Padmalaya Studios is an Indian film production company and studio facility established by actor Krishna and his brothers. Based in Hyderabad, it primarily focuses on the production and distribution of Telugu and Hindi films. The studio's operations are now managed through its successors, including Indira Productions, G. Mahesh Babu Entertainment, and Krishna Productions.

The production company, initially known as Padmalaya Movies, was founded in 1970 with its first film Agni Pariksha. In 1982, the Andhra Pradesh state government allocated 9.5 acres of land to Krishna to promote the development of the film industry in Hyderabad. This led to the establishment of the Padmalaya Studios, a film studio facility, which officially opened in November 1984. The first film shot at the studio was Simhasanam (1986).

History

Padmalaya Movies Padmalaya Movies, a film production company, was established in 1970 by Telugu actor Krishna and his brothers. The company made its debut with the film Agni Pariksha (1970). Padmalaya Movies gained prominence in 1971 with the production of Mosagallaku Mosagadu, the first Indian Western film, which received acclaim and commercial success for its innovative genre.

Padmalaya Studios In 1982, the state government of Andhra Pradesh allocated 9.5 acres of land in Shaikpet Mandal to Krishna at a concessional price of ₹8,500 per acre. This allocation was part of an initiative to encourage the Telugu film industry to shift its base from Madras (now Chennai) to Hyderabad. The studio facility, named Padmalaya Studios, was inaugurated in November 1984. The first film shot at the studio was Simhasanam (1986). Currently, the studio operates on approximately 4 acres of land.

Controversy The allocation of 9.5 acres of land to Padmalaya Studios became controversial due to the substantial difference between the government-fixed price of ₹8,500 per acre and the prevailing market rate, which was estimated to be around ₹5 lakh per acre at the time. The land was granted under the Andhra Pradesh (Telangana Area) Alienation of State Lands and Land Revenue Rules of 1975, with the stipulation that it be used exclusively for film-related purposes. However, 5.3 acres of the allocated land were later sold to third parties, leaving the studio with only about 4 acres of its original allotment.

Filmography Telugu

+ Year Title Cast Director Notes 1970Agni ParikshaKrishna, Vijaya NirmalaK. Varaprasada Rao 1971 Mosagallaku Mosagadu Krishna, Vijaya Nirmala, Jayalalithaa, Nagabhushanam K. S. R. Das First Indian western film 1973 Devudu Chesina Manushulu N. T. Rama Rao, Krishna, Jayalalithaa, Vijaya Nirmala V. Ramachandra Rao 1973Mayadari MalligaduKrishna, Manjula, Jayanthi, NagabhushanamAdurthi Subba RaoPresenter 1974 Alluri Seetarama Raju Krishna, Vijaya Nirmala, Jaggayya V. Ramachandra Rao 1977 Kurukshetram Krishna, Vijaya Nirmala, Sobhan Babu, Krishnam Raju, Jaya Prada, Jamuna, Anjali Devi Kamalakara Kameswara Rao 1982 Eenadu Krishna, Radhika P. Sambasiva Rao 1986 Simhasanam Krishna, Jaya Prada, Radha, Mandakini, Amjad Khan Krishna 1987 Marana Sasanam Krishnam Raju, Jayasudha S.S. Ravichandra 1988 Mugguru Kodukulu Krishna, Radha, Ramesh Babu, Mahesh Babu, Sonam Krishna 1989 Rajakeeya Chadarangam Krishna, Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Sujatha P. Chandrasekhara Reddy 1989 Koduku Diddina Kapuram Krishna, Mahesh Babu, Vijayashanti Krishna 1990 Balachandrudu Mahesh Babu, Geetha Krishna 1993 Anna Chellelu Ramesh Babu, Aamani, Soundarya P. Chandrasekhara Reddy 1994 Pacha Thoranam Ramesh Babu, Rambha Adurti Saibhaskar 1994 Police Alludu Krishna, Malashri, Brahmanandam, Kota Srinivasa Rao Mannava Balayya 2000 Vamsi Mahesh Babu, Namrata Shirodkar, Krishna B. Gopal 2001 Pandanti Samsaram Krishna, Babloo Prithiveeraj Krishna

Hindi

Year Title Cast Director Notes 1980 Takkar Sanjeev Kumar, Jeetendra, Zeenat Aman, Jaya Prada, Ashok Kumar, Vinod Mehra, Bindiya Goswami K. Bapayya 1981 Meri Aawaz Suno Jeetendra, Hema Malini, Parveen Babi Rajendra Singh Babu 1983 Himmatwala Jeetendra, Sridevi K. Raghavendra Rao 1983 Justice Chaudhury Jeetendra, Sridevi, Hema Malini, Moushumi Chatterjee K. Raghavendra Rao 1983 Mawaali Jeetendra, Sridevi, Jaya Prada K. Bapayya 1984 Qaidi Jeetendra, Hema Malini, Shatrughan Sinha, Madhavi S. S. Ravichandra 1984 Kaamyab Jeetendra, Shabana Azmi, Radha K. Raghavendra Rao 1985 Hoshiyar Jeetendra, Shatrughan Sinha, Jaya Prada, Meenakshi Sheshadri K. Raghavendra Rao 1985 Pataal Bhairavi Jeetendra, Jaya Prada K. Bapayya 1986 Singhasan Jeetendra, Jaya Prada, Mandakini Krishna 1988 Mulzim Jeetendra, Hema Malini, Shatrughan Sinha, Amrita Singh K. S. R. Das 1988 Kanwarlal Jeetendra, Sujata Mehta, Raj Babbar S. S. Ravichandra 1999 Sooryavansham Amitabh Bachchan, Soundarya, Jayasudha, Kader Khan, Anupam Kher, Bindu, Mukesh Rishi E. V. V. Satyanarayana 2001 Aamdani Atthanni Kharcha Rupaiya Govinda, Juhi Chawla, Tabu K. Raghavendra Rao 2002 Kyaa Dil Ne Kahaa Tusshar Kapoor, Esha Deol, Raj Babbar, Neena Kulkarni, Rajesh Khanna, Smita Jaykar, Ashok Saraf Sanjay Chhel 2004 Ishq Hai Tumse Dino Morea, Bipasha Basu Ghattamaneni Krishna

Tamil

+ Year Title Cast Director Notes 1980 Vishwaroopam Shivaji Ganesan, Sujatha, Sridevi, Major Sundarrajan A. C. Tirulokchandar 1982 Thyagi Sivaji Ganesan, Sujatha, Major Sundarrajan, V. S. Raghavan C. V. Rajendran 1986 Maaveeran Rajinikanth, Ambika, Jaishankar, Sujatha Rajasekhar

Kannada

+ Year Title Cast Director Notes 1985 Amara Jyothi Ambareesh, Madhavi B Subba Rao

References