Director: K. Vishwanath; Writer: K. Vishwanath; Producer: Edida Nageswara Rao; Cinematographer: A. Vincent, Ajayan Vincent; Cast: Chiranjeevi, Meenakshi Sheshadri, Sarath Babu, Geetha, Allu Ramalingaiah, Nirmala, Brahmanandam, Satyanarayana, Jandhyala
Duration: 02:43:20; Aspect Ratio: 2.000:1; Hue: 37.550; Saturation: 0.132; Lightness: 0.420; Volume: 0.211; Cuts per Minute: 18.128
Summary: Madhava (Chiranjeevi), a member of the
‘backward’ Yadava caste, is raised by a
benevolent Brahmin school teacher (Telugu
scenarist/filmmaker Jandhyala) and dedicates
his life to the support of the teacher’s family.
He raises the money for the marriage of Lalitha
(Geeta), the man’s eldest daughter. The second
daughter, Hema (Sheshadri), falls for him,
although she is to marry her cousin Sripathi
(Babu). Lalitha’s husband tries to rape Hema
and kills his own wife. Hema goes mad and is
admitted to an asylum, which Madhava also
enters pleading insanity, and he rescues her.
The two eventually marry, transcending caste
differences with the support of Sripathi and his
father (Ramalingaiah). As with other
Vishwanath protagonists, the hero is a model of
selfless virtue (cf. Swayamkrushi, 1987) and
Chiranjeevi’s performance won much critical
acclaim. The film’s unusually explicit
references to caste (cf. Rudraveena, 1988) can
be read as upper caste unease within the
context of major backward-caste mobilisation
in the wake of the anti-Mandal Commission
agitations. This is seen especially in the space
occupied by the lead character, whose
withdrawal from the public arena and
dedication to his mentor’s family consciously
evacuates all questions of his political rights, an
issue made explicit by the Dalit movements of
the time.
Indiancine.ma requires JavaScript.
