''Amrutham'' () is an 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 television
sitcom
A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...
created and produced by
Gunnam Gangaraju
Gunnam Gangaraju is an Indian producer, screenwriter, and director known for his works in Telugu cinema and Telugu television. He is best known as the creator and co-producer of the TV sitcom ''Amrutham'' (2001–2007), widely considered to be ...
.
It originally aired on
Gemini TV
Gemini TV is an Indian Telugu language general entertainment pay television channel. It was launched on 9 February 1995 by Gemini Group, owned by A. Manohar Prasad (grandson of L. V. Prasad), in association with Sun TV Network. In 1996-97, Sun ...
for six years from 18 November 2001 to 18 November 2007 in 313 episodes.
It is widely regarded as the greatest Telugu comedy TV series of all time.
Most of the episodes were written by Gunnam Gangaraju along with
Vasu Inturi
Inturi Srinivasa Rao, better known as Vasu Inturi, is an Indian actor and writer who works in Telugu films and television. He is known for the role of Sarvam in the TV sitcom ''Amrutham'', which won him Nandi TV Award for Best Comedian in 2 ...
who also played the character of Sarvam.
''Amrutham'' is especially noted for its clean,
family-friendly
A family-friendly product or service is one that is considered to be suitable for all members of an average family. Family-friendly restaurants are ones that provide service to families that have young children. Frequently, family-friendly produc ...
humour and its satirical takes on everyday issues.
The topics of
satire
Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming ...
are diverse
soap operas
A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...
, popular films, competitive exams, superstitions, game shows, contemporary politics, current affairs etc.
The show centers on four characters: Amrutha Rao and Anjaneyulu (
Gundu Hanumantha Rao
Gundu Hanumantha Rao (10 October 1956–19 February 2018) was an Indian actor and comedian who worked in Telugu films, theatre, and television. He first appeared in Jandhyala's film '' Aha Naa Pellanta'' in 1987 and gained popularity in comedia ...
), childhood friends and owners of the restaurant ''Amrutha Vilas'' in
Hyderabad
Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part ...
who come up with quirky and creative ideas to improve their restaurant business and get rich, but fail with hilarious consequences each time; Sarvam (Vasu Inturi), cook and
server
Server may refer to:
Computing
*Server (computing), a computer program or a device that provides functionality for other programs or devices, called clients
Role
* Waiting staff, those who work at a restaurant or a bar attending customers and su ...
at ''Amrutha Vilas'' who is a migrant from
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...
'';'' Appaji (
Sivannarayana), the rapacious, exploitative landlord of ''Amrutha Vilas'' who subjects his tenants to unreasonable penalties.
Initially,
Sivaji Raja
Sivaji Raja (born 26 February 1962) is an Indian actor who primarily appears in Telugu films and television series. He appeared in more than 400 films. He is also known for his work in TV serials '' Amrutam'', ''Alasyam Amrutham Visham'', ''Mr.R ...
played the role of Amrutha Rao. After that,
Naresh replaced him in some episodes before
Harsha Vardhan
Harsha Vardhan is an Indian actor, comedian and screenwriter known for his works predominantly in Telugu cinema. He has also worked in a few Tamil and Hindi language films, in addition to television.
He is known for his performance in Telugu ...
took over and played the character in over 200 episodes out of the total 313 episodes.
The title song was composed and sung by
Kalyani Malik
Kalyani Malik is an Indian music director and playback singer in Telugu cinema. Since achieving recognition through Chandra Sekhar Yeleti's film '' Aithe'' (2003), Malik has provided musical scores for many other films. His most recent works ar ...
with lyrics penned by
Sirivennela Sitarama Sastry
Sirivennela Seetharama Sastry (born Chembolu Seetharama Sastry; 20 May 1955 – 30 November 2021) was an Indian poet and lyricist known for his works in Telugu cinema and Telugu theatre. He acquired the stage name Sirivennela after writing th ...
.
Director
Chandra Sekhar Yeleti
Chandra Sekhar Yeleti (born 4 March 1973) is an Indian film director known for his works in Telugu cinema. He made his directorial debut with the Neo-noir crime film, ''Aithe'', which received the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Te ...
