Biography

Datla Venkata Suryanarayana Raju (13 December 1928 – 13 November 2010), widely known as D. V. S. Raju, was an Indian film producer known for his work in Telugu cinema. He is credited with playing a pivotal role in relocating the Telugu film industry from Madras to Hyderabad. Over his career, he produced around 25 films, including successful Telugu productions such as Maa Babu (1960), Mangamma Sapadham (1965), Pidugu Ramudu (1966), Tikka Sankarayya (1968), Gandikota Rahasyam (1969), and Jeevana Jyothi (1975), as well as the Hindi film Mujhe Insaaf Chaahiye (1983).

Raju held several prominent leadership roles in the Indian film industry, including serving as the Honorary Secretary of the South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce in 1966 and as a jury member for the 15th National Film Awards. From 1979 to 1980, he was the President of the Film Federation of India. As Chairman of the National Film Development Corporation (NFDC), Raju was instrumental in co-funding the Academy Award-winning film Gandhi (1982). He also served as Chairman of the Andhra Pradesh State Film Development Corporation. In recognition of his contributions to Indian cinema, Raju was awarded the Raghupathi Venkaiah Award in 1988 and the Padma Shri in 2001.