''Swathi Kiranam'' () is a 1992
Telugu-language
musical drama film
In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...
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 ...
. Produced by
V. Madhusudhana Rao, the film starred
Mammootty in his Telugu debut,
Master Manjunath
Manjunath Nayaker is an Indian actor and public relations professional. He is better known by his screen name Master Manjunath and "Swamy" for his lead role in the television series ''Malgudi Days'' (1987) directed by Shankar Nag and in its fil ...
and
Raadhika
Raadhika Sarathkumar is an Indian actress, entrepreneur, producer and politician who works predominantly in Tamil cinema along with Telugu cinema as well as a few Malayalam, Hindi and Kannada films. She is the founder and CP of the Radaan Media ...
, along with
Achyuth
Kunapareddy Achyutha Vara Prasad, better known as Achyuth (1960 – 26 December 2002) was an Indian actor who primarily worked in Telugu films and television. He acted in over 50 films and 50 television shows. His accolades include five N ...
,
Jayanthi,
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 ...
,
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 ...
and
Dharmavarapu Subramanyam in supporting roles. The film is about an egotistical
music teacher
Music education is a field of practice in which educators are trained for careers as primary education, elementary or secondary education, secondary music teachers, school or music conservatory ensemble directors. Music education is also a res ...
envious of the immense talent of his
prodigious young disciple. It is loosely based on the English-language film ''
Amadeus
Amadeus may refer to:
*Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756–1791), prolific and influential composer of classical music
*Amadeus (name), a given name and people with the name
* ''Amadeus'' (play), 1979 stage play by Peter Shaffer
* ''Amadeus'' (film), ...
.''
Swathi Kiranam was featured in the Indian panorama section of the
24th IFFI, 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 ...
, the
Moscow Film Festival and the
AISFM Film Festival.
The film has garnered the
National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer
The National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer is an honour presented annually at the National Film Awards of India since 1968 to a female playback singer for the best renditions of songs from soundtracks within the Indian film industr ...
,
Filmfare Award for Best Music Direction and the
Akkineni Award for Best Home-viewing Feature Film.
Over the years, the film has accumulated a
cult following for its music.
Plot
The film starts with a shabby old man living as a recluse near a famous temple. When he ventures out into the village, he is beaten by the shepherds who believe that he is a thief. When they hand him over to the police, the officer in charge identifies him as a once-famous musician, Anantha Rama Sharma (
Mammooty
Muhammad Kutty Panaparambil Ismail (; born 7 September 1951), known mononymously by the hypocorism Mammootty (), is an Indian actor and film producer who works predominantly in Malayalam films. He has also appeared in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, H ...
), hailed as Sangeeta Samrat (Emperor of music), who has been missing for four years. The inspector Radhakrishna (
Achyuth
Kunapareddy Achyutha Vara Prasad, better known as Achyuth (1960 – 26 December 2002) was an Indian actor who primarily worked in Telugu films and television. He acted in over 50 films and 50 television shows. His accolades include five N ...
) informs his aunt (
Jayanthi), who teaches music in his native village, of this and the past of Anantha Sharma is narrated through flashback.
; Flashback begins
Anantha Rama Sharma is a widely respected Carnatic singer with a big ego. This is established when he rejects the ''
Padma Shri
Padma Shri ( IAST: ''padma śrī''), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. Instituted on 2 January 1954, the award is conf ...
'' bestowed upon him by the Government of India, as he believes that the other awardees are not worthy to be mentioned alongside him.
Gangadhar (
Master Manjunath
Manjunath Nayaker is an Indian actor and public relations professional. He is better known by his screen name Master Manjunath and "Swamy" for his lead role in the television series ''Malgudi Days'' (1987) directed by Shankar Nag and in its fil ...
) lives in the same village. He rejects the society's norms (taking music classes and going to school) and spends his time sitting by the riverside. The river inspires him to sing many songs in different tunes. His music teacher, also the policeman's aunt, recognizes his talent and tries to nurture it. His school teacher (the music teacher's brother) is also fond of Gangadhar.
Gangadhar wants to become a great singer, like Ananta Sharma, and his father (
Dharmavarapu Subrahmanyam
Dharmavarapu Subrahmanyam (20 September 1954 – 7 December 2013) was a popular Indian actor, comedian and film director who worked in Telugu cinema. He was established as one of the highly paid and top most leading comedians in Telugu film in ...
) encourages him. His day comes when Anantha Sharma is honored in an auditorium. Gangadhar sings a song ("Aanathi Neeyara") in honor of Anantha Sharma, which many consider to be much better than any of Anantha Sharma's works. The boy is hailed as a child prodigy by everyone including Anantha Sharma's wife.
Anantha Sharma wants to imprison Gangadhar's talents. So he asks Gangadhar to stay in his house and learn music as one must be well-experienced to sing on stage. Anantha Sharma makes Gangadhar create songs (which is required by him for a temple), but always acts unimpressed when Ganghadhar creates tunes for the songs. He copies one of Gangadhar's tunes and sings it on stage thinking Gangadhar is absent but Ganga comes to the show. Ananta's wife also finds the hidden stash of all the tunes composed by Gangadhar. He now feels guilty and defends himself by saying that he did it as he was afraid this child would destroy his name and fame.