, cinematographer
K. K. Senthil Kumar
K. K. Senthil Kumar is an Indian cinematographer who works in Telugu cinema. He is known for his frequent collaborations with S.S. Rajamouli. He graduated with a degree in cinematography from the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune. ...
, production designer S. Ravinder, and music composer Kalyani Malik who would later become established film technicians, worked in ''Amrutham'' in the beginning phase of their career.
''Amrutham'' was originally broadcast every Sunday on
prime time
Prime time or the peak time is the block of broadcast programming taking place during the middle of the evening for a television show. It is mostly targeted towards adults (and sometimes families). It is used by the major television networks to ...
8 PM slot on Gemini TV.
At the time of its inception in the early 2000s, Telugu television was mostly centered around melodramatic
soap operas
A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...
.
''Amrutham'' is variously described as a "phenomenon", "sensation" for breaking the norms and became one of the most successful Telugu TV shows of all time.
The show was cancelled by the choice of the makers when it was at its peak due to a dearth of writers and new ideas.
After the end of its original run, ''Amrutham'' was re-telecasted multiple times on various TV channels and garnered good ratings each time.
Currently,
ZEE5
ZEE5 is an Indian subscription video on-demand and over-the-top streaming service, run by Zee Entertainment Enterprises. It was launched in India on 14 February 2018 with content in 12 languages. The ZEE5 mobile app is available on Web, Androi ...
owns the digital rights of the series.
A
spin-off film titled ''
Amrutham Chandamamalo
''Amrutham Chandamamalo'' () is a 2014 Indian Telugu-language science fiction comedy film written and directed by Gunnam Gangaraju. The film stars Srinivas Avasarala, Harish Koyalagundla, Vasu Inturi, Sivannarayana Naripeddi, Dhanya Balakrishn ...
'' was released in 2014. Its sequel, ''
Amrutham Dhvitheeyam
''Amrutham Dhvitheeyam'' () is an Indian Telugu-language sitcom web television series created by Gunnam Gangaraju and directed by Gunnam Sandeep. It is a standalone sequel to the television sitcom ''Amrutham'' (2001–2007). It was released w ...
'' began streaming on
ZEE5
ZEE5 is an Indian subscription video on-demand and over-the-top streaming service, run by Zee Entertainment Enterprises. It was launched in India on 14 February 2018 with content in 12 languages. The ZEE5 mobile app is available on Web, Androi ...
from March 2020.
Premise
The show revolves around two friends Amrutha Rao "Amrutham" and Anjaneyulu "Anji" who decide to start a restaurant named ''Amrutha Vilas'', after Amrutham gets fired from his job as an assistant manager at Bow Bow Biscuits by his boss Ambhujanabham. Sarvam is the
waiter at ''Amrutha Vilas'' and is a migrant from
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...
.
Appaji, the landlord of the plot of ''Amrutha Vilas'' and the residences of Amrutham and Anji, is a
miser
A miser is a person who is reluctant to spend, sometimes to the point of forgoing even basic comforts and some necessities, in order to hoard money or other possessions. Although the word is sometimes used loosely to characterise anyone who ...
who subjects his tenants to unreasonable penalties. He wears colourful shirts and an ancestral gold belt. Amrutham's wife Sanjeevani is a gullible and ambitious woman. Anji's wife Santha works in the accounts section of a Government corporation and also helps him in his business occasionally. The sitcom focuses on the hilarious consequences they face from the quirky money-making ideas of Anji.
Cast and characters
Main
*Ichapurapu Amrutha Rao "Amrutham" played by
Sivaji Raja
Sivaji Raja (born 26 February 1962) is an Indian actor who primarily appears in Telugu films and television series. He appeared in more than 400 films. He is also known for his work in TV serials '' Amrutam'', ''Alasyam Amrutham Visham'', ''Mr.R ...
(episodes 1–55),
Naresh (episodes 63–105), and
Harsha Vardhan
Harsha Vardhan is an Indian actor, comedian and screenwriter known for his works predominantly in Telugu cinema. He has also worked in a few Tamil and Hindi language films, in addition to television.
