Thammareddy Bharadwaj's life reflects a saga of activism and resilience that had a profound impact on the political and cultural landscapes of his community during his formative years. Born in 1948, amid the tumultuous period following the then British ban on the Communist Party, his childhood was turbulent with his mother shielding him from the political turmoil surrounding his father's activism. A gifted student with an early fascination for cinema, Bharadwaj's connection to the industry deepened as he witnessed his father's work in production at the Sarathi Studios. While doing engineering from Osmania University, his leadership traits drew him to
student politics, as part of which he championed causes withlasting benefits for the student community. In a conversation with The Pioneer’s SURESH KAVIRAYANI, he shares vignettes of
his efforts for student welfare and social justice and how he got involved in the initial Telangana movement. One of the most poignant events in his life was the murder of his close friend and fellow activist George Reddy in 1972. Hid contributions to academia and cinema over the following years has cemented Bharadwaja's legacy as an influential figure who skillfully blended art and activism with dedication for the big screen.
Known for his meaningful storytelling in Tollywood, he has produced multiple films covering diverse themes such as human values, societal issues, and the complexity of human relationships. His productions, particularly Alajadi (1990) and Pacha Thoranam (1994), reflect a deep engagement with social issues and explore the struggles of the common man in a rapidly evolving world. Alajadi, for instance, sheds light on caste dynamics and social injustice, while Pacha Thoranam dives into the challenges of marginalised communities, advocating the need for empathy and social reforms. His film Pellaina Kothalo (2006), which takes a lighter, comedic look at the intricacies of married life, adds diversity to his portfolio, showing his versatility in producing films across different genres. He is known to have produced 15 films and directed 20 films in the industry.
Born amidst turmoil I was born in 1948 in the aftermath of the (1934 British) ban on the Communist Party of India (and repression of its affiliated organizations). Since my father was a Communist leader, the police and government authorities put pressure on my mother to know his whereabouts! There was no maternity hospital nearby at that time and my mother told me that she had to run from one place to another when she was carrying me. After I was born, we lived at Vidyavanam, near Vijayawada, and then went to Madras (now Chennai) for a couple of years. I studied till second class in Madras (now called Chennai) and then shifted to Hyderabad and joined Wesley School for studies.
Aunt's love and Taj Mahal Hotel treats At school, I was a bright student. During the initial years in Hyderabad, I used to stay at my aunt’s house. She was then working as a teacher near the Paradise circle. Upon receiving her salary every month, she used to take us to the Taj Mahal Hotel by rickshaw for treats. On those days we used to eat dosa, idli, and sweet such as gulab jamun. She used to iron our clothes and guided us in many ways. When I entered the sixth grade, my mother came to hyderabad and then we shifted to
Yellareddyguda. From 1955 to 2022, we lived there; it is only now that I have shifted to Movie Towers. Growing up in Secunderabad's cinema hub I have always liked watching movies since my childhood. I don’t know how many times I watched ‘Lavakusa’. Tivoli, Dreamland, Plaza, Minerva, Manohar, Alankar, Ajanta, Rajeshwari and Kalpana theaters were among the popular theatres in Secunderabad at that time. I still remember ‘Rojulu Marayi’ ran for 100 days in Rajeshwari theatre and they arranged a big function there. My father was the production manager for that film. He was the general manager for Sarathi Studios that was built at Ameerpet later. We are talking about 1955!
Ushering semester system in Osmania University While I was in college, I joined the Hyderabad Students Union and became its vice president. I was also active in the Students Federation of India. They used to call me naib-sadr (vice president) in Urdu! Because of my laziness and overconfidence, I failed in my first year. They gave me paper carrying 100 marks, but I only wrote for 50 marks. So, I completed my exam in just half an hour and went to the movies. At that time, engineering was five years’ term. Louis Thomas was the Secretary of the university then. I told him that it was very difficult to write all the examinations at once; so, I gave the idea that exams should be held as per the semester system elsewhere, two times in one year. He liked the idea, but when it took time to implement, we announced an immediate strike; so, they adopted the semester and also the carry-on system. The semester system is still continuing and I can proudly say that I actually started the idea at Osmania University!
Fighting for University's autonomy When I was studying at Osmania University, the then government removed Vice-Chancellor DS Reddy. They appointed a person from Andhra and then we protested the government’s decision and sought autonomy for universities. We asked the government not to get involved in university affairs and saw to it that DS Reddy was reinstated as Vice Chancellor. Before that, we had gone on a nearly 15- to 20-day strike. We had closed the two approach roads to Osmania University. We barricaded the entire university, staying up at nights and sleeping on the Arts College steps. The government bowed down and re-instated DS Reddy as Vice-Chancellor and later we called off our strike.
‘Jailed’ in 1969 during Telangana movement In 1969, during the peak of the initial Telangana movement, many students participated and I, along with some others, fought for integration and we all attacked the Secretariat and demanded the then Chief Minister’s resignation. The police arrested us and put us in a jail of sorts. At that time, the jails were completely full; so they put us in a government school near SR Nagar! We (both Telangana agitators and those fight for integration) used to sing songs and play games in the ‘jail’.
Nearly 500 people were there in that school and our batch comprised 20 students. My mother used to get breakfast and lunch for all of us.
