While the world may know Nagi Reddi as a cineaste through Vijaya Vahuni studios and Vijaya Productions, a publisher of the multilingual child­ren’s magazine Chandama­ma and founder of the Vijaya Group of Hospitals, he himself says, “When I receive an award, or when people congratulate me for a certain success, I remember a scene in a film by Charlie Chaplin. Standing by the roadside, he suddenly finds the passers-by offering him spontaneous salutes. Greatly surprised, he returns the salutes with warm smiles, but soon grows suspicious about it and looks around. Lo and behold, behind stood a majestic statue of Abraham Lincoln! Well, in Chaplin’s case what was behind him was visible to others but not visible to him. In my case what is behind me is visible to me though not visible to others. Behind every so-called success of mine is the action and dedication of so many of my lieutenants, collaborators and workers. Like the varied colours making a rainbow, they made my career whatever it is worth.” The subtext running through the book, Many Shades Make a Rainbow: Reminiscences of B. Nagi Reddi, is that he was first and last a people’s person.

Nagi, or Reddiar, as he was fondly addressed by his contemporaries, never failed to credit every guiding light in his life, be it his kind-hearted mother, Erukalamma who, he remembers, let birds feed on harvested grain; tutor Ramaraju, who taught him to recite the Bhagavatam, Ramayana and Mahabharata; and Narasimha Naidu who taught him the English alphabet when he moved from Pottipadu village in Kada­pa taluk to Madras; or his ‘foster mother’ who took care of him during his stay in Rangoon and later helped him recover debts at Haththuram, a village near Karachi; his elder brother B.N. Reddi who launched Rohini Pictures (Gruha­lakshmi, 1938) and Vahuni Productions (Vande Mataram, 1939); and his dear friend and associate of 35 years A.V. Subba Rao who wrote under the name of Chakrapani; MGR with whom he produced and directed films and whose motivation resulted in the founding of the Vijaya Hospitals; and his life partner Seshamma who once refused his gift of a piece of jewellery and, instead, asked him to invest it in his printing press.

Nagi Reddi’s father Nara­simha Reddi started a wholesale and export business in Madras in 1916 when Nagi was four years old and was living with his maternal grandparents in Pottippadu. Later, Nagi Reddi came to Madras and studied in Muthialpet High School in Govindappa Naicken Street before he dropped out to join his father’s business. As a student, he was interested in participating in the freedom struggle. He recalls having sold a paper called Sudandira Changu (Freedom Conch) on the Marina. Then, around the time T. Prakasam, Panthulu and Durgabai Deshmukh spearheaded the Salt Satyagraha in Madras, he went back to his village and spent the money his father gave him spinning khadi. At the age of 18, he cut his teeth in business sailing to Rangoon with a consignment of onions. Returning to Madras after a year or two, he involved himself in his father’s business and his brother’s film production. He launched the publicity of the film Sumangali in Madras city in 1940 and during the film’s release at Paragon Theatre tackled blackmarketeers with his group of 50-odd workers, and then redeployed the anti-socials to distribute handbills. His idea of making in Bangalore a 40-feet-high cutout of Anjaneya back in 1942 to publicise the film Bhakta Pothana made it a box-office hit.

Nagi Reddi’s first film production was the Telugu Shavu­karu released in April 1950 under Vijaya Productions, started by him and Chakrapani and made in Vahuni Studios in Vadapalani. The studio built on an expanse of 10 acres grew in stature and came to be known as the largest in Southeast Asia. To recover money lent out to Moola Narayanasamy, Nagi Reddi took over from him as the Managing Director of the Vahuni Productions. He also helped Narayanasamy with funds to build the Vahuni Studio which the Nagi Reddi-Chakrapani duo took on lease.

His film creations along with Chakrapani included scores made in Telugu, Tamil, Kan­nada, Malayalam and Hindi. While story, screenplay and production were Chakrapani’s department, Nagi Reddi took charge of marketing and business promotion. Their films included Pathala Bhairavi (1951 – Telugu, Tamil), Missiamma (1955 – Tamil, Telugu), Kadan Vaangi Kalyanam (Tamil – 1959), Gundamma Katha (1962 – Telugu), Manithan Maaravillai (1962 – Tamil), Maduve Maadi Nodu (1963 – Kannada), Enga Veetu Pillai (1965 –Tamil) and Ram aur Shyam (1967 – Hindi). Vijaya Productions also made films along with other companies, notably Devar Films and Kerala Pictures.

Two popular actor-politicians who enjoyed a demigod status, MGR and NTR, were both close to Nagi Reddi whose films helped them gain popularity which later translated into votes. Founder of the Telugu Desam Party, NTR acted in about 20 films produced by Vijaya Productions, including many mythological films. The 1969 film Nam Naadu with MGR and Jayalalithaa had political overtones and showed MGR winning elections. Nagi Reddi and MGR went to Mekala theatre to watch the people’s reactions. When the viewers wanted one of the scenes to be replayed, an emotional MGR, hugged Nagi and said, “O Reddiar! I have received the people’s acceptance.” Their friendship continued even after MGR became Chief Minister. Nagi Reddi was appointed a member on the advisory panel of the Govern­ment’s noon meal scheme. When the Vijaya Health Centre came up, a Dr. MGR memorial arch was constructed on the premises.

A winner of the prestigious Dada Saheb Phalke award in 1987, Nagi Reddi was president of the Film Federation of India for two terms, president of the South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce for three terms, chairman of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam Board and president of the All India Master Printers’ Federation for three terms. He passed away on February 25, 2004 at the age of 91. The book, edited and published by his son Viswam, has more than 100 black and white pictures.