''Tenali Ramakrishna'' is a 1956 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

political drama A political drama can describe a play, film or TV program that has a political component, whether reflecting the author's political opinion, or describing a politician or series of political events. Dramatists who have written political dramas in ...

film produced and directed by

B. S. Ranga Bindiganavile Srinivas Iyengar Ranga (11 November 1917 – 12 December 2010) was an Indian photographer, actor, producer and director who has made many landmark movies in Kannada, Telugu, and Tamil. He was also the owner of Vikram Studios. He ...

based on Ch. Venkataramaiah's stage play of the same name. Produced for the banner Vikram Productions, it stars

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 ...

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 ...

V. Nagayya V. Nagayya (born Vuppaladadiyam Nagayya Sarma; 28 March 1904 – 30 December 1978) also known as Chittoor Nagayya was an Indian actor, singer, music composer, and director known for his works in Telugu cinema, Tamil cinema, and Telugu theatre. ...

Bhanumathi Ramakrishna P. Bhanumathi Ramakrishna (7 September 1925 – 24 December 2005) was an Indian actress, singer, film producer, director, music composer, and novelist. She is regarded as the first female super star of Telugu cinema. She is also considered the ...

and Jamuna in key roles. Ranga handled the cinematography with his brother-in-law B. N. Haridas while P. G. Mohan edited the film.

Viswanathan–Ramamoorthy Viswanathan–Ramamoorthy were an Indian music composing duo composed of M. S. Viswanathan and T. K. Ramamoorthy. They worked together on over 100 films, from 1952's '' Panam'' to 1965's '' Aayirathil Oruvan''. After their split, Ramamoorthy wo ...

composed the soundtrack and background score. Written by

Samudrala Sr. Samudrala Raghavacharya (19 July 1902 – 16 March 1968), also known as Samudrala Sr., was an Indian screenwriter, lyricist, playback singer, director, and producer known for his works in Telugu cinema. Samudrala Senior made his screen debut in ...

Kannadasan Kannadasan (; 24 June 1927 – 17 October 1981) was an Indian philosopher, poet, film song lyricist, producer, actor, script-writer, editor, philanthropist, and is heralded as one of the greatest and most important lyricists in India. Freq ...

and Murugadasa, ''Tenali Ramakrishna'' narrates the story of the 14th century Telugu and Sanskrit poet and scholar of the same name, and his life as a member of the court of

Krishnadevaraya Krishnadevaraya (17 January 1471 – 17 October 1529) was an emperor of the Vijayanagara Empire, also known as the Karnata Empire, reigning from 1509 to 1529. He was the third monarch of the Tuluva dynasty, and is considered to be one of the g ...

, the king of the

Vijayanagara Empire The Vijayanagara Empire, also called the Karnata Kingdom, was a Hinduism, Hindu empire based in the region of South India, which consisted the modern states of Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Goa and some parts of Telangana an ...

. Using his wits, Ramakrishna manages to save Krishnadevaraya from attacks by the

Bahmani Sultanate The Bahmani Sultanate, or Deccan, was a Persianate Sunni Muslim Indian Kingdom located in the Deccan region. It was the first independent Muslim kingdom of the Deccan,

, which tries to invade the Vijayanagara Empire. The rest of the film is about Ramakrishna's efforts to save Krishnadevaraya from courtesan Krishnasani, a spy, and convincing Emperor

Babur Babur ( fa, , lit= tiger, translit= Bābur; ; 14 February 148326 December 1530), born Mīrzā Zahīr ud-Dīn Muhammad, was the founder of the Mughal Empire in the Indian subcontinent. He was a descendant of Timur and Genghis Khan through his ...

against extending support to the Sultanate in the war. Produced as a bilingual film shot simultaneously in the Telugu and

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, nati ...

languages with a slightly altered cast, ''Tenali Ramakrishna'' was filmed in and around Revathy Studios at Madras. It was released on 12 January 1956 to mixed reviews from critics who criticised the historical inaccuracies portrayed in the film. ''Tenali Ramakrishna'' was a commercial success, won the President's Silver medal for the Best Feature Film in Telugu and the All India Certificate of Merit for Best Feature Film at the

4th National Film Awards The 4th National Film Awards, then known as State Awards for Films, presented by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India to felicitate the best of Indian Cinema released in the year 1956. Ceremony took place at Vigyan Bhavan, New Delhi ...