Dark connection behind George Reddy’s murder George Reddy, student leader and social activist, was a friend of mine and he was a gold medalist. George Reddy was a science student; his brother Cyril Reddy was my classmate. When George Reddy was debarred for three months, he stayed in my house only! There is a Dhoolpet connection to George Reddy’s murder. There was Lakhan Singh, who was a very close friend of George and his brother Cyril. He introduced Lakhan to me and at that time they put Lakhan Singh in my hostel room. I don’t know what happened among Lakhan, George and Cyril, but Lakhan became enemies with the brothers. Thereafter, the rivalry started and they stabbed George once, but he survived at that time! Lakhan Singh happens to be from Dhoolpet; so, unofficially he kept nearly 30 people from Dhoolpet in the hostel (I too was in the hostel at that time). I started my campaign and went to all the classrooms and these 30 people also followed me. I don’t know why, but that day I kept silent and did my campaign, though these 30 people indirectly commented on me. This happened on the last day of the campaign. That day I still remember, after the campaign ended, the next day I met George at college and he took a big class.
‘Why did you campaign alone last night; you should have called me,’ George told me. After some chitchat, I was hungry and told the same to George, but he wanted me to drop him off at the library. So, I dropped him off and I went to Taj for lunch and then went for the ‘Somaripothu’ movie, which was released on that day. Cyril Reddy, Mahipal, Koora Rajannna and their batch went somewhere. The movie was not good, so I came out in the interval and came towards OU. At Andhra Mahila Sabha, students were running in a hurry. I asked them what happened. “George ni vesesaru, ninnu kuda vesestaru, vellaku (“They have murdered George and they will target you also; don’t go to the university”. But I went to the university, though by then they had shifted his body to Gandhi Hospital. I went to the hospital, saw the body and I roughed up a police official there and told him, ‘George ni mere champaru’. This was the first murder in OU. Lakhan Singh and nine others were arrested, but later, I think the case was not proved and they were freed. George used the knuckle duster at that time and he easily managed 10 people. He was just five feet six inches, but he was a fighter!
Had Cyril or Mahipal been with him during the attack, George might have survived. The University remained closed for four months and there were no elections for a few years.
Unforgettable experiences shooting Kothalarayudu with Chiranjeevi In 1975, my father made a film ‘Chinnanati Kalalu’ with Krishnam Raju in my name and the shooting happened one month in Mysore. Many other Telugu films, like Dasari Narayana Rao’s ‘Tirupathi’, Kranthi Kumar’s #39;Sarada’ and ‘Yashoda Krishna', in which Sridevi plays young Krishna, were also shot there. Apart from Telugu films, stars from other industries like MGR, Ambarish and Vishnuvardhan also shot their films at the same location. The reason for many films shooting in Mysore was that they announced some subsidies!
So everyone stayed in the guest houses and spoke to one another. I got close to producer Kranthi Kumar at that time. In 1979, I watched a Malayalam film and wanted to remake it in Telugu. He asked me to produce myself with Chiranjeevi as the lead actor. Kranthi Kumar made two films ‘Pranam Khareedu’ and ‘Punadirallu’ with Chiranjeevi at that time. So, it was easy for me to get Chiranjeevi. My first film as producer was ‘Kothalarayudu’; it became a huge success and it also gave Chiranjeevi the first commercial hit as a solo lead actor! My next film was ‘Mogudu Kavali’ which was another blockbuster for Chiranjeevi. I shot all those films in Hyderabad.
Crashed her engagement, stole her heart I got married to Vani when I was 21. Vani used to live next to our house at Yellareddyguda and her brother was doing medicine. He was my close friend. Her father was a retired executive engineer and she had graduated from Reddy College, Narayanaguda. Her engagement was going on and I did the arrangements! Her friends came and told me, ‘Vani is crying.' Then I went to her father and told him that I wanted to marry her. A nice gentleman, he told me that I should have told him before the engagement was fixed. He then cancelled the engagement and we got married in 1972 at Shapurvadi function hall, opposite the Secretariat. Now, there is a hospital in that place. Many of the film personalities, politicians, ministers and governors attended the marriage. I took leave and worked for films, but after some time, I left my job in 1985 and concentrated on films thereafter.
United TFI
Actor Prabhakar Reddy made me the president of the Directors Association and secretary of the Film Federation of Employees. After the film industry shifted to Hyderabad, in 1993 there was big agitation from the South Indian Film Employees Federation (SIFEF). In Hyderabad, we started the Andhra Pradesh Film Employees Federation and we took on board dance directors, assistants, action choreographers and many others. But the SIFEF’s objection was that our federation was not recognised by the All India Film Employees Federation. People should join as members in these federations and they can only work as employees for any film. At that time, Shyamprasad Reddy, Suresh Babu, Akkineni Venkat and I went to Madras and stayed there for almost a month and coordinated with people there! Dasari Narayana Rao coordinated and he actually arranged meetings with the then Chief Minister. I, along with a few others, worked and got recognition for the Andhra Pradesh Film Employees Federation from the All India Film Employees Confederation. Earlier, they gave recognition to Madras (now Chennai), Karnataka, West Bengal, and Bombay. Today I can proudly say that our Telugu employees are getting more than other industry employees. I, along with a few others, set the wages and timings for all the employees, and today we have corrected the system because we did a lot of work at that time.
At that time, 18 unions were there and now there are 24 unions. I not only got recognition but also became the president of the All India Film Employees Confederation. This was definitely a landmark for the Telugu film industry. Today, the Telugu film employees like choreographers and action directors are working in Chennai, Mumbai, Kannada and everywhere. Our people have now won National Awards too, for which I felt very proud of myself.
