''Alluri Seetarama Raju'' is a 1974 Indian

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India *Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language ** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode S ...

-language biographical

action film Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include life ...

directed by V. Ramachandra Rao and written by

Tripuraneni Maharadhi Tripuraneni Maharadhi (20 April 1930 – 23 December 2011) was an Indian Telugu film, screenplay, dialogue and script writer. He is remembered for his political forays, as well as for the film '' Alluri Seetharama Raju''. He was the de facto d ...

. The film stars

Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...

, Vijaya Nirmala, and Jaggayya. It is produced by

Padmalaya Studios Padmalaya Studios is an Indian film production and distribution company established by actor Krishna and his brothers. Based in Hyderabad it mainly produces and distributes Telugu and Hindi films. The studio currently operates through its success ...

marking the 100th film of Krishna. The film depicts the life of

Alluri Sitarama Raju Alluri Sitarama Raju (4 July 1897 or 1898 – 7 May 1924) was an Indian revolutionary, who waged an armed campaign against the British colonial rule in India. Born in present-day Andhra Pradesh, he was involved in opposing the British in res ...

, an Indian revolutionary, who is known for his role in the

Rampa Rebellion of 1922 The Rampa Rebellion of 1922, also known as the Manyam Rebellion, was a tribal uprising led by Alluri Sitarama Raju in Godavari Agency of Madras Presidency, British India. It began in August 1922 and lasted until the capture and killing of Raju ...

–24. Seetarama Raju, with a band of farmers, tribal leaders and other sympathizers, fought an armed rebellion against the

British Raj The British Raj (; from Hindi ''rāj'': kingdom, realm, state, or empire) was the rule of the British Crown on the Indian subcontinent; * * it is also called Crown rule in India, * * * * or Direct rule in India, * Quote: "Mill, who was himsel ...

in response to repressive legislation passed in 1882. ''Alluri Seetarama Raju'' is considered to be South India 2nd Cinemascope after Raja Raja Cholan (Tamil)Telugu's first

CinemaScope CinemaScope is an anamorphic lens series used, from 1953 to 1967, and less often later, for shooting widescreen films that, crucially, could be screened in theatres using existing equipment, albeit with a lens adapter. Its creation in 1953 by ...

film. The film won the National Film Award for Best Lyrics for the song "Telugu Veera Levara" penned by the Telugu poet Sri Sri. The film won the

Nandi Award for Best Feature Film This is the list of winners of the Nandi Award for Best Feature Films since 1964. Best Feature Film - Gold Second Best Feature Film - Silver Third Best Feature Film - Bronze References See also * Cinema of Andhra Pradesh {{DEFAULTSORT:Nan ...

, and was screened at the

International Film Festival of India The International Film Festival of India (IFFI), founded in 1952, is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia. Held annually, currently in the state of Goa, on the western coast of the country, the festival aims at providing a common pla ...

in the mainstream section, and Tashkent Film Festival. The film ran for 175 days and ended up becoming the highest-grossing Telugu film of the year.

Plot

Cast

Production

D. L. Narayana, producer of ''Devadasu'' (1953), initially sought to make a film based on

featuring

Sobhan Babu Sobhan Babu (born Uppu Sobhana Chalapathi Rao; 14 January 1937 – 20 March 2008) was an Indian actor known for his works in Telugu cinema.Bangaru Panjaram in Venditera Paatalu, Krishnasastri Sahityam, third volume, Vishalandhra Publishing House ...

as the title character. However, as the film failed to take off, Narayana had given the story to

who was willing to produce it. Incidentally it was Tripuraneni Maharadhi who wrote the script for producer D.L. Narayana too. Tripuraneni Maharadhi wrote a Magnum opus of a script that revolutionised Telugu cinema industry.Filming took place around Chintapalle forest of

Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...

Soundtrack

Soundtrack was composed by

P. Adinarayana Rao Penupatruni Adinarayana Rao (21 August 1915 – 19 August 1991) was an Indian music director, film producer, lyricist and play writer. He co-founded "Aswini Pictures" with Akkineni Nageswara Rao and produced some movies in Telugu and Tamil langu ...

. *"Viplavam Maraninchadu" – S. P. Balasubrahmanyam *"Jamaira Jaru" – S. P. Balasubrahmanyam,

L. R. Eswari Lourde-Mary Rajeswari, better known as L. R. Eswari, is an Indian playback singer who has sung several songs in Tamil language, Tamil, Telugu language, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Hindi language, Hindi, Tulu language, Tulu, and English. She wa ...

*"Vasthadu Naa Raju" – P. Suseela *"Padmalayam" – S. P. Balasubrahmanyam *"Telugu Veera" – Ghantasala, V. Ramakrishna

Reception

Critical reception

The film received a positive review from ''

Andhra Patrika Andhra Patrika was the weekly newspaper of the nationalist movement in the Telugu speaking region founded by Kasinadhuni Nageswara Rao in 1908. It later transformed into a daily newspaper before it closed down in 1991. It helped to shape both mo ...

'' dated 5 May 1974.

Box office

The film ran for 200 days. It was the first film to collect a distributor share of .

Awards

;

National Film Awards The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directorat ...

* National Film Award for Best Lyrics – Sri Sri for ''"Telugu Veera Levara"'' ;

Nandi Awards The Nandi Awards are the awards that recognise the excellence in Telugu cinema, Telugu theatre and Telugu television, and Lifetime achievements in Indian cinema. Presented annually by the Government of Andhra Pradesh, the award is named after ...

* Best Feature Film - Gold - G. Hanumantha Rao

Legacy

The film was screened at the ''Patriotic Film Festival'' held at

Coimbatore Coimbatore, also spelt as Koyamputhur (), sometimes shortened as Kovai (), is one of the major metropolitan cities in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located on the banks of the Noyyal River and surrounded by the Western Ghats. Coimbato ...

in February 2017, jointly presented by the Indian Directorate of Film Festivals and Ministry of Defense, commemorating 70th Indian Independence Day.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Alluri Seetarama Raju (1974 Film) 1970s Telugu-language films Indian biographical films Indian action films Biographical action films Indian historical action films Films set in the Indian independence movement Films set in the 1920s British Empire war films Films set in the British Raj 1974 films 1970s biographical films 1970s action films Films about Alluri Sitarama Raju Films directed by V. Ramachandra Rao