Yogi Vemana (1947)

Synopsis: Vema Reddy's elder brother Anavema Reddy is the ruler of Moogachinthapalle, part of the Gajapathi kingdom. His wife Narasamamba is a kind-hearted woman. They have a daughter, Jyothi. Vema and little Jyothi are fond of each other. While Anavema struggles hard to clear the debt that he owes to the king, the atheist and pleasure-seeking Vema steals the family gold to please his mistress Mohanangi, a woman of low morals. Narasamamba tries to mend him, but in vain. Vema's misdeeds land Anavema in jail. Vema vows to get back the gold from Mohanangi to seek his brother's release, but fails. Thereupon he and his childhood friend Abhiram, experiment with some ancient crude methods to make gold. They succeed in making gold bar. Just then he comes to know that Jyothi is critically ill. Vema rushes back to the house. Jyothi's death brings about a transformation in Vema.
He goes on a quest to find the secret behind birth and death. Lord Siva appears before him in the guise of a yogi an enlightens him. Vema roams around villages, distributing to the people through his verses (which are very popular even today) the knowledge that he had gained. And finally at a ripe old age, Vema attains 'jeeva samadhi'.
Cast: Chittooru Nagaiah (Vemana), Mudigonda Lingamurthy (Abhiram), MV Rajamma (Mohanangi), Doraiswamy, Parvathi Bai (Narasamamba), Baby Krishnaveni (Jyothi), Bezawada Rajaratnam, Padmanabham, Rayaprolu Subrahmanyam, Rami Reddy (Anavema Reddy), Kantamani, C. Nageswara Rao (Poojari), Vedantam Lakshmikantham (Kosadhikari), 'Rakthakanneeru' Seetha (Kanakangi)
Screenplay: KV Reddy, Kamalakara Kameswara Rao
Lyrics: Samudrala Raghavacharya, Vemana
Music: Chittooru V. Nagaiah, Ogirala Ramachandra Rao
Playback: Nagaiah, Mudigonda Lingamurthy
Cinematography: Marcus Bartley
Choreography: Vedantam Raghavaiah
Art: Nagoor, SVS Rama Rao
Make-up: Haribabu
Associate Director: Kamalakara Kameswara Rao
Director: K.V. Reddy
Producers: B.N. Reddy and M. Narayana Swamy
Banner: Vauhini Studios
Release Date: 10 April
Trivia: C. Nageswara Rao, cinematographer for some of Vauhini Studios's films, done a role as Poojari.
Eight of Vemana's verses used in this film.
Popular Songs:
1. Andaalu chindeti naa jyothi
2. Itti marmambaraya valenannaa
3. Taruheena jalaheena nirjeeva