''Swarnakamalam'' () is a 1988 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

dance film A dance film (also known as screen dance) is a film in which dance is used to reveal the central themes of the film, whether these themes be connected to narrative or story, states of being, or more experimental and formal concerns. In such films, ...

written and directed by

K. Viswanath Kasinadhuni Viswanath (born 19 February 1930) is an Indian film director, screenwriter and actor, known for his works primarily in Telugu cinema. He is recipient of five National Film Awards, seven state Nandi Awards, ten Filmfare Awards South ...

. The film stars

Venkatesh Venkatesh is a given name and family name from the Indian subcontinent derived from Venkateswara, a Hindu deity. Notable persons with the name include: * A. Venkatesh Naik (born 1936), member of the 14th Lok Sabha of India * A. Venkatesh (directo ...

and Bhanupriya in the lead, while Sharon Lowen appears in a special role. The choreography is helmed by

Kelucharan Mohapatra Kelucharan Mohapatra (8 January 1926 – 7 April 2004) was a legendary Indian classical dancer, guru, and exponent of Odissi dance, who is credited with the revival and popularizing of this classical dance form in the 20th century. He is ...

, and soundtrack is composed by

Ilaiyaraaja Ilaiyaraaja (born R. Gnanathesikan, 3 June 1943) is an Indian musician, composer, arranger, conductor, orchestrator, instrumentalist, lyricist and singer, popular for his works in Indian Cinema, prominently in Tamil films. Reputed to be one of ...

. The song sequences were extensively shot at the

Valley of Flowers National Park Valley of Flowers National Park is an Indian National parks of India, national park which was established in 1982. It is located in Chamoli in the state of Uttarakhand and is known for its meadows of Endemism, endemic alpine flowers and the var ...

, the

Nanda Devi National Park The Nanda Devi National Park or Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve, established in 1982 is a national park situated around the peak of Nanda Devi (7816 m) in Chamoli Garhwal district of Uttarakhand, in northern India. The entire park lies at an ele ...

, the

Shanti Stupa Shanti Stupa may refer to: *Shanti Stupa, Delhi *Shanti Stupa, Ladakh *Shanti Stupa, Pokhara {{disamb ...

and Bhringesvara Siva Temple at Dhauli; and other locations in

Visakhapatnam , image_alt = , image_caption = From top, left to right: Visakhapatnam aerial view, Vizag seaport, Simhachalam Temple, Aerial view of Rushikonda Beach, Beach road, Novotel, Novotel Visakhapatnam, INS Kursura (S20), INS ...

. The film was screened at the Indian panorama section of the

12th International Film Festival of India The 12th International Film Festival of India was held from 10-24 January 1989 in New Delhi. The festival was made non-competitive following a decision taken in August 1988 by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting that festivals in future w ...

, the

Asia Pacific Film Festival The Asia-Pacific Film Festival (abbreviated APFF) is an annual film festival hosted by the Federation of Motion Picture Producers in Asia-Pacific. The festival was first held in Tokyo, Japan, in 1954. History The festival was first held in Tok ...

and the

Ann Arbor Film Festival The Ann Arbor Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Ann Arbor in the U.S. state of Michigan. Established in 1963, it is the fourth-oldest film festival in North America (after the Yorkton Film Festival, 1947; Columbus International Film ...

. The film received three Indian Express Awards, three state

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 ...

, and two South Filmfare Awards, including

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:Na ...

and

Filmfare Best Film Award (Telugu) The Filmfare Award for Best Film is given by the ''Filmfare'' magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards for Hindi films. The award was first given in 1954. Here is a list of the award winners and the nominees of the respective years. Eac ...

Plot

Meenakshi ( Bhanupriya) and Savitri (Devilalita) are daughters of a

Kuchipudi Kuchipudi () ( Telugu: ) is one of the eight major Indian classical dances. It originates from a village named Kuchipudi in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Kuchipudi is a dance-drama performance, with its roots in the ancient Hindu Sa ...

doyen, Vedantam Seshendra Sharma. While a highly accomplished artist in his field, Seshendra Sharma is not well-off and has not been able to afford for his daughters, a conventional education. Both of them have achieved a respectable degree of proficiency — Savitri in Carnatic classical music and Meenakshi in classical dance. Savitri, the elder daughter, is grateful for her knowledge and interest and looks forward to a life that will require her to hone her skills in art. Meenakshi, on the other hand, is bitter about the lack of opportunity that she feels in the field of classical dance in India and resolves to make a simpler and more pleasurable life for herself as soon as possible while confiding her ambitions only to her sister. Chandrasekhar (

) is a tenant who has just moved in next door. He is a painter and is shown to be handling movie promotions as a large part of his work. He develops an interest in the neighbors and tries to help them in whatever way he can, partly because of his (unconfessed) interest in Meenakshi and partly because of his interest in the art which seems to be slowly fading from public life. The rest of the film is largely built around Meenakshi's journey from skepticism to devotion in her pursuit of dance. Chandrasekhar is shown to be an important catalyst in this transformation. Meenakshi becomes an accomplished dancer through the direction of renowned Odissi dancer Sharon Lowen and gets the

opportunity Opportunity may refer to: Places * Opportunity, Montana, an unincorporated community, United States * Opportunity, Nebraska, an unincorporated community, United States * Opportunity, Washington, a former census-designated place, United States * ...

to go to the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

and perform. She learns of Chandrasekhar's love for her, and finally unites with Chandrasekhar, confessing her love for him as well.

Cast

as Chandu / Chandra Shekar * Bhanupriya as Meenakshi *

Shanmukha Srinivas Shanmukha Srinivas, (born N. Shanmukha Srinivas) is an Indian actor and Kuchipudi dancer. who primarily works in Telugu cinema. He is starred in 20 feature films as a child artist. He played the lead protagonist in the daily soap Anveshitha. ...

as Srinivas *

Sakshi Ranga Rao Sakshi Ranga Rao (born Rangavajhula Ranga Rao; 15 September 1942 – 27 June 2005) was an Indian character actor who worked in Telugu cinema and Telugu theatre. He appeared in about 450 films over a career spanning four decades, majority of ...

as Omkaram *

Sri Lakshmi (actress) Sri Lakshmi is an Indian actress who is known for her comic roles in Telugu films. She has also appeared in Tamil films. More than 500 films to her credit, she later turned her attention towards television serials. Lakshmi has received four Nand ...

as Akhilam * S. K. Misro as Government official * Devilalita as Savitri *

Dubbing Janaki Dasari Janaki, known professionally as Dubbing Janaki, is an Indian actress and voice artist. She has appeared in several films and television shows in various South Indian languages. Early life Janaki was born in Peddapuram, East Godavari D ...

Pavala Syamala Pavala Syamala is an Indian actress from Andhra Pradesh. She has been playing supporting roles in Telugu films since 1984. She made her debut as an actress with the film Babai Abbai. Personal life She was born in a Brahmin family. She lost he ...

* Sharon Lowen as herself * Aruna Macherla as Meenakshi's friend * K. V. Satyanarayana * Vinnakota Vijayaram * N. Sivarama Krishnaiah * K. S. T. Sai * S. S. Vajpayee

Production

The production design was helmed by Arun D. Ghodgaonkar, with cinematography by

Lok Singh Lok Singh was an Indian cinematographer who primarily worked in Telugu movies mostly in the 80s and 90s. He worked for over 31 movies with Chiranjeevi Chiranjeevi (born Konidela Sivasankara Varaprasad; 22 August 1955) is an Indian actor, f ...

.http://www.indianbackgroundscore.com/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=164 indianbackgroundscore.com Casting was done by K. Viswanath, including American dancer Sharon Lowen, who portrayed herself as a veteran

Odissi Odissi (), also referred to as Orissi in old literature, is a major ancient Indian classical dance that originated in the temples of Odisha – an eastern coastal state of India.

Soundtrack

The music for the film was composed by

and released on ECHO Music Company.

Awards

;

- 1988 * Best Feature Film - Gold - Ch.V. Appa Rao *

Best Actress Best Actress is the name of an award which is presented by various film, television and theatre organisations, festivals, and people's awards to leading actresses in a film, television series, television film or play. The first Best Actress aw ...

- Bhanupriya * Best Choreographer - Srinivas ;

Filmfare Awards South Filmfare Awards South is the South Indian segment of the annual Filmfare Awards, presented by the Filmfare magazine of The Times Group to honour both artistic and technical excellence of professionals in the Indian film industry encompassing ...

- 1988 * Best Film – Telugu - Ch.V. Appa Rao * Best Actress – Telugu - Bhanupriya ; Cinema Express Awards - 1988 * Cinema Express Awards Best Film - Ch.V. Appa Rao * Cinema Express Awards Best Director -

* Cinema Express Awards Best Actress - Bhanupriya

References

External links

* {{Kasinathuni Viswanath 1988 films 1980s Telugu-language films 1980s dance films Films directed by K. Viswanath Indian dance films Films about the arts Films about fictional painters Films about classical music and musicians Films shot in Odisha Films scored by Ilaiyaraaja Indian romantic drama films Films shot in Uttarakhand Films shot in Visakhapatnam 1988 romantic drama films