He is known for his performance in Telugu ...
(episodes 110–313); proprietor of ''Amrutha Vilas'' restaurant which he started with his childhood friend Anjaneyulu. He is inquisitive, sceptical, and wary of Anji's money-making schemes. He used to work in Bow-Bow Biscuits before starting his own restaurant.
* Amudala Anjaneyulu "Anji" played by
Gundu Hanumantha Rao
Gundu Hanumantha Rao (10 October 1956–19 February 2018) was an Indian actor and comedian who worked in Telugu films, theatre, and television. He first appeared in Jandhyala's film '' Aha Naa Pellanta'' in 1987 and gained popularity in comedia ...
; an expert
chef
A chef is a trained professional cook and tradesman who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation, often focusing on a particular cuisine. The word "chef" is derived from the term ''chef de cuisine'' (), the director or head of a kitche ...
, Amrutham's best friend, neighbour, and business-partner. He is a man full of ideas and often comes up with quirky plans to boost their business which fail with hilarious consequences each time.
*Sarveswaran "Sarvam" played by
Vasu Inturi
Inturi Srinivasa Rao, better known as Vasu Inturi, is an Indian actor and writer who works in Telugu films and television. He is known for the role of Sarvam in the TV sitcom ''Amrutham'', which won him Nandi TV Award for Best Comedian in 2 ...
; all-in-one worker at ''Amrutha Vilas.'' He is the
server
Server may refer to:
Computing
*Server (computing), a computer program or a device that provides functionality for other programs or devices, called clients
Role
* Waiting staff, those who work at a restaurant or a bar attending customers and su ...
, cook, cleaner, and delivery boy of the restaurant. He is a migrant from
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...
.
*Gongali Appaji played by
Sivannarayana Naripeddi
Sivannarayana Naripeddi is an Indian actor who works in Telugu films and television. He is best known for his role as 'Appaji' in the popular Telugu TV sitcom '' Amrutham'' (20012007). He won the Nandi Award for Best Comedian for A''mmamma.com ...
; an exploitative
landlord
A landlord is the owner of a house, apartment, condominium, land, or real estate which is rented or leased to an individual or business, who is called a tenant (also a ''lessee'' or ''renter''). When a juristic person is in this position, the ...
who subjects his tenants to unreasonable fines and penalties. He regularly has all his meals at ''Amrutha Vilas'', set up on his property. He has an atrocious dress sense and wears colourful shirts with an ancestral gold belt. He is the show’s antagonist.
* Sanjeevani "Sanju" played by
Jhansi
Jhansi (; Hindi: झांसी, Urdu: ) is a historic city in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It lies in the region of Bundelkhand on the banks of the Pahuj River, in the extreme south of Uttar Pradesh. Jhansi is the administrative hea ...
, Uma Mahanthi, Supraja and Anita Chowdary;
Amrutham's wife. She is a gullible and ambitious woman which makes her vulnerable to Anji's over-the-top ideas and prod her husband into adopting them.
*Santha played by
Ragini; Anji's wife. She works in the accounts section of a Government corporation. She has her feet planted on the ground. She keeps throwing cold water on Anji and Amrutham's money-making schemes.
Recurring
*Rubber Balaji played by Raghava; Amrutham's cousin and a filmmaker known for the
soap opera
A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...
'Veyi Pudakalu' and other TV shows.
*Ambhujanabham played by S. S. Kanchi; Amrutha Rao's boss and the manager of Bow-Bow Biscuits who was a main character in the earlier episodes. He frequently scolds Amrutham for his incompetence.
*Padmini "Paddu" played by Swathi; Amrutham's sister-in-law and Sanju's sister. She lives in her sister's house while finishing her graduation.
*Parandamayya played by
Devadas Kanakala
Devadas Kanakala (30 July 1945 – 2 August 2019) was an Indian actor from Andhra Pradesh who predominantly appeared in Telugu language films and TV shows. Rajnikanth, Chiranjeevi and Rajendra Prasad trained under him.
He was a very good tra ...
