana Rao
  Dr. Dasari Narayana Rao B.A. is a politician, film director, and film producer. Narayana Rao directed about 150 films, produced 53 films and worked in more than 250 films as a dialogue writer and as a lyricist.Beside graduating with a BA degree, he used to take part in scores of drama competitions...
  
   (actor, director, and producer)
• 1989: Akkineni Nageswara Rao
  Akkineni Nageswara Rao
  Akkineni Nageswara Rao , also known as ANR, is a Telugu cinema actor from Gudivada, Andhra Pradesh. Nageswara Rao has worked in several genres of films in his 70-year acting career, including mythological, social, and drama films...
  
   (actor)
• 1988: D. V. S. Raju
  D. V. S. Raju
  Datla Venkata Suryanarayana Raju , better known as D. V. S. Raju was an Indian film producer from Telugu Cinema....
  
   (producer)
• 1987: B. Nagi Reddy
  B. Nagi Reddy
  Bommireddy Nagi Reddy was a Telugu movie producer from Pottipadu Village in the Kadapa District of Andhra Pradesh. He set up Vijaya Vauhini Studios in Chennai, which was then Asia's biggest film studio. As his elder brother had the same initials and was known as B. N. Reddy, Nagi Reddy was...
  
   (producer)
• 1986: Bapu
  Bapu (artist)
  Bapu is an Indian film director, known for his works in Telugu cinema.He is a music artist, painter, cartoonist, and designer...
  
   and 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...
  
  
• 1985: Bhanumati
  Bhanumati
  Bhanumati or Bhanumathi may refer to:* Bhanumathi is wife of Duryodhana in Indian Epic Mahabharata* Bhanumathi Ramakrishna, Indian actress, director and writer* Bhanumati, Nepal, a village development committee in central Nepal...
  
   (actor, producer, singer, music director, and writer)
• 1984: Kosaraju Raghavaiah Choudary (lyricist, poet and actor)
• 1983: M. A. Rahman
• 1982: B. A. Subba Rao
  B. A. Subba Rao
  Bugata Venkata Subba Rao better known as B. A. Subba Rao is a Telugu film producer and director. He is recipient of Raghupathi Venkaiah Award for his lifetime contribution of Telugu cinema....
  
   (director, producer and writer)
• 1981: P. Pullaiah
  P. Pullaiah
  P. Pullaiah or P. Pullayya B.A. is a Telugu film director and producer. He was recipient of Raghupathi Venkaiah Award for his contributions to Telugu cinema. He married veteran actress P. Santha Kumari in 1937...
  
   (director and producer)
• 1980: L. V. Prasad
  L. V. Prasad
  Akkineni Lakshmi Vara Prasada Rao , more popularly known as L. V. Prasad was an Indian film producer and actor. He was a recipient of the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke Award for lifetime contribution to cinema from the Government of India for the year 1982...
  
  (director and producer)

Awardee distinction

• P. Pullaiah and Santha Kumari are the only couple who have been won the award. Pullaiah won the award in 1981 and Santha Kumari won it in 1998.