Yoganand worked as an associate to Gudavalli Ramabrahmam and
L. V. Prasad. He worked in
Samsaram directed by L.V. Prasad. In 1943, he joined Manikyam as an editor for the film
Mayalokam and also worked as an assistant director to Gudavalli Ramabrahmam. He worked for
Bhakta Tulasidas by Lanka Satyam in
Salem for three years. His debut film was
Ammalakkalu (Telugu) and
Marumagal (Tamil) by Leena Chettiar in 1953. He became the in-house filmmaker for his Krishna Pictures and made many box-office successes including the
Madurai Veeran (1956) which sowed the seeds for
M. G. Ramachandran to be projected as more than a mere good-looking hero. After working with Yoganand, N. T. Rama Rao offered to let him direct
Thodu Dongalu (1954). He also wrote the story for the film, which received many awards including a merit certificate from the President of India and an award in the China Film Festival. NTR gave him a second chance in his next film
Jayasimha which became a blockbuster. He directed about 50 films in Telugu and
Tamil languages; among them
N. T. Rama Rao had the lead role in 17 films. His films include
Thodu Dongalu,
Ilavelpu,
Kodalu Diddina Kapuram,
Ummadi Kutumbam,
Muga Nomu,
Jai Jawan,
Vemulavada Bheema Kavi,
Kathanayakuni Katha,
Dabbuku Lokam Dasoham,
Jayasimha,
Vade Veedu,
Thodu Dongalu,
Thikka Shankarayya and
Pelli Sandadi. He had the unique distinction of directing all the top stars, both in Telugu and Tamil film fields such as
N. T. Rama Rao,
Akkineni Nageswara Rao,
Relangi,
Bhanumathi Ramakrishna,
Savitri,
Padmini,
Vyjayanthimala,
Jayalalitha,
Pandari Bai,
B. Saroja Devi,
Devika,
Sivaji Ganesan,
M. G. Ramachandran,
Gemini Ganesan,
S. S. Rajendran and
M. N. Nambiar,
K. Balaji. He died of a
heart attack in
Chennai. ==Filmography==