;
Amrutham's father-in-law. He is the father of Sanju and Paddu.
*
Jenny
Jenny may refer to:
* Jenny (given name), a popular feminine name and list of real and fictional people
* Jenny (surname), a family name
Animals
* Jenny (donkey), a female donkey
* Jenny (gorilla), the oldest gorilla in captivity at the time of ...
in various characters. He has portrayed characters like an astrologer, an
MLA, Amrutham's uncle Bhimavaram Bullabbayi, and others.
*
Srinivasa Reddy
Venkateswara, also known by various other names, is a form of the Hindu god Vishnu. Venkateswara is the presiding deity of the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple, located in Tirupati, Sri Balaji District, Andhra Pradesh, India.
Etymology
Venkatesw ...
in various characters.
*
Narsing Yadav as
Ganesh Chaturthi
Ganesh Chaturthi (ISO: ), also known as Vinayak Chaturthi (), or Ganeshotsav () is a Hindu festival commemorating the birth of the Hindu god Ganesha. The festival is marked with the installation of Ganesha's clay idols privately in homes and p ...
chanda-taking () goon and police officer (episode 80–81).
*
Rallapalli as a doctor.
*Melkote played by
Shankar Melkote
Shankar Melkote is an Indian comedian, supporting actor who appears in Telugu films and CEO of a marketing company in Hyderabad. He started his film career with Jandhyala's ''Srivariki Premalekha'' and went on to appear in 180 films. He is one o ...
; a student learning
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.
*
Rama Rajamouli
Rama Rajamouli is an Indian costume designer and film stylist who primarily works in Telugu cinema. Rama made her debut with the 2004 film '' Sye''. She is known for her work in the films ''Magadheera'' (2009), ''Eega'' (2012), '' Baahubali: T ...
in various characters. She played a newsreader in one episode, a homemaker in another one.
Production
Conception
Gunnam Gangaraju
Gunnam Gangaraju is an Indian producer, screenwriter, and director known for his works in Telugu cinema and Telugu television. He is best known as the creator and co-producer of the TV sitcom ''Amrutham'' (2001–2007), widely considered to be ...
, along with his friend Venkat Dega, a doctor in
Canterbury
Canterbury (, ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and UNESCO World Heritage Site, situated in the heart of the City of Canterbury local government district of Kent, England. It lies on the River Stour, Kent, River Stour.
...
,
UK, founded the company 'Just Yellow' which started off as an
IT services
Information technology service management (ITSM) is the activities that are performed by an organization to design, build, deliver, operate and control information technology (IT) services offered to customers.
Differing from more technology-or ...
firm and later ventured into TV and film production. Their first project under the 'Just Yellow' banner was ''Amrutham''. Gangaraju was the creator of the show as well as the producer.
There were reports that veteran film producers like
D. Ramanaidu
Daggubati Ramanaidu (6 June 1936 – 18 February 2015) was an Indian film producer known for his work in Telugu cinema. He founded Suresh Productions in 1964 which became of one of the largest film production companies in India. He was placed i ...
and
K. S. Rama Rao cautioned Gangaraju against producing a TV show as it might not be financially viable.
After filming seven episodes, they pitched the show to various TV channels and finally got a slot on
Gemini TV
Gemini TV is an Indian Telugu language general entertainment pay television channel. It was launched on 9 February 1995 by Gemini Group, owned by A. Manohar Prasad (grandson of L. V. Prasad), in association with Sun TV Network. In 1996-97, Sun ...
.
Cast
It was originally launched with
Sivaji Raja
Sivaji Raja (born 26 February 1962) is an Indian actor who primarily appears in Telugu films and television series. He appeared in more than 400 films. He is also known for his work in TV serials '' Amrutam'', ''Alasyam Amrutham Visham'', ''Mr.R ...
as Amrutha Rao "Amrutham",
Gundu Hanumantha Rao
Gundu Hanumantha Rao (10 October 1956–19 February 2018) was an Indian actor and comedian who worked in Telugu films, theatre, and television. He first appeared in Jandhyala's film '' Aha Naa Pellanta'' in 1987 and gained popularity in comedia ...
as Anjaneyulu "Anji",
Sivannarayana as Appaji, Vasu Inturi as Sarvam in the lead roles. Besides Sivaji Raja,
Naresh also played the character Amrutha Rao for a few episodes before
Harsha Vardhan
Harsha Vardhan is an Indian actor, comedian and screenwriter known for his works predominantly in Telugu cinema. He has also worked in a few Tamil and Hindi language films, in addition to television.
