indian cinema heritage foundation

H V Babu

Director
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A prominent director of Telugu cinema in the 30’s, H V Babu made a significant mark in the mythological genre with his successful Kannamba starrers. 

Born in 1903 in Bangalore, he had initially studied medicine before his interest in cinema piqued. He travelled to Bombay in the 20s, initially working in Kohinoor Film Company as an actor. Later from 1929 to 1935, he worked as an actor and assistant to his brother H M Reddy at Imperial Film Company. His first film Draupadi Vastrapaharanam (1936) was made to compete with Laxmi Films’ Draupadi Manasamrakshanam (1936). H V Babu’s film was a success while the rival film sank without a trace. It was a big success for its fledgling production company Saraswathi Talkies, which later went on to play a significant part in the history of Telugu cinema. Other notable films by him were Kanakatara(1937), Bhoja Kalidasa (1940), Mandaravathi (1941),Krishna Prema (1943), Dharmangada (1949) and Adarsham (1952). His last film was Devasundari(1963). 

H V Babu passed away in 1968.