Dasari Yoganand shorty D. Yoganand was a South Indian film director
Background
Yoganand was born in Madras under British India. He went to Bangalore, trained in Radiology, and he went to Madras in 1939 to help his father. Yoganand joined Jiten Benarjee of Newtone Studios after his father"s death and later worked with famous cinematographer M. A. Rehman.
Career
Venkata Das was estate manager under Nawaab Raza Ali Khan of Machilipatnam. He was the youngest of three children survived. Doctorate. Subbayya, a Photographic equipment businessman in Machilipatnam, adopted Yoganand.
He was exposed to Photography and became an expert photographer.
He was interested in playing and directing dramas and came close to Tungala Chalapathi Rao and Yadavalli Nageswara Rao in Machilipatnam. He has participated in the Quit India Movement of 1942.
In the Indian Freedom Movement, he came close to great Congress leaders like Rajagopalachari, Tanguturi Prakasam and Bulusu Sambamurthi. He has worked in Samsaram directed by L.V. Prasad.
In 1943, he joined as an editor, with Manikyam for the film Mayalokam and also worked as an assistant director to Gudavalli Ramabrahmam.
He has worked for Bhakta Tulasidas by Lanka Satyam in Salem for three years. His debut film was Ammalakkalu (Telugu) and Marumagal (Tamil) by Leena Chettiar in 1953. He became the in-house filmmaker for his Krishna Pictures and made many box-office successes including the iconic film, Madurai Veeran (1956).
The film sowed the seeds for M. G. Ramachandran to be projected as more than a mere good-looking hero.
After working with Yoganand, North. T. Rama Rao offered him to direct for Thodu Dongalu (1954). He also wrote story for the film.
NTR gave him a second chance in his next film Jayasimha which became a blockbuster. He has directed about 50 films in Telugu and Tamil languages.
Among them North. T. Rama Rao had the lead role in 17 films.
His successful films include Thodu Dongalu, Ilavelpu, Kodalu Diddina Kapuram, Ummadi Kutumbam, Muga Nomu, Jai Jawan, Vemulavada Bheema Kavi, Kathanayakuni Katha, Dabbuku Lokam Dasoham, Jayasimha, Vade Veedu, Thodu Dongalu, Thikka Shankarayya and Pelli Sandadi. He had the unique distinction of directing all the top stars, both in Telugu and Tamil film fields such as Sivaji Ganesan, M. G. Ramachandran, Gemini Ganesan, South. South. Rajendran, K. Balajee, North. T. Rama Rao, Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Relangi Venkata Ramaiah, Bhanumathi Ramakrishna, Savitri, Padmini, Vyjayanthimala, Jayalalitha, Pandari Bai, B. Saroja Devi and Devika. He died of Heart attack in Chennai.