From a man who wanted to be a farmer, to being one among the first to start a film production house and studio in The City of Pearls, to making a Guinness Record for producing the maximum number of films in different Indian languages – that was D. Ramanaidu.
Ramanaidu, or ‘Naidu garu’ as he was respectfully addressed by all and sundry in the film industry, was known for his dedication to whatever he did – be it producing films or discharging his duties as a politician or his social obligations.
A stickler for discipline and punctuality, he made sure he got these from any star he chose to work with.
Known as a genial host, Ramanaidu left an indelible impression on almost everyone, big or small, who would meet him for the first time. He was the man who gave actor Tabu her break, casting her opposite his son Venkatesh in the hit film Coolie No. 1 .
A man known to take to leveraging technology, as early as in 1989 when he established the Ramanaidu Studios, the unique selling proposition was inviting aspiring filmmakers to ‘walk in with a script and walk out with the first copy’.
He was a producer who would involve himself in every aspect of production, starting from identifying potential in a script, to the casting and shooting schedules. He was a rare one among film producers only because of his geniality and the ease with which he would mingle with the cast and crew.
Talking to Naidu Garu would be a pleasure for visitors on the sets.
Every break, he would make sure that the visitor got his choice of food.
Among Bollywood stars who were open in their admiration for him were Rajesh Khanna, Jeetendra and Anil Kapoor.
A little known fact in non-filmi circles was Ramanaidu’s friendship with the late thespian Akkineni Nageswara Rao. What very few people do not recall is that the two were friends for life. This, despite the fact that his daughter’s marriage with Nageswara Rao’s son Nagarjuna ended up in nought.
February 18, the day Naidu breathed his last, was the day Nageswara Rao got married to Annapurnamma!