How many lady producers do we have in Tollywood today? One can count on fingers. For that matter, it’s the same even in Bollywood and Hollywood. Even today, In Hollywood, though one can name famous lady producers like Suzzane Todd (Alice in Wonderland, Memento) and her partner Jennifer Todd, we can’t deny the producer’s own quotes in which she had admitted that even Hollywood is a tough place for women. Coming to Bollywood we have Pooja Bhatt, Ekta Kapoor, Gauri Khan to name a few lady producers. But, in any film industry, men outnumber women in the fields of direction and production. If this is the case in the 21st century, imagine the scenario a few decades ago. But, in Tollywood we have someone who still made it to the big picture with the least available resources.

Rewinding decades, back in 1935 we have Dasari Kotiratnam, who produced films like Sathi Sakkubhai and Anasuya, under the banner Aurora Films. Along with producing those films, she also acted in them. She’s a rarely spoken about celebrity, hidden under the wraps of Tollywood. She acted in a few other films too, namely, Varavikrayam, Lankadahanam, Paadukapattabhishekam and actively participated in various stage plays, performances and theatre groups for 45 years.