Writer, lyricist and director Vaddepalli Krishna was born in Sircilla known for its contribution to the handloom and textile processing industry. But in a typical writerly demeanour, he says, “Instead of weaving saris, I wove poetry.” A young Krishna, smitten by C Narayana Reddy’s literary acumen, juggled his job in the postal department in Hyderabad with his passion for writing, managing to write in varied media like television, books and radio.
“Literary figure Dasaradhi was a key inspiration for me to write lyrics for light music,” he adds. Film actor-director Bhanumathi gave him a break with the film Rachayitri , a 1979 release, where he’d penned the song Neeve leni ee jeevithame . That in turn led to work with ANR for Pilla Jamindar . While he realised that playing with words and films were his forte, his interest in depicting the cultural roots of the Telugus, owing to his earlier stint with light music, remained.
Television was another medium he had tapped. He was a writer and a co-director of the series Bhakta Kavi Potana and Bharateeya Sanskruti Sikharalu . These earned him the notice of director K Raghavendra Rao who roped him in as co-writer for the TV series Sri Guru Raghavendra Swami . “When I had to choose between work and passion; I chose the latter. The television experience enriched me. I also began making documentaries on the weavers, Bathukamma and one named Gobhagyam on the relevance of cows pertaining to Indian traditions,” shares Krishna, adding that confidence gained from all these helped him helm his first feature film Ekkadikelthondo Manasu .
His writing repertoire spans across poetry, musicals, and vachana kavitvam . A book titled Chiru Gajjelu that comprised a series of rhymes for children won him a special mention from the Telugu University in 1992.
As a lyricist to the first ever audio series on Vemulavada’s cultural history and poetic contribution with Vaddepalli Geyavalli he was rewarded with several awards, citations and felicitations including Lalitha Geya Sahitya Puraskaram, Cinare Sahithi Gowthami, felicitations from NTR and then PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee as well as memorial awards in the name of Malladi, Dasaradhi and Ghantasala. “The icing on the cake was to receive an award in San Jose in C Narayana Reddy’s presence, whom I consider my literary guru.”
Apart from over 1000 lalita geetalu , he has penned over 50 dance ballets. “The fact that Telangana heritage and culture is a topic in focus now has helped my dance ballet ‘ Jaya Jayahe Telangana ’ reach throughout Telangana State.”
His penchant for social themes finds reflection in issues too came to the fore with the television series Sthree that mirrors the problems of a working woman as well his latest venture - directing the film Lavanya with Love Boys , produced by Rajyalaxmi C and Narsimulu . “I wanted to discuss how a woman’s opinion needs to be valued in a relationship. These are times when they are harassed on fronts, this is my attempt to awaken youngsters with a contemporary story,” says Krishna.
Shot across Meerpet and interiors of the Nalgonda district, the film stars Paruchuri Gopalakrishna, Kasi Viswanath, Hema Sundar and Vaibhav in key roles besides newcomers Yodha, Samba, Kiran and Pavani. As a tribute to his film guru ANR, Krishna has come up with a parody on ‘ Jagame Maya ‘ for the project. As he straddles writing in multiple ways, his liking for cinema is attributed its ability to entertain and provoke a thought at once.