He is known for his performance in Telugu ...
took over and played the character in over 200 episodes out of the total 313 episodes.
Ragini played Santha (Anjaneyulu's wife), while
Jhansi
Jhansi (; Hindi: झांसी, Urdu: ) is a historic city in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It lies in the region of Bundelkhand on the banks of the Pahuj River, in the extreme south of Uttar Pradesh. Jhansi is the administrative hea ...
, Uma Mahanthi, Anita Chowdary, and Supraja played Sanjeevani
aka "Sanju" (Amrutham’s wife) at various points.
Sivaji Raja who initially played the lead character Amrutha Rao, had a major falling out with the makers. Gangaraju called Sivaji Raja "a sick and greedy man".
He accused Sivaji Raja of throwing tantrums and unprofessionalism. Sivaji Raja complained to the 'Association of Telugu TV Artistes' that he was not properly paid by the producers, after which the association banned other artistes from acting in ''Amrutham''.
The serial managed without the characters Amrutha Rao and his wife for four months. The ban was lifted after a period of four months.
Later
Naresh replaced Sivaji as Amrutha Rao. The makers did not face any problems with Naresh. But as the broadcaster
Gemini TV
Gemini TV is an Indian Telugu language general entertainment pay television channel. It was launched on 9 February 1995 by Gemini Group, owned by A. Manohar Prasad (grandson of L. V. Prasad), in association with Sun TV Network. In 1996-97, Sun ...
hiked their tariff, the serial had budget cuts and Naresh was replaced by
Harsha Vardhan
Harsha Vardhan is an Indian actor, comedian and screenwriter known for his works predominantly in Telugu cinema. He has also worked in a few Tamil and Hindi language films, in addition to television.
He is known for his performance in Telugu ...
.
Gundu Hanumantha Rao who played 'Anji' had to reportedly leave nearly 30 film offers to continue working on ''Amrutham''.
After Hanumantha Rao's death in 2018, noted comedian
L. B. Sriram
L. B. Sriram (born Lanka Bhadradri Sri Ramachandra Moorthy; 30 May 1952) is an Indian actor, comedian, writer, playwright, producer, and thespian known for his works in Telugu cinema and Telugu theatre. He made his feature film debut with '' ...
played the role of Anji in the sequel, ''
Amrutham Dhvitheeyam
''Amrutham Dhvitheeyam'' () is an Indian Telugu-language sitcom web television series created by Gunnam Gangaraju and directed by Gunnam Sandeep. It is a standalone sequel to the television sitcom ''Amrutham'' (2001–2007). It was released w ...
''.
Costumer designer and stylist
Rama Rajamouli
Rama Rajamouli is an Indian costume designer and film stylist who primarily works in Telugu cinema. Rama made her debut with the 2004 film '' Sye''. She is known for her work in the films ''Magadheera'' (2009), ''Eega'' (2012), '' Baahubali: T ...
, cousin of the show creator and producer Gunnam Gangaraju, played various small roles in the initial episodes of the show. She played a newsreader in one episode, a homemaker in another one.
Crew
Chandra Sekhar Yeleti
Chandra Sekhar Yeleti (born 4 March 1973) is an Indian film director known for his works in Telugu cinema. He made his directorial debut with the Neo-noir crime film, ''Aithe'', which received the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Te ...
, who is also Gangaraju's cousin, directed the first 10 episodes.
The serial had eleven debutant directors the most notable among them being Chandra Sekhar Yeleti.
Director Chandra Sekhar Yeleti, cinematographer
K. K. Senthil Kumar
K. K. Senthil Kumar is an Indian cinematographer who works in Telugu cinema. He is known for his frequent collaborations with S.S. Rajamouli. He graduated with a degree in cinematography from the Film and Television Institute of India, Pune. ...
