Misplaced Pages

Sudigundalu

Article snapshot taken from Wikipedia with creative commons attribution-sharealike license. Give it a read and then ask your questions in the chat. We can research this topic together.

1968 Indian film
Sudigundalu
Theatrical release poster
Directed byAdurthi Subba Rao
Written byN. R. Nandi (dialogues)
Screenplay byK. Viswanath
Story byB. S. Thapa
Produced byAdurthi Subba Rao
Akkineni Nageswara Rao
StarringAkkineni Nageswara Rao
CinematographyK. S. Ramakrishna
Edited byT. Krishna
Music byK. V. Mahadevan
Production
company		Chakravarthy Chitra
Release date
  • 28 June 1968 (1968-06-28)
Running time136 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageTelugu

Sudigundalu (transl. Whirlpools) is a 1968 Indian Telugu-language philosophical film, produced by Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Adurthi Subba Rao under the Chakravarthy Chitra banner and directed by Adurthi Subba Rao. It stars Akkineni Nageswara Rao, and has music composed by K. V. Mahadevan. It was released on 28 June 1968. The film won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Telugu, The Nandi Award for Best Feature Film, and the Filmfare Award for Best Film – Telugu. It marked the debut of Nageswara Rao's son Nagarjuna as child artist in a cameo. The cult classic film was screened at the Tashkent Film Festival, and the International Film Festival of India.

Plot

Justice Chandra Shekaram is a noble & generous judge who shelters the families afflicted by his judgment. They mold into a conjugal family and rear Chandra Shekaram's motherless infant, Raja, under a shower of affection. Years later, Raja is a lovely, intelligent boy whom everyone adores. On his birthday, Raja attends the school but shockingly does not return, which panics everyone who makes the severe quest. The following day, as a flabbergasted, the police find his dead body. The incident generates mayhem in the society. After a profound inquiry, the police unearth two youngster minors, Vikram Kumar & Sandhya Rani, the progeny of influential figures in high society, as homicides who killed Raja.

Vikram is the son of Panakala Rao, a politician who campaigns for the welfare of the poor, while Sandhya is the daughter of a millionaire Koteswara Rao. Vikram and Sandhya are in a relationship. Vikram has a stepmother Pankajam who is around the same age as him, and they do not get along.

In court, when the judgment is about to be given for the case, Chandra Sekharam appears and volunteers to argue in defense of the culprits, which shocks everyone. By doing so, he unearths the true motive and declares that they have done these acts in sheer madness. Vikram and Sandhya once attended a school play in which Raja and Sandhya's younger brother participated and her brother was jealous of Raja who earned the prize. Vikram, in an effort to appease Sandhya and her brother, said that he will kill Raja. Vikram stole crime novels that Pankajam reads, read them himself, and then planned to commit the murder the same way by taking Raja to a swimming pool and drowning him. Vikram reveals in court that he killed Raja for fun and felt the tendency to kill others due to mixed feelings and mental instability, including Pankajam.

After cross-examining Panakala Rao, Koteswara Rao, and their respective wives, Chandra Sekharam brings out the fact that the youngsters have grown up to become irresponsible and choose the wrong path due to their upbringing. Vikram's parents never cared enough to teach their son about morality while Sandhya's parents take advantage of their wealth power and allow her to get used to vices though she is still a minor.

At last, Chandra Shekaram affirms that parents should play a key role in raising their heirs as eligible citizens with morality; his words reform culpable & ashamed parents after soul-searching, and the jury changes its edict. After fighting the case in vain, the movie ends tragically, with Chandra Shekaram breathing his last in the court hall.

Cast

  • Akkineni Nageswara Rao as Judge Chandrasekharam
  • Master Raja as Raja
  • Gummadi as Public Prosecutor
  • Ram Mohan as Police Inspector
  • Sakshi Ranga Rao as Venkatappaiah
  • Mada as John Maridaiah
  • Pisupati Venkateswara Rao as Panakala Rao
  • P. Koteswara Rao as Koteswara Rao
  • Vijayachander as Vikram Kumar
  • Pushpa Kumari as Rathamma
  • Sukanya as Pankajam
  • Sandhya Rani as Seeta
  • Meena Kumari
  • Sasikala as Sasikala
  • Prasanna Rani as Sandhya Rani
  • Master Akkineni Venkat as Cameo
  • Master Akkineni Nagarjuna (cameo)
  • Savitri as Lakshmi, Chandrasekharam's wife (portrait appearance)

Background

Adurthi Subba Rao, who has directed many commercially successful films, made this film with the intention of making artistic and informative films. He also shared the production duties of the film with actor Nageswara Rao.

The 1959 American movie Compulsion (1959 film) is the inspiration for the script of the movie. American convicted criminals, Leopold and Loeb and their trial form the plot of the film Compulsion.

Soundtrack

Sudigundalu
Film score by K. V. Mahadevan
Released1968
GenreSoundtrack
Length11:45
ProducerK. V. Mahadevan

Music composed by K. V. Mahadevan. The music released on Audio Company.

S. No Song Title Lyrics Singers length
1 "Vinara Sodara" Dasaradhi Ghantasala, P. Susheela, Vasantha 11:45

Awards

National Film Awards
Nandi Awards
Filmfare Awards South

References

  1. BARaju's Team (28 June 2021). "53 Years for Natasamrat #ANR gari starrer, Best Film Of The Year #Sudigundalu Produced by ANR Garu along with Adurthi Garu. Directed by Adurthi. (28/06/1968)" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
  2. The Times of India, Entertainment. "National Awards Winners 1967: Complete list of winners of National Awards 1967". timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Archived from the original on 24 March 2020. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  3. "15th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 February 2012. Retrieved 21 September 2011.
  4. "Film producer passes away". The Hindu. 27 March 2006. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  5. Haasan, Kamal. "Bollywood blockbuster to Kollywood classic: Kamal Haasan picks his 70 favourite movies". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 13 July 2021. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  6. "Telugu cinema's second gen actors remember ANR". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 9 July 2021. Retrieved 2 July 2021.
  7. Collections. Update Video Publication. 1991. p. 387. Archived from the original on 10 January 2023. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  8. "నంది అవార్డు విజేతల పరంపర (1964–2008)" [A series of Nandi Award Winners (1964–2008)] (PDF). Information & Public Relations of Andhra Pradesh. Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 February 2015. Retrieved 21 August 2020.(in Telugu)
National Film Award for Best Telugu Feature Film
1954–1960
Certificate of Merit
1961–1980
Certificate of Merit
1981–2000
2001–2020
2021–present
Filmfare Award for Best Telugu Film
1961–1980
1981–2000
2001–2018
2020–present
Categories: