''Jayasimha'' is a 1955 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 swashbuckler film, written by Samudrala Jr. and produced by

N. T. Rama Rao Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao (28 May 1923 – 18 January 1996), often referred to by his initials NTR, was an Indian actor, filmmaker and politician who served as List of Chief Ministers of Andhra Pradesh, Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh fo ...

and his brother N. Trivikrama Rao for their production company National Art Theatres. Directed by

D. Yoganand Dasari Yoganand (16 April 1922 – 23 November 2006) was a South Indian film director. Early life Yoganand was born in Madras under British India. His parents were Venkata Das, estate manager under Nawaab Raza Ali Khan of Machilipatnam, and La ...

, the film features Rama Rao playing the eponymous protagonist along with

Anjali Devi Anjali Devi (; 24 August 1927 – 13 January 2014) was an Indian actress, model and producer in Telugu and Tamil films. She was well known for her role as the Devi Sita in ''Lava Kusa'' as well as for the titular roles in movies like Chenchu ...

and

Waheeda Rehman Waheeda Rehman (born 3 February 1938) is an Indian actress and dancer. Regarded as one of Hindi cinema's finest actresses, Rehman's accolades include a National Film Awards, National Film Award and three Filmfare Awards. Rehman was honoured wi ...

(making her debut as an actress in Indian cinema) in the lead roles, supported by an ensemble cast of S. V. Ranga Rao,

Kanta Rao Tadepalli Lakshmi Kantha Rao (16 November 1923 – 22 March 2009) was an Indian actor and producer known for his works predominantly in Telugu cinema. Regarded as one of the finest method actors, Rao starred in more than four hundred feature ...

, Gummadi, Relangi and

Rajanala Kaleswara Rao Rajanala Kaleswara Rao, known mononymously by his surname as Rajanala, was an Indian actor known for his works predominantly in Telugu cinema, Telugu theatre, and a few Tamil, Kannada, and Hindi films. In a film career spanning more than four d ...

. Inspired from the Telugu novel ''Veera Pooja'', the film tells the story of Jayasimha (played by Rama Rao), the crown prince of Malawa kingdom who escapes assassination attempts from his uncle Rudrasimha (Ranga Rao), who wishes to ascend the throne as the next king. Jayasimha leaves Malawa assuming a new identity and leads the life of a soldier in Magadha kingdom, falling in love with its princess Padmini (Waheeda) and befriending Kalindi (Anjali Devi), the daughter of an old disabled general Ranadheer (Gummadi). The rest of the film focuses on the aftermath of Rudrasimha finding out Jayasimha's new life in Magadha and seeking his life. D. V. S. Raju, who assisted Rama Rao during the production of ''

Pichi Pullayya ''Pichi Pullayya'' () is a 1953 Indian Telugu-language drama film directed by T. Prakash Rao. It stars N. T. Rama Rao, Sowcar Janaki and Krishna Kumari, with music composed by T. V. Raju. The film was produced by N. Trivikrama Rao on Nationa ...

'' (1953) and ''Thodu Dongalu'', joined the film's crew as an associate producer.

T. V. Raju Thotakura Venkata Raju (Telugu: తోటకూర వెంకట రాజు), better known as T. V. Raju (1921 - 20 February 1973), was an Indian music composer who primarily worked in Telugu cinema. He worked as an assistant composer to ...

composed the film's soundtrack and score; M. A. Rehman was signed as the cinematographer and G. D. Joshi edited the film. ''Jayasimha''

principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as actor ...

was conducted at sets erected by Thota at

Vijaya Vauhini Studios Vijaya Vauhini Studios was one of the premier motion picture movie studios in Chennai, Tamil Nadu, India. It is the combination of Vijaya Productions and Vauhini Studios. B. Nagi Reddy (Bommireddy Nagi Reddy) was the founder of Vijaya Produ ...

, Madras (now

Chennai Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...

). ''Jayasimha'' was released theatrically on 21 October 1955, cashing in on the

Vijayadashami Vijayadashami ( sa, विजयदशमी, Vijayadaśamī, translit-std=IAST), also known as Dussehra, Dasara or Dashain, is a major Hindu festival celebrated at the end of Navaratri every year. It is observed on the tenth day in the Hindu ...

festival holidays. Upon release, the film was a commercial success, completing a 100-day run in 6 centres, 169-day run in Vijayawada and Guntur, and a 175-day run in Bangalore. It was later dubbed into

Tamil Tamil may refer to: * Tamils, an ethnic group native to India and some other parts of Asia **Sri Lankan Tamils, Tamil people native to Sri Lanka also called ilankai tamils **Tamil Malaysians, Tamil people native to Malaysia * Tamil language, nativ ...

in the same year, with the title ''Jayasimman''.

Plot

Amarasimha, the ruler of the Malwa kingdom, calls his brother Rudrasimha and his wife Durgadevi. In his dying moments, Amarasimha requests the couple to raise his son Jayasimha and make him the king after he attains suitable age. Durgadevi raises Jayasimha and her biological son Vijayasimha with equal love and attention. As Jayasimha becomes a major, Durgadevi and Vijayasimha announce the coronation ceremony. However, Rudrasimha wants to ascend the throne, and supported by the evil commander-in-chief Chandasena, sends a group of assassins to kill Jayasimha. Jayasimha and Vijayasimha overpower them but are unable to find the person behind the attack. Jayasimha later learns about Rudrasimha's plans but decides to spare his life for Durgadevi. Dejected, Jayasimha leaves the kingdom forever, making Rudrasimha the king. As Durgadevi and Vijayasimha search for Jayasimha, Rudrasimha too joins them as he does not want any possibility of obstacles to his rule. Meanwhile, Jayasimha reaches the forests of the Magadha kingdom where its princess Padmini is found kidnapped by a group of dacoits. Jayasimha saves her from them but refuses to accept her hospitality and leaves. Padmini falls in love with him and continues to search for him. In his attempts to find a job, Jayasimha befriends Budhimathi, the adopted son of an old disabled general Ranadheer, and his daughter Kalindi. He introduces himself with the alias Bhavani to them and looks for opportunities in the Magadha army. After being rejected and insulted by the ministers, Padmini notices Jayasimha and sends a ring to one of her friends, asking him to use it for gaining an army job. Jayasimha gains the job and saves king Raghuveer from an attack from the enemies. Raghuveer is impressed with Jayasimha's skills and promotes him. Later, Padmini and Jayasimha begin to spend more time together and develop feelings for each other. This angers Mahaveer, the commander-in-chief of Magadha, who too has an interest in Padmini. At the same time, Kalindi proposes to Jayasimha, which puts him in a dilemma. Meanwhile, Rudrasimha learns about the adventures of Bhavani in Magadha and sends Chandasena to confirm if Bhavani is Jayasimha. Chandasena reaches Magadha, identifies Bhavani and Jayasimha, and plots with Mahaveer. Chandasena and Mahaveer kidnap Jayasimha and Padmini and take them to an isolated place. Mahaveer plans to forcibly marry Padmini after finishing off Jayasimha. Kalindi, who was following the duo all this time, acts as a mad woman before the army and infiltrates their camp. Knowing that Jayasimha considers her as his sister from god, Kalindi resolves to save him and is fatally injured in the process. She saves Jayasimha and Padmini and dies in her father Ranadheer's arms. A grief-stricken Jayasimha decides to fight back and defeats Mahaveer with the aid of Budhimathi and Ranadheer. Mahaveer dies in the process and Jayasimha reveals his true identity to Padmini. With Raghuveer's support, Jayasimha returns to Malawa to challenge Rudrasimha. However, at the last moment, Jayasimha wishes to let go as he is unable to fight his love for Rudrasimha, whom he considered his father figure. Vijayasimha, who learned about attempts on Jayasimha's life, fatally injures Rudrasimha. In his dying moments, a shocked Rudrasimha feels remorseful and apologies to both Jayasimha and Vijayasimha. The film ends with Jayasimha becoming the combined ruler of the Malawa and Magadha kingdoms.

Cast

as Kalindi *

as Jayasimha / Bhavani * S. V. Ranga Rao as Rudrasimha * Relangi as Budhimathi * Gummadi as Ranadheer *

as Vijayasimha *

as Mahaveer *K. V. S. Sarma as Chandasena *Dr. Kamaraju as Raghuveer *

Vangara Venkata Subbaiah Vangara Venkata Subbayya, better known as Vangara, was an actor of Telugu cinema. He acted in more than 100 films and in some plays. Early life He was born in Sangam Jagarlamudi near Tenali. He started his acting career in 1901 in the play ' ...

as Prime Minister of Magadha kingdom *

Rushyendramani Rushyendramani (1 January 1917 – 17 August 2002) was an Indian actress, singer, dancer, and playback singer from South India. She had more than 150 movies to her credit and acted in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi films from the 193 ...

as Madhavi *

as Padmini *

Valluri Balakrishna Valluri Balakrishna was an Indian actor who primarily appeared in Telugu films as a comedian. He acted in more than 100 films as a comedian, but the role he played in the movie ''Patala Bhairavi'' alongside N. T. Rama Rao as "Anji Gadu" made hi ...

as a soldier in Magadha army *

Padmanabham Padmanabham mandal is one of the 46 mandals in Visakhapatnam District in India. It is under the administration of Visakhapatnam revenue division and the headquarters is located at Padmanabham. The Mandal is bounded by Bheemunipatnam, Anandapur ...

as a soldier in Magadha army

Production

was depressed because of the commercial failure of his previous film '' Thodu Dongalu'' (1954), which he produced along with his brother N. Trivikrama Rao and Atluri Pundarikakshayya. The failure prompted Rama Rao to contemplate quitting film production, until Trivikrama Rao and Pundarikakshayya convinced him to try making a swashbuckler film rooted in folklore. The financial success of ''

Pathala Bhairavi ''Pathala Bhairavi'' () is a 1951 Indian fantasy film directed by K. V. Reddy who co-wrote the film with Pingali and Kamalakara Kameswara Rao. Shot simultaneously in Telugu and Tamil languages, the film was produced by Nagi Reddi and Chakrap ...

'' (1951), '' Chandirani'' (1953) and ''

Rechukka ''Rechukka'' () is a 1955 Indian Telugu-language swashbuckler film directed by P. Pullaiah. The film stars N. T. Rama Rao and Anjali Devi, with music composed by Aswatthama. The story was inspired by ''The Prince Who Was a Thief'' (1951), sta ...

'' (1954)all starring Rama Rao in the lead role and set in the same genrefurther influenced their decision. Most of the principal crew of ''Thodu Dongalu'', including its director

and writer Samudrala Jr., were retained for this film. Rama Rao advised Samudrala Jr. to loosely adapt the novel ''Veera Pooja''. However, the same was not acknowledged in the film's credits. The film was titled ''Jayasimha'' and was produced for Rama Rao's production company National Art Theatre. While Rama Rao decided to play the eponymous protagonist,

and

were cast as the female leads Kalindi and Padmini respectively. ''Jayasimha'' was Waheeda's debut as an actress, after her cameo appearances in ''Kanyadanam'' (1954) and ''

Rojulu Marayi ''Rojulu Marayi'' () is a 1955 Indian Telugu-language drama film directed by Tapi Chanakya. It stars Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Sowcar Janaki with music composed by Master Venu. The film was produced by C. V. R. Prasad on Sarathi Films banner. T ...

'' (1955); she was trained by Pundarikakshayya himself and her lines were dubbed by

Sowcar Janaki Sankaramanchi Janaki (born T. Janaki; 12 December 1931), popularly known as Sowcar Janaki (Tamil) or Shavukaru Janaki (Telugu) or Sahukar Janaki (Kannada), is an Indian actress who has appeared in over 300, films, predominantly in Tamil, Telug ...

. For the role of Vijayasimha, Jayasimha's brother, the makers approached

Akkineni Nageswara Rao Akkineni Nageswara Rao (20 September 1923 – 22 January 2014), widely known as ANR, was an Indian actor and producer, known for his works majorly in Telugu cinema. He starred in many landmark films in his seventy five-year career, and became on ...

who could not accept the offer because of scheduling conflicts.

Jaggayya Kongara Jaggayya (31 December 1928 – 5 March 2004) was an Indian actor, littérateur, journalist, lyricist, dubbing artist and politician known for his works predominantly in Telugu cinema and Telugu theatre. He was known as ''Kanchu Kantham J ...

was considered, but Gummadi (who was cast as Ranadheer, Kalindi's father) recommended

for the role. Rama Rao agreed, and this was Kanta Rao's second collaboration with the former after ''

Vaddante Dabbu ''Vaddante Dabbu'' () is a 1954 Indian Telugu-language screwball comedy film directed by Y. R. Swamy. It was produced by Moola Narayana Swamy and presented by H. M. Reddy on Rohini Pictures banner. The film stars N. T. Rama Rao, Sowcar Janaki ...

'' (1954). S. V. Ranga Rao,

and Relangi were cast in key supporting roles. Anjali Devi was given the top billing in the film's opening credits and the song books, and was succeeded by Rama Rao and Ranga Rao. D. V. S. Raju, who assisted Rama Rao during the production of ''

'' (1953) and ''Thodu Dongalu'', joined the film's crew as an associate producer. M. A. Rehman was signed as the cinematographer and G. D. Joshi edited the film. ''Jayasimha'' was shot in sets erected by Thota at

, Madras (now

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as actor ...

commenced on 19 January 1955 with a sequence filmed on Rama Rao and Relangi at Vauhini Studios, Madras. 'Stunt' Somu choreographed the action sequences. Kuchala Kumari and Rita composed the choreography for the dance sequences. The

post-production Post-production is part of the process of filmmaking, video production, audio production, and photography. Post-production includes all stages of production occurring after principal photography or recording individual program segments. The ...

activities were carried out at Vijaya Laboratories in Madras.

