In 1958, director / Producer B N Reddy was nominated as a Andhra Pradesh Council member . Whole film industry was happy about this great honor that a tea part and a function to honor B N Reddy was done in Vijaya Gardens in Madras.
In the same year writer Narla Venkateswara Rao became a Rajya Sabha Member and he presided over this function. Actor Nagayya welcomed all and gave his inaugural speech. He lauded B N Reddy for his talent and contribution to films.
Narla Venkateswara Rao spoke that though B N Reddy was not a poet or artist or a singer, his films made him all the above and more and hence was more than eligible for the honor he was bestowed upon by the A.P government.
N T Rama Rao read the sanmaana patram and told that B N Reddy brought national recognition to telugu films. S V Ranga Rao then presented the Sanmaana Patram to B N Reddy and told that he totally deserved it.
Savitri put tilakam for B N Reddy, Anjali Devi applied Sandlewood paste, G Varalakshmi sprinkled rose water and ANR honored him with a Kashmir Shawl. Communist leader P Ramamurthi told that all should honor B N Reddy and more than that laud the government for nomination such a great man. ANR spoke that he and B N Reddy were poles apart and that he did not act in any of his films but he would regard him very higly for all his achievements.
He asked B N Reddy to not forget all of them and that he should take their problems to the notice of the government and aim to solve them. Others who spoke that day were Tapi Dharma Rao, Samudrala, K Subrahmanyam, Khasa Subba Rao . B N Reddy spoke that politics was not his cup of tea. He urged one and all to not forget values and do their work sincerely and wih high principles.
He had high praise for Moola Narayana Swami , A K Shekar, Ramnoth, K V Reddy and Naggayya and gave the credit for all his successes to them. Relangi gave the vote of thenks and the Sabha ended. Later they all had high tea in Vijaya Gardens....
Source: Lakshmi Priya Pakanati- Thank you