. Its Tamil version, titled ''

Tenali Raman Tenali Ramakrishna (born Garlapati Ramakrishna; also known as Tenali Rama) was an Indian poet, scholar, thinker and a special advisor in the court of the Vijayanagar king Krishnadevaraya, who ruled from C.E. 1509 to 1529. He was a Telugu poet ...

'', featured

Sivaji Ganesan Villupuram Chinnaiya Manrayar Ganesamoorthy, better known by his stage name Sivaji Ganesan, (1 October 1928 – 21 July 2001) was an Indian actor and producer. He was active in Tamil cinema during the latter half of the 20th century. Sivaji Ga ...

as the protagonist and was released on 3 February 1956. ''Tenali Ramakrishna'' was later remade in Kannada as ''

Hasyaratna Ramakrishna ''Hasyaratna Ramakrishna'' ( kn, ಹಾಸ್ಯರತ್ನ ರಾಮಕೃಷ್ಣ ) is a 1982 Indian Kannada language comedy film directed by B. S. Ranga. The film stars Anant Nag in the role of a poet, Ramakrishna. It also features Aarathi, ...

'' in 1982 by Ranga himself but it was a commercial failure.

Plot

Ramakrishna Ramakrishna Paramahansa ( bn, রামকৃষ্ণ পরমহংস, Ramôkṛṣṇo Pôromohôṅso; , 18 February 1836 – 16 August 1886),——— — also spelled Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, born Gadadhar Chattopadhyaya,, was an In ...

is a poet and scholar in the Telugu and Sanskrit languages whose talent is not recognized in his hometown

Tenali Tenali is a city in Guntur district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is a municipality and the headquarters of Tenali mandal and Tenali revenue division. The city is renowned for art, culture, drama and hence, it is called ''Andhra ...

. To earn a living, he migrates to

Hampi Hampi or Hampe, also referred to as the Group of Monuments at Hampi, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site located in Hampi (town), Hampi town, Vijayanagara district, east-central Karnataka, India. Hampi was the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire i ...

with his wife Kamala and son Madhava. On his way to Hampi, he stops at a

Kali Kali (; sa, काली, ), also referred to as Mahakali, Bhadrakali, and Kalika ( sa, कालिका), is a Hinduism, Hindu goddess who is considered to be the goddess of ultimate power, time, destruction and change in Shaktism. In t ...

temple. He is initially terrified looking at the goddess' idol and the animal sacrifices made to please her. That night, Kali appears before him and grants a boon: he must choose either wisdom or wealth. Ramakrishna opts for both, which angers Kali. She warns him that he might end up as a ''Vikatakavi'' (clownish poet) whose wisdom is useful solely for entertaining others. Ramakrishna accepts this as a blessing and asks Kali to save him from further dangers. The goddess agrees and disappears. Ramakrishna reaches Hampi and approaches Tatacharya, the royal priest of the

, to find employment in the court of King

. Neither Tatacharya nor his assistants help him, and he leaves dejected. However, he finds an opportunity when Krishnadevaraya is unable to distribute 17 elephants among three brothers as instructed in their deceased father's will. Ramakrishna solves the problem and Krishnadevaraya appoints him as a member of the court. With his wit and loyalty, Ramakrishna soon earns the respect of all the court's members except for Tatacharya who sees him as a problem. The

Deccan sultanates The Deccan sultanates were five Islamic late-medieval Indian kingdoms—on the Deccan Plateau between the Krishna River and the Vindhya Range—that were ruled by Muslim dynasties: namely Ahmadnagar, Berar, Bidar, Bijapur, and Golconda. Th ...

of Berar—Ahmednagar, Bidar, Bijapur, and Golconda—decide to wage a war on the Vijayanagara empire with united military forces. They send Kanakaraju, a spy, to Hampi where he meets Ramakrishna, who happens to be a distant relative. A few days later, Kanakaraju tries to assassinate Krishnadevaraya and Tatacharya blames Ramakrishna for giving shelter to a spy. As Ramakrishna is about to be executed on the King's orders, he overhears a conversation between another spy and the court's astrologer. The spy bