The 111th Jayanti celebrations of Dada Saheb Phalke Awardee Paidi Jairaj (Paidipati Jairula Naidu) were celebrated on Monday by the Telugu Film Chamber. The first-generation actor and filmmaker was one of the most critically-acclaimed silent-era actors of the pre-Independence era. The celebrations were graced by the Telangana Excise Minister V Srinivas Goud. Senior comedian and former Minister Babu Mohan, Prasanna Kumar of the Producers' Council, Mohan Goud of the Andhra Pradesh Film Chamber of Commerce, young actor Panjala Shravan Kumar and others, too, graced the occasion.
The Excise Minister said that the Telangana State awards for achievers of the Telugu film industry should be named after Jairaj. He also said that the Hyderabad-Karimnagar Highway should be named after him.
Born on September 28, 1909, in Telangana's Sircilla, Jairaj was the nephew of Muthyala Govindarajulu Naidu, the better-half of freedom fighter and Gandhian Sarojini Naidu.