Music

composed the film's soundtrack and score, with lyrics written by Samudrala Jr., which was marketed by

HMV Records His Master's Voice (HMV) was the name of a major British record label created in 1901 by The Gramophone Co. Ltd. The phrase was coined in the late 1890s from the title of a painting by English artist Francis Barraud, which depicted a Jack Russ ...

Chellapilla Satyam Chellapilla Satyanarayana Sastry (1933 - 12 January 1989), known mononymously as Satyam, was an Indian music composer. He was popular in the Telugu and Kannada film industries in the 1960s to 1980s. Sathyam is best remembered as "Andhra R. D. Bu ...

, who was known as 'Dholak' Satyam back then, assisted Raju during the composition of the songs. A. Krishnan was the film's audiographer, assisted by A. R. Swaminathan, C. Radhababu and V. Govinda Rao. On Satyam's advice, Raju decided to look for inspiration in

Hindustani classical music Hindustani classical music is the classical music of northern regions of the Indian subcontinent. It may also be called North Indian classical music or, in Hindustani, ''shastriya sangeet'' (). It is played in instruments like the violin, sita ...

. For the song "Eenati Eehayi", Raju took inspiration from Ghulam Mohammed composition "Zindagi Denewale Sun" for ''

Dil-E-Nadaan ''Dil-e-Nadaan'' () is a 1982 Indian Hindi-language romance film directed by C. V. Sridhar. The film stars Rajesh Khanna, Shatrughan Sinha, Jaya Prada and Smita Patil. It is a remake of Sridhar's 1978 Tamil film ''Ilamai Oonjal Aadukirath ...

'' (1953). Similarly, for the

pallavi A pallavi has multiple connotations in carnatic music. It is the first part of any formal composition (Krithi) which has three segments - Pallavi, Anupallavi and Charanam (which can be one or more). Pallavi is usually also an abbreviation of R ...

of the song "Manasaina Cheli Pilupu", Raju used the tune of "Chori Chori Aag Se" composed by Shyam Sundar for ''Dholak'' (1951). Raju deviated from the tune of the originals, however, while composing the

charanam Charanam (meaning ''foot'') in Carnatic music (South Indian classical music) is usually the end section of a composition which is sung after the anupallavi. There may be multiple ''charanams'' in a composition which make up different stanzas, bu ...

for these songs. Another song "Are Nee Sagamapa" was adapted from a Hindi language composition of the same name written by

Alla Rakha Ustad Alla Rakha Qureshi (29 April 1919 – 3 February 2000), popularly known as Alla Rakha, was an Indian tabla player who specialized in Hindustani classical music. He was a frequent accompanist of sitar player Pandit Ravi Shankar and ...

for ''Sabak'' (1950). The song "Nadireyi Gadichene", filmed on Waheeda, was composed as a ''javali'' using the Begada raga. The duet "Madiloni Madhurabhavam", filmed on Rama Rao and Waheeda, was composed using the

Mohanam Mohanam is a rāga in Carnatic music (musical scale of South Indian classical music). It is an ''audava'' rāga (or ''owdava'' rāga, meaning pentatonic scale). It is usually described as a '' janya'' rāga of Harikamboji (28th Melakartha Raga) ...

raga. Raju composed the song "Nadiyeti Painadachu" in a

Burra katha Burra Katha, also spelled Burrakatha, is an oral storytelling technique in the Jangam Katha tradition, performed in villages of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The troupe consists of one main performer and two co-performers. It is a narrative ent ...

format which was well received by the critics. The soundtrack, consisting of 12 songs, was released on 31 December 1955 and received positive reviews. The song "Jaya Jaya Sri Rama" particularly gained popularity during the film's release and was played regularly in temples dedicated to

Rama Rama (; ), Ram, Raman or Ramar, also known as Ramachandra (; , ), is a major deity in Hinduism. He is the seventh and one of the most popular '' avatars'' of Vishnu. In Rama-centric traditions of Hinduism, he is considered the Supreme Bein ...

in Andhra Pradesh.

Release and reception

''Jayasimha'' was released theatrically on 21 October 1955, cashing in on the

festival holidays. National Art Theatre released the film on their own across Andhra Pradesh, while the distribution rights for Nizam, Ceeded and Mysore regions were acquired by All India Talkie Distributors. Upon release, the film was a commercial success, completing a 100-day run in 6 centres, 169-day run in Vijayawada and Guntur, and a 175-day run in Bangalore. ''Jayasimha'' was later dubbed into Tamil the same year with the title ''Jayasimman''.

Notes

References

External links

* {{D. Yoganand 1955 films 1950s historical fantasy films 1950s Telugu-language films Indian black-and-white films Indian historical fantasy films Films about royalty Films scored by T. V. Raju Films directed by D. Yoganand