In this emotional moment, he suffers a heart-attack. To show his gratitude towards his adopted mother, Gangadhar kills himself so that there is no competition for Anantha Sharma. The incident shocks the villagers and they call Anantha Sharma a murderer. To escape their wrath and insults, he runs away and becomes a recluse.
;Flashback ends
Ananta Sharma is still unconscious while in the police station. When he awakes, he finds himself in the house of Gangadhar's music teacher. The music teacher's husband tells him that they have forgiven him and asks him to return to his house. At his house, he finds his wife giving music classes (an institute named "Gangadhar Music Academy") for young children. He sits down amongst the children learning the music basics from his wife.
Cast
Production
Director K Viswanath had approached
S. P. Balasubrahmanyam
Sripathi Panditaradhyula Balasubrahmanyam (4 June 1946 – 25 September 2020), also referred to as SPB or SP Balu or Balu, was an Indian playback singer, television presenter, actor, music composer, dubbing artist, and film producer. He is wi ...
to dub for Mammootty in the film. According to SPB, he was ready dub for a great actor like Mammootty. But Mammootty asked the director if he can dub it himself in Telugu with his own voice, even though he did not know Telugu at the time. According to SPB, he said: "I can work hard. If you still do not like it, just do it with Balu Sir." But nothing like this came about. According to SPB, the film was dubbed by Mammootty himself. Though he could not provide the voice, it was SPB who sang the song for Mammootty in the film.
During the composing sessions of this film, the music director K. V. Mahadevan was hospitalized. Hence his close associate and disciple Pughazhendi composed all the songs in the film. But due to his devotion towards the music director, he credited K. V. Mahadevan's name instead of himself. The song “Aanati Neeyara” is written in Thyagaraja Pancharatna Krithi style by
Sirivennela Sitaramasastry. Pancharatna Krithis are unique compositions where there are numerous charanams which progress into a crescendo. This song fetched
Vani Jayaram
Vani Jairam (born as Kalaivani on 30 November 1945), also credited as Vani Jayaram, is an Indian singer. She is best known as a playback singer in South Indian cinema. Vani's career started in 1971 and has spanned over five decades. She has do ...
the
National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer
The National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer is an honour presented annually at the National Film Awards of India since 1968 to a female playback singer for the best renditions of songs from soundtracks within the Indian film industr ...
. This film is the only film to have same lyrical compositions sung by different singers. But with strikingly different compositions. "Pranathi Pranathi" is first sung in Naata by the character of Mammootty which is tuned in a different way again for Master Manjunath to sing brilliantly. The song "Shivani Bhavani" is sung in the same tune but with different emotional levels by the two lead characters Anantha Sharma (Mammootty) and Gangadharam (Master Manjunath) respectively. This film also marked the first and last collaboration of veteran singers Vani Jayaram and
K. S. Chithra.
Soundtrack
Reception
The film was released on 1 January 1992 on
New Year's Day to widespread critical acclaim. However, the film was a box office failure. In a retrospect interview of the film by ''iQlik Movies'', they call the film an unmistakable epic by writing: "''Swathi Kiranam'' is called an unmistakable epic because it explores the hidden side of a successful Carnatic Music singer - his inner fears, his insecurities just because he watches a child prodigy grow in front of his own eyes." They further go on to praise the performance of the lead cast. They then praise the script, writing: "Dialogues written by Jandhyala are thought provoking and heart touching. The line where a tormented Gangadharam says ,” Mimmalni choosthe maa amma gari la anipisthunnaru..kaani ayyagaru endhuku thandri la kanipisthunnaro ardham kavatledhu” (“While I can see a mother in you, I don’t know why I am unable to see a father in sir!”) to Anantha Sharma's wife can make anybody tearful." ''Idlebrain'' included the film in its series of "films that were box-office failures but, that deserve to be ranked as some of the best movies of Telugu industry."
Accolades
The film won 1
National Film Award
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 Directora ...
, 1
Nandi Award
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 1
Filmfare Award 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 f ...
each. The film was the inaugural recipient of the
.
, -
, 1992
,
Vani Jayaram
Vani Jairam (born as Kalaivani on 30 November 1945), also credited as Vani Jayaram, is an Indian singer. She is best known as a playback singer in South Indian cinema. Vani's career started in 1971 and has spanned over five decades. She has do ...
(for song "Aanathi Neeyara")
,
National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer
The National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer is an honour presented annually at the National Film Awards of India since 1968 to a female playback singer for the best renditions of songs from soundtracks within the Indian film industr ...
,
, -
, 1992
,
K. V. Mahadevan
,
Filmfare Award for Best Music Director – Telugu
,
, -
, 1991
,
V. Madhusudhana Rao
,
[(in Telugu)]
,
References
External links
*
{{Jandhyala Subramanya Sastry
1992 films
1990s Telugu-language films
Films directed by K. Viswanath
Indian nonlinear narrative films
Films about the arts
1990s musical drama films
Films about classical music and musicians
Films scored by K. V. Mahadevan
Indian musical drama films
Films about teacher–student relationships
1992 drama films