,
production designer S. Ravinder, and music composer
Kalyani Malik
Kalyani Malik is an Indian music director and playback singer in Telugu cinema. Since achieving recognition through Chandra Sekhar Yeleti's film '' Aithe'' (2003), Malik has provided musical scores for many other films. His most recent works ar ...
who would later become established film technicians worked in ''Amrutham'' in the beginning phase of their career.
Senthil worked as a cinematographer for 13 episodes.
Writing
Gunnam Gangaraju, the creator and producer of the show, wrote most of the episodes along with Vasu Inturi who also played the role of Sarvam.
The show only had a few lead characters Amrutham, Anji, Sarvam, and Appaji with the rest of the characters having occasional appearances, as the creator Gangaraju could not write a larger number of characters.
''Amrutham'' is especially noted for its clean,
family-friendly
A family-friendly product or service is one that is considered to be suitable for all members of an average family. Family-friendly restaurants are ones that provide service to families that have young children. Frequently, family-friendly produc ...
humour and its satirical takes on everyday issues.
The topics of
satire
Satire is a genre of the visual, literary, and performing arts, usually in the form of fiction and less frequently non-fiction, in which vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, often with the intent of shaming ...
are pretty diverse
soap operas
A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...
, popular films, competitive exams, superstitions, game shows, contemporary politics, current affairs etc.
Gangaraju mentioned that there was a dearth of writers for the show. As he was burnt out as a writer, he advertised for new writers with a remuneration that is five times the industry standard at the time. As the response for new writers was not satisfactory and the original writers were exhausted of ideas, the show had to be cancelled even though it was at its peak in the weekly ratings.
Music
The title track is composed and sung by
Kalyani Malik
Kalyani Malik is an Indian music director and playback singer in Telugu cinema. Since achieving recognition through Chandra Sekhar Yeleti's film '' Aithe'' (2003), Malik has provided musical scores for many other films. His most recent works ar ...
.
The lyrics were penned by
Sirivennela Sitarama Sastry
Sirivennela Seetharama Sastry (born Chembolu Seetharama Sastry; 20 May 1955 – 30 November 2021) was an Indian poet and lyricist known for his works in Telugu cinema and Telugu theatre. He acquired the stage name Sirivennela after writing th ...
. Neeshita Nyayapati of ''
Times of India
''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English language, English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the List of newspapers in India by circulation, t ...
'' noted in 2017, "The title song, sung by Kalyani Malik, is still one of the most iconic title songs that Telugu television has ever created."
Episodes
Sources:
Release
Broadcast
''Amrutham'' originally aired on
Gemini TV
Gemini TV is an Indian Telugu language general entertainment pay television channel. It was launched on 9 February 1995 by Gemini Group, owned by A. Manohar Prasad (grandson of L. V. Prasad), in association with Sun TV Network. In 1996-97, Sun ...
every Sunday on
prime time
Prime time or the peak time is the block of broadcast programming taking place during the middle of the evening for a television show. It is mostly targeted towards adults (and sometimes families). It is used by the major television networks to ...
8:00 PM slot for exactly six years.
The first episode ''Go Gruha Pravesam'' aired on 18 November 2001 while the final episode ''Tata Bye Bye Veedkolu'' aired on 18 November 2007. The serial had over 100 hours of content divided into 313 episodes.
Syndication and streaming
''Amrutham'' was re-telecasted multiple times on various TV channels and garnered good ratings each time.
After the end of its original run on Gemini TV,
Zee Telugu
Zee Telugu is an Indian Telugu-language general entertainment pay television channel in India. It was launched on 12 September 2004 as ''Alpha Telugu'' and was rebranded as ''Zee Telugu'' on 18 May 2005. The channel is owned by Zee Entertainmen ...
acquired the telecast rights of the show and broadcast it as a daily serial beginning from 26 November 2007, only a week after the end of its original broadcast on Gemini TV. It ran from Monday to Thursday in the prime time 9:00 PM slot.
