| Color |
Black & White - 35MM 195 Min. |
| Photography: |
Marcus bartley |
| Direction By: |
K.V reDDi |
| Story, lyrics and Dialogues: |
Pingali Nagendra Rao |
| Music: |
ghanTasaala venkaTESwararaavu |
| Cast: |
C.S.R Anjaneyulu, Balakrishna/Anji Girija .... pAtALabhairavi , K. maalati, Padma Nabham N.T.Rama Rao, S.V. Ranga Rao, Savithri .... stars as an 'extra' rElangi venkaTaraamayya, Surabhi Kamalabai ….. tota ramudu's mother, T.G.Kamala … harikatha, lakshmikantam …vagalo vagalu dancer, hemalathamma, chitti |
| Producer: |
Chakrapani and Nagireddy |
| Art: |
Madhavapeddi Gokhale |
| Screenplay: |
K.Kameshwara Rao, K.V.Reddy |
| Playback: |
ghanTasaala venkaTESwararaavu, Leela, P (a big break) , P.G Jikki Krishnaveni, V.J varma, T.G.Kamala, rElangi venkaTaraamayya |
Songs:
- kalavaramAye madilO nA madilO ( Ragam : abhEri ) - ghanTasaala venkaTESwararaavu, - P Leela,
- prEmakOsamai valalOpaDenE - Background song on NTR
- enta GhATu prEmayo ( Ragam : mOhana - rAgESwari )
- haayiga manakinka swEchagA
- nE raananTe raanE raanu - Savithri appears as an 'extra' in this song
- praNaya jeevulaku dEvi varaalE (Ragam : abhEri )
- vinavE baalaa naa prEma gOla - rElangi venkaTaraamayya,
- vagalOy vagalu taLuku beLuku - P.G Jikki Krishnaveni, (and chorus)
- kanugonagalanEmo naa praaNa sakhini - ghanTasaala venkaTESwararaavu
- Etihasam vinnara - T.G.Kamala.
On the Writer of the film : Sri Pingali Nagendra Rao
The films he worked
- 1941 - bhalEpeLLi .... debut ---- ( Composed lyrics )
- 1948 -vindhyArANi ---- (story ,dialogues and Lyrics)
- 1949 - guNasundarikatha ---- (dialogues and Lyrics)
- 1951 - pAtALabhairavi ---- (dialogues and lyrics)
- 1954 - chandrahAram ---- (composed Lyrics)
- 1955 - missamma ---- (lyrics)
- 1957 - mAyAbajAr ---- (story,Sceenplay,Dialogues and lyrics)
- 1958 - pellinati pramanalu (story,screenplay,dialogues and lyrics)
- 1959 - appujEsi pappukUDu ---- (lyrics)
- 1960 -mahAkavi kALidAsu ---- (story ,dialogues and lyrics)
- 1961 - jagadEkavIrunikatha ---- 1961 (story ,dialogues and lyrics)
- 1962 - mahAmantri timmarusu ---- 1962 (story, dialogues and lyrics
- 1962 - gunDammakatha ---- 1962 (screenplay and lyrics)
- 1963 - SrIkRshNArjunayuddham ---- 1963 (dialogues and lyrics)
- 1965 - C.I.D ---- 1965 (screenplay, dialogues and lyrics)
- 1968 - aggimIda guggilam ---- 1968 (story, dialogues and lyrics)
- 1971 - rAjakOTa rahasyaM ---- 1971 (lyrics)
Before coming to the films he wrote many drama's. some of his famous plays are Vindyarani (later made into a film), Naa raaju, kshatra hindu, oke kutumbam, jebunnesa etc., while working in the railways. After that he did a job in sharada magzine. His first film was bhale pelli (1941), but after the film he went back to his job in machilipatnam , until kamalakara kameshwara rao invited him for gunasundari katha(1948). He used to keep funny names to his characters like nikshepa rayudu, tota ramudu, hamsa veerudu, haramathi, kalamati, salahala rao, entachebite ante gallu etc.,
All his songs are major hits in all the movies.
He is bachelor all his life, but he wrote very romantic songs in the films. for that he says do we need to participate in war to write the war scene, it is the same way. 'Ravi kanchani chota kavi kanchunu'
On the Story:
Loosely based on arabian nights story "allavudin adbhuta deepam" .
The poor gardener's (surabhi kaamalabhai) son Thota Ramudu (NTR) sees rajakumari indumathi (malathi) and falls in love with her immediately. He tries to meet her. In that process get caught by the guards. The king asks him to get money so that he can give the hand of his daughter to him. The villain is Nepala mantrikudu (SVR) who wants to make hero, as a fine example of manhood, into a sacrifice to the underworld goddess patala bharavi (girija ). He entraps the hero with a magic bowl able to generate gold and ramudu has to overcome numerous trails like fighting a crocodile which turns to be a godly being living under a curse etc., he tricks the sorcerer and is able to decapitate him. He thus satisfies Patalabhairavi lust for human sacrifice and receives the riches he carves from her as a reward. To lengthen the film, the sorcerer is revived again pursues the hero and is again defeated.
SVR got this role in a tough competition. First choice was mukamala (I think as his swapna sundari was a hit). But as SVR was with Vijaya banner, he got the role. He did some of the shellac mannerisms from shakesphere drama for this role. He became the role model for the other mantrikulu after this film.
This was malathi's major brake even though she did some films like gunasundari katha (as one of the sisters). But she died in an accident. Her house is besides to the theatre venkataramana 70 mm in kachiguda hyderabad. And one day the compound wall of the theatre fell on her and she died immediately.
Padmanabham's character wears a face cover, which helps anji to disguise in the ending.
For the music of the film they used the hammond organ, only vijaya used to have that organ at that time.
On the film:
The film was started on 1950 feb 5th and completed on 1951 feb 8th. Released on 15th march. The film completed 100 days in 28 centers all over andhra,karnataka and madras. It was the first film selected to 1952 international film festival held first time in india
Comments:
Savithri, not yet a big star, appears as an 'extra' in this film in the song "nE raananTe raanE raanu ....".
From this film only:
 well known actor balakrishna got his name as "anji" and carried it almost to the end of his film career and became very famous. Also in this film
the voice modulation of S.V. Rangarao (maantrikuDu) was excellent, especially the dialogues like: saahasam sEy^raa DiMbhakaa!, raajakumaari labhistundi,
saMkalpam siddhistundi and also phrases like arE Dingaree, Dimbhakaa, osE bulbul became famous.
We know the film was based on Arabian nights as the dresses of NTR and SVR resembles the Arabian dresses.
Surabhi kamalabhai's dialogue hari bhagavantuda kodukunimmante rakshasudani echavemira and
NTR's dialogue saying nijam cheppamantara, abadham ceppamantara became famous..
The hindi version dubbed by Gemini from telugu, included a specially shot color sequence with a dance by lakshmikantamma. The success of this film made Padmalayas's to make this film in complete hindi color film with jitendra and jayaprada after 30 years.
Acknowledgements to Srikanth Madhavapeddi, Srinivas parachuri.
|
