Suvarna Sundari
Theatrical release poster
Directed byVedantam Raghavayya
Written byMalladi Ramakrishna Sastry (dialogues)
Screenplay byVedantam Raghavayya
Story byVempati Sadasivabrahmam
Adinarayana Rao
Produced byP. Adinarayana Rao
StarringAkkineni Nageswara Rao
Anjali Devi
CinematographyM. A. Rahman
Edited byN. S. Prakash
Music byP. Adinarayana Rao
Production
company
Distributed byChamria Talkie
Release date
  • 10 May 1957 (1957-05-10)
Running time
208 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguagesTelugu
Tamil

Suvarna Sundari (transl.Golden Beauty) is a 1957 Indian Telugu-language swashbuckler film directed by Vedantam Raghavayya.[1] It stars Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Anjali Devi with music composed by P. Adinarayana Rao. The film was produced by Adinarayana Rao under the Anjali Pictures banner.

The film was simultaneously shot in Tamil as Manaalane Mangaiyin Baakkiyam (transl.The only fortune for a woman is her husband).[2] Lata Mangeshkar suggested that Suvarna Sundari be remade in Hindi instead of dubbing the film. It was then made in Hindi with the same title as the Telugu version. Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Anjali Devi did their roles in the Hindi version as well; it was the only Hindi film in Nageswara Rao's film career, while Gemini Ganesan played the male lead in the Tamil version.

The shooting of the film was held at Venus Studios, Madras and the outdoor shooting was held at Shimsha falls, Mysore. The film was released through Chamria Talkie Distributors, headed by Sundar Lal Nahata, and it set a record at the box office by celebrating 50 days in 48 centres and completed 100 days in 18 centres.[3][4][5]

Plot

Once upon a time, there was a kingdom Malwa, it's prince Jayanth is ready to leave, after accomplishing his education. Just before, Rajaguru's daughter Sarala denounces him for the refusal of her love and claims that he molested her. So, King Chandra Bhanu penalises him with the death penalty but Jayanth absconds somehow. On the way, he is acquainted with 3 sly thieves Kailasam, Ullasam, and Chadastam who confront Jayanth to resolve the mystery behind a Lord Siva’s temple. Therein, Jayanth relieves the curse of a Gandharva who bestows him with 3 marvel gifts. A Jug which supplies any amount of food, a Mat which travels anywhere, and a Wand which punishes a person irrespective of his strength. Meanwhile, the 3 crafty thieves backstab Jayanth and, steals the objects. They share the 3 objects among themselves and split.

Before long, fortuitously, a glorious angel Surana Sundari lands from heaven and comes across Jayanth. The two fall in love. They marry and Sundari conceives. When Lord Indra knows about Sundari's affair with a mortal man, he curses Sundari to take a permanent human form and casts her to Earth. He also curses that Jayanth will lose all her memory and will turn into stone if she touches him. Jayanth wanders, and Sundari becomes a mortal on earth and gives birth to a baby boy. But the wheel of fortune makes them separate. Years roll by, and Jayanth as a wanderer regains the 3 objects from the thieves who cheated him earlier. In between, he contracts a curse that he will turn into a woman in the day and a man in the night. The curse will be lifted only if one gets Amrit, the nectar from heaven. Thereafter, he goes into a kingdom and lands a job at the palace in the female form of Jayanthi, getting close to the princess Parthima Devi.

In the meantime, Sundari uses a man's guide to search for his son and Jayanth. Sundari gets appointed as Chief Minister by the King. Simultaneously, their son Siva Kumara is raised by a cowherd. After the cowherd's death, Siva Kumara sets foot in a Siva temple where Lord Siva & Goddess Parvathi rear him with her breast milk. By fate, one-night Parthima encounters Jayanth and falls for him. Sundari sees that and renounces Jayanth and feels it's better for him as there is also Indra's curse. Later, Jayanth comes across a demon, and through it, he gets relieved from his curse. When Sundari touches him, he starts to become a statue due to Indra's curse and remembers his past with Sundari. At that moment, their son Siva Kumara checks them to the Shiva's temple. Thereupon, Lord Siva reveals to them that the boy is their son and for lifting Jayanth's curse the boy should pick up the Golden Lotus from heaven. After making an audacious journey, the boy secures the golden lotus and reverses the curse. At last, they reunite and Jayanth is proven innocent.

Cast

Production

After Paradesi (1953), the inaugural production of Anjali Pictures was an average success at the box office, its producers – husband and wife P. Adinarayana Rao and Anjali Devi – considered making their sophomore production based on folklore. The 1953 Hindi film Anarkali was a success and caught their attention, prompting them to adapt the same story in Telugu with the same title, while putting their folklore film plans on hold; it would eventually be revived as Suvarna Sundari.[6][7]

Soundtrack

Telugu version

Music composed by P. Adinarayana Rao. Adinarayana Rao, in an interview to The Indian Express in 1987, said for a song in Tamil version, he "adapted a rare composition of the famous Tanjore quartet" which prompted their sons to file a copyright violation, later Adinarayana Rao was bailed out by his friend.[8]

Song TitleLyricsSingerslength
"Piluvakuraa Alugakuraa" Samudrala Sr. P. Susheela 3:22
"Bangaaru Vannela" Samudrala Sr. P. Leela 4:32
"Ammaa! Ammaa!" Samudrala Jr. Ghantasala 2:42
"Bommaalammaa" Samudrala Sr. P. Susheela 3:58
"Eraa Manatoti" Kosaraju Pithapuram 2:51
"Haayi Haayigaa Aamani Saage" Samudrala Sr. Ghantasala, Jikki 6:14
"Jagadeeswaraa" Samudrala Raghavacharya Sr. P. Susheela / Jikki (two versions) 4:29
"Lakshmeem Ksheerasamuri" (Slokam) Samudrala Jr. Ghantasala 0:58
"Naa Chitti Papa" Samudrala Sr. P. Susheela, M. S. Ramarao 4:19
"Kommanura" Kosaraju P. Leela 3:18
"Nee Needalona Nilichenuraa" Samudrala Sr. P. Susheela 2:56
"Sambho, Naa Mora Vinavaa!" Samudrala Sr. P. Susheela 4:10
"Tadheem Nanana Thom Tillana" Kosaraju P. Leela, Komala 2:40

Tamil version

No.SongSingersLyricsLength (m:ss)
1"Thesulaavudhe Then Malaraale"Ghantasala & P. SuseelaThanjai N. Ramaiah Dass05:28
2"Azhaikkaadhe Ninaikkaadhe"P. Suseela03:42
3"Mogamadaa Thaalaadha Modamadaa"M. S. Rama Rao & P. Leela03:33
4"Jegadheeswaraa"P. Suseela05:58
5"Mannaadhi Mannarum Kannaale"P. Leela04:16
6"Neeye En Vaazhvin Nidhiyaagume"P. Suseela04:03
7"Kanee Nee Vaadaa Kaniye Nee"M. S. Rama Rao & P. Suseela04:30
8"Munivor Manadhil Oliyaai"Ghantasala00:26
9"Joraana Bommai Paarungga"P. Suseela03:26
10"Evanndaa Nam Munne"S. C. Krishnan02:48
11"Utthana Thom Thom Thanaa"P. Leela & A. P. Komala02:21
12"Dheva Dhayai Puriya Vaa"P. Suseela04:22
13"Polladha Maaranum Villendhum"A. P. Komala02:57
14"Ammaa Ammaa Enum Anaiyaadha"Ghantasala03:01

Hindi Version

  1. "Kuhu Kuhu Bole Koyaliya" – Mohammed Rafi, Lata Mangeshkar
  2. "Mujhe Na Bula Chhup Chhup" – Lata Mangeshkar
  3. "Ram Naam Japna Paraya Maal Apna" – Mohammed Rafi
  4. "Girija Sang Hai Shish Pe Gang Hai" – Lata Mangeshkar
  5. "Tarana (Shastriya Sangeet)" – Lata Mangeshkar, Sudha Malhotra
  6. "Hat Hat Hat Jaa Re Natkhat Piya" – Lata Mangeshkar, Sudha Malhotra
  7. "Lakshmim Sheer Samudra Raj" – Ghantasala
  8. "Chanda Se Pyare Ankhiyo Ke Taare Soja Re Maiya Ke Raaj Dular" – Manna Dey, Lata Mangeshkar
  9. "Mausam Suhana Dil Hainz" – Lata Mangeshkar
  10. "Sar Pe Matki Ankhiya Bhatki" – Asha Bhosle
  11. "Shambho Sun Lo Meri Pukar" – Lata Mangeshkar
  12. "Lelo Ji Lelo Gudiya" – Lata Mangeshkar
  13. "Maa Maa Karta Phire Laadla" – Mohammed Rafi
  14. "Mai Hu Pari Rasiya Ras Ki Bhari" – Lata Mangeshkar

References

  1. "Anjali Pictures' Golden Hit Suvarna Sundari". Cinegoer. 10 May 2007. Archived from the original on 27 January 2013. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  2. காந்தன் (16 June 1957). "மணாளனே மங்கையின் பாக்கியம்". Kalki (in Tamil). pp. 51, 55. Archived from the original on 27 September 2022. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  3. Sri (9 May 2007). "Suvarna Sundari (1957) completes 50 years". Telugucinema.com. Archived from the original on 14 February 2012. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  4. Rajadhyaksha, Ashish; Willemen, Paul (1998) [1994]. Encyclopaedia of Indian Cinema. British Film Institute and Oxford University Press. pp. 352–353. ISBN 0-19-563579-5.
  5. Mani, Charulatha (23 December 2011). "A Raga's Journey — Heart-rending Hamsanandi". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 1 July 2021. Retrieved 18 October 2021.
  6. Tanmayi, Bhawana (17 June 2017). "Anarkali: The musical love story". Telangana Today. Archived from the original on 28 December 2018. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  7. Narasimhan, M. L. (28 August 2014). "Anarkali (1955)". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 29 March 2017. Retrieved 27 September 2022.
  8. Venkataramana, V. (10 April 1987). "The Standard of music in Telugu films has gone down". The Indian Express. p. 14. Retrieved 27 December 2022.
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