50 Years Since Inception, Annapurna Studios' Very First Employee Still Works There Today

When cinema icon Akkineni Nageswara Rao (ANR) stood on the land of Banjara Hills, Hyderabad, all he saw were rocks. The closest stretch of a tar road ended nearly four kilometres away. While the Telugu film industry continued to operate full throttle from its then base in Chennai, ANR birthed the quiet dream of relocating the entire industry by establishing on the 22-acre land — which would in years to come become the hub of all pan-Indian biggies — Annapurna Studios.

“There was nothing here; everywhere you looked were large boulders, and yet, ANR somehow saw cinema through it all,” reminisces 82-year-old accountant Tirumala Ramachary, the first ever employee of Annapurna Studios, which now boasts 12 fully equipped floors, a virtual production stage and a wide range of post-production facilities, where almost every big Indian film, from RRR and Kalki 2898 AD to Pushpa have been worked on.

Chari garu, as the studio employees fondly call him, defies age when he shows his cabin with a spring in his step. He started working with the studio, which was named after ANR’s wife, on 1 January 1976.

Ramachary calls actor-filmmaker ANR a “superman”, whose passion for storytelling matched his vision for cinema. When ANR founded the studio with the support of the state government, he knew that beyond the institutional backing, he needed people who would be his family in the long journey.

That’s when Ramachary happened — except he was already working with Sarathi Studios, the first film studio facility in Hyderabad.

“While I was working as an accountant there in 1968, I met Venkata Rathnam, ANR’s elder brother’s son, who used to be in production. He would help ANR with all his production work. Venkata saw me tally the account, keep a tab on [the credit and debit amounts], and the expenses they were incurring on the assets. He found that useful and asked me to join Annapurna. That decision changed my life,” Ramachary recounts his 50-year-long association with the studio.

On the first day of the job at Annapurna, armed with the excitement of working for his favourite hero, ANR, Ramachary realised that the studio had grand ambitions but only one employee: him.

For three-and-a-half years, he remained the only employee of the studio, which was mostly populated by labourers hired to break down the boulders. Later, workers joined in to construct and dismantle sets on Stage No. 1, the only one that they had back then.

“But there was no question of quitting,” he instantly shoots down the question even before it’s completed. “I knew from day one that something special was being built, because the motive was from the core. To do something for cinema, to do something for the state, through cinema.”

Annapurna Studios promised films, but also delivered, quite unexpectedly for many, development. Ramachary reminisces about the inauguration in 1976, noting that the lack of roads leading to Annapurna Studios prompted a strategic decision. “We didn’t have any roads, so ANR invited the then President of India, Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed. The government had to lay a tar road for his visit!”

The road to the studio originally abruptly terminated at the Begumpet area, roughly four to five kilometres away. The new road led all the dignitaries, including Sivaji Ganesan and N.T. Rama Rao, to the studio. The first film to be made there was 1976’s Secretary, a few months later, starring ANR and Vanisri.

Superstar Nagarjuna, ANR’s son, recalls the inauguration day and laughs. “At least we finally had a road! I remember it all — the police, the security, the guests. As a child, I was mesmerised by the grandness of the event, but it was only later that the significance of the event struck me. An entire industry had relocated with that move by my father,” Nagarjuna says.

As a child, Nagarjuna found the studio an exciting place to be, where he would watch an army of people assembling to make movies, while the same space would double as his cycling track or cricket playground. “In my 20s, when I was deciding to become an actor, my father encouraged me to observe a film shoot. I landed on the set of a Chiranjeevi film and was instantly captivated. Watching the filming of a rain song, I felt intimidated — could I really dance and lip-sync like that? I was so overwhelmed that it took me two whole days to tear myself away!” says Nagarjuna, who went on to star in over 100 films, winning two National Film Awards.

But the actor also notes how his memories of Annapurna Studios are also linked to Ramachary, who Nagarjuna sensed, even as a child, was “family”. “Chari garu was instructed to never give me money! I tried a lot, pulled all the tricks, but he never budged,” laughs the 65-year-old movie star.

His actor-son, Naga Chaitanya, also describes Ramachary — whose family includes his wife, two sons, one daughter, two granddaughters, and one grandson — as the silent guardian of the studio. “I remember when I used to come to Hyderabad for any summer vacations as a child, I’d go to Annapurna studios. My grandfather had a golf cart, which we would roam around in in the studio in and Chari was always there.”

Ramachary also had his moments of wonderment in the studio. He remembers being blown away by the sets of Aditya 369 (1991), a sci-fi film starring Nandamuri Balakrishna, Mohini and Amrish Puri among others. It was the first time a Telugu audience was introduced to the concept of a time machine.

“A time machine set was erected and when I first saw it, I was fascinated. My job didn’t require me to go to the set; I’d only go to get some cheques signed if ANR was there. But I remember marvelling at what they had built, because I had never seen anything like that in my life.”

But not everything was rosy. Even after Secretary was released and became a hit, there was a low phase where a lot of films didn’t work. The studio got a major boost when Premabhishekam hit the screens in 1981. The film starred ANR, Jayasudha and Sridevi among others.

“ANR would put his actor fees in the studio; that’s how the initial phase — where we mostly saw losses — was sustained. But ANR didn’t back out or pull the plug on his dreams. When I look at where the studio has reached, I have goosebumps. After ANR, Venkata Rathnam looked after the studio operations, then Nagarjuna came in and then Supriya. The commitment was always to keep the legacy alive.”

Nagarjuna says when he looks back and traces the journey of Annapurna Studios through its highs and lows, it feels “surreal”.

“A lot has changed in the sense that we have built newer facilities and stages, but something of the past is still here. Some people wanted us to commercialise this, but we said no, even during the tough times of the studio, when it was going through some [losses]. But there is a sense of belonging here. Even during COVID times, I would sometimes come here and take a walk, all alone, in peace. I am sure my parents are looking at it with pride. They put their life into it, this was their everything,” the actor says.

Ramachary attributes his association with Annapurna Studios to destiny, even when no one knew how far they would come or if they would make it anywhere at all.

“I will just tell you this: when I stood here 50 years ago, it was dusty, rocky, with nothing in sight. There was not a single tree on this entire campus. Did you count how many trees are here now? One can’t, but every tree you see here was planted by ANR and Annapurna. The couple transported saplings from other places and planted all of them here. Everything was relocated to build this community, family, and dream — not just the Telugu film industry.”

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