Patni (Gudavalli Ramabrahmam) 1942

Patni (1942)

Director: Gudavalli Ramabrahmam; Producer: Gudavalli Ramabrahmam; Cinematographer: Sudish C. Ghatak; Editor: Govind Dinakar Joshi; Cast: K.S. Prakash Rao, Rushendramani, Hymavati, Surabi Kamalabai, C.H. Rajaratnam, K. Saraseeruham, Kamala, Samrajyam, Annapurna, Kamakshi, Raju, Damayanthi, Rallabandi Kutumbarao, Kocherlakota Satyanarayana, Vangara Venkata Subbaiah, Bhagavathula Pullaiah, Kosaraju Raghavaiah Choudhury, Bolanath Sharma, Janardhan Rao, Anjani Bai, Savithri, Vasundara, DhanaLakshmi, Sesharatnam, Seeta, Mangalam, Yogambal, Kantham, Chittemma, Samanthakamani, Rajyalakshmi, Mallika, J.V. Subbarao, Vempati Satyanarayana, Javvadhi Ramarao, Lingam Subbarao

Ramabrahmam (Malapilla, 1938; Raitu Bidda, 1939) departs radically from his earlier style, adapting the Kannagi legend (cf. Kannagi, 1942) of Silapathikaram with Rushyendramani in the title role and future director Prakash Rao as her husband Kovalan. Given Ramabrahmam’s political inclinations, this version may have addressed the colonial present more directly than Jupiter Pics’ version.

Kovalan and Kannagi lived happily till the danseuse Madhavi (played by Hymavathi) entered Kovalan's life. He attended the maiden dance performance of the voluptuous Madhavi in the King's court. Pleased with her performance, the Chola king gifted her gold coins and the customary green leave garland. Madhavi's mother Chitra (Surabhi Kamalabai) auctioned the garland as per tradition and Kovalan bid the highest amount thus becoming the lord of Madhavi who by then fell in love with him.

Kovalan's friend Velu (Rallabandi Kutumba Rao) had an amorous eye on Madhavi and was dismayed at being forestalled in the bid. Passionately in love with Madhavi, Kovalan lost all his wealth including his wife's jewels to please her mother. Kovalan went to Madurai with his wife to sell the diamond anklet that she gave him to restart business. He met a goldsmith (Vangara Venkata Subbaiah) for this purpose. The vicious goldsmith who stole the Pandyan queen's (Annapurna) precious anklet puts the blame on Kovalan. Without verifying the facts, the angry King (Kocharlakota Sathyanarayana) orders that Kovalan be executed. Kannagi hustles to Pandyan king's court where she proves that hers was a diamond anklet whereas the queen's anklet was of pearls and blames him for punishing Kovalan without bothering to verify the facts. In a fit of rage she curses the city where injustice was done to her innocent husband.

The Pandyan king and queen die out of shock and a feeling of guilt. The city too was engulfed by a fire. Before Kannagi ends her life, Lord Siva (choreographer Bholanath Sarma) and Parvathi (Samrajyam) appear.

Kannagi was deified on the nearby Murugavel hill and even today people worship her as Patni devi . The film ends on this note.

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