Asamana Anasuya | A Film on Telugu Folk Icon, Anasuya Devi by Seetha Ratnakar

About

A trailblazer in Telugu folk music, Anasuya Devi dedicated her life to collecting, preserving, and popularizing traditional songs, ensuring that the voices of rural India found a place in the larger musical landscape. Born in Kakinada, she recorded her first gramophone song, ‘Ayyo Koyyoda’, at just 8 years old and went on to break barriers as the first light music singer and composer for All India Radio, Madras. Introducing folk songs into classical concerts as early as 1931, alongside her sister, Vinjamuri Seetha Devi, she formed the renowned Vinjamuri Sisters, performing full-length folk concerts across India.

Anasuya Devi’s compositions—beginning at age nine for her uncle, Padmabhushan Devulapalli Krishna Sastri—spanned films, radio, and patriotic music. Despite excelling in multiple genres, she remained deeply committed to folk music. She meticulously documented and categorized her vast repertoire into 7 volumes, providing an invaluable resource for scholars, musicians, and future generations. This screening honors her immense contributions and enduring musical legacy, and will be followed by a discussion with her daughter and director of the film, Seetha Ratnakar.

About the filmmaker

Seetha Ratnakar is a freelance filmmaker who began her career with Doordarshan, where she directed and archived performances by eminent Indian dancers and musicians. Her notable works include Thyagaraja’s Nauka Charitam, Lilavati, and Viralimalai Kuravanji, featuring legendary dancers Dr. Padma Subrahmanyam, Prof. Sudharani Raghupati, and Smt. Chitra Visweswaran. She also directed A Tryst with Tradition, a documentary on Smt. Rukmini Devi Arundale.

After 37 years at Doordarshan, she transitioned to independent filmmaking. Her documentary Cosmic Connection won the Gold Remi Award at the WorldFest International Film Festival, Houston. Her latest work, Asamana Anasuya, is a tribute to her mother’s musical journey and interactions with poets and dignitaries. It has won awards at Chalachitra International Film Festival and was an official selection at Hollywood Best Indie Film Awards, New York Film and Cinematography Awards 2024, among others.

Date:
22nd March 2025
01:30 PM – 03:30 PM Saturday

Venue:
IME Performance Theatre,
IME Museum,
Brigade Millennium Avenue,
JP Nagar 7th phase,
Bengaluru – 560078

RSVP:
RSVP Here