Later, it was broadcast on
Maa TV
Star Maa (formerly Maa TV) is an Indian Telugu language general entertainment pay television channel owned by Disney Star, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company India. The channel telecasts Telugu language programmes such as serials, Reality ...
in the weekend days at 7:00 PM. After that, its rights were again acquired by Gemini TV which telecasted it as a daily serial from Monday to Friday at 10:30 PM. Later, it was broadcast on
Maa Gold as a daily serial in the 10:00 PM slot. Then,
ETV Plus
ETV Network is a network of Telugu language news and entertainment satellite television channels in India. It is based in Hyderabad. It also had some non Telugu language satellite television channels. All non-Telugu language satellite televisi ...
broadcast it as a daily serial from Monday to Friday at 9:30 PM. As of July 2017, it was being telecast as a daily serial on
ETV Plus
ETV Network is a network of Telugu language news and entertainment satellite television channels in India. It is based in Hyderabad. It also had some non Telugu language satellite television channels. All non-Telugu language satellite televisi ...
from Monday to Saturday at 6:00 PM.
All the episodes of ''Amrutham'' were uploaded on
YouTube
YouTube is a global online video platform, online video sharing and social media, social media platform headquartered in San Bruno, California. It was launched on February 14, 2005, by Steve Chen, Chad Hurley, and Jawed Karim. It is owned by ...
by the production house Just Yellow Media.
It was highly successful and garnered a total of 250 million views. Later,
ZEE5
ZEE5 is an Indian subscription video on-demand and over-the-top streaming service, run by Zee Entertainment Enterprises. It was launched in India on 14 February 2018 with content in 12 languages. The ZEE5 mobile app is available on Web, Androi ...
acquired the digital rights of the series and ''Amrutham'' was removed from YouTube by Just Yellow Media.
Reception and impact
The show was an instant success.
It garnered high
TRP ratings throughout its run of six years.
Gangaraju mentioned that ''Amrutham'' was cancelled by choice when it was at its peak as they were exhausted of ideas.
It is widely considered to be the greatest Telugu comedy TV series of all time.
After the end of its original run, ''
Idlebrain.com'' noted, "When
soaps
Soap is a surfactant cleaning compound used for personal or other cleaning.
Soap may also refer to:
Education
* Supplemental Offer and Acceptance Program, for medical students who were not initially matched with U.S. residencies by the Nationa ...
were mostly women-oriented, ''Amrutham'' came as a breath of fresh air with four male characters in the lead. ''Amrutha Vilas'' became a household name in
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 ...
and all the characters Amrutha Rao, Anji, Appaji, and Sarvam became lovable characters and the viewers waited to watch them in every episode."
In 2020, director
S. S. Rajamouli
Koduri Srisaila Sri Rajamouli ( ; born 10 October 1973) is an Indian film director and screenwriter who primarily works in Telugu cinema. He is the highest paid director in India, and is known for his action, fantasy, and epic genre films. T ...
wrote about the show, "19 years ago, when tear-jerking daily soaps were ruling the roost, it took guts and conviction of one man to come up with a comedy show breaking all norms. What a success story from its ever unsuccessful heroes Anji and Amrutha Rao. True to its name ''Amrutham'' made a mark in the hearts of Telugus across the globe."
Awards and nominations
Future
Gangaraju has plans to
novelize the show with each episode being a short story. He thinks an
audiobook
An audiobook (or a talking book) is a recording of a book or other work being read out loud. A reading of the complete text is described as "unabridged", while readings of shorter versions are abridgements.
Spoken audio has been available in sc ...
would be the most suitable format.
References
External links
''Amrutham''on
ZEE5
ZEE5 is an Indian subscription video on-demand and over-the-top streaming service, run by Zee Entertainment Enterprises. It was launched in India on 14 February 2018 with content in 12 languages. The ZEE5 mobile app is available on Web, Androi ...
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{{Gangaraju Gunnam
Indian television series
Indian television sitcoms
2007 Indian television series endings
Telugu-language television shows
Indian comedy television series
Gemini TV original programming
2001 Indian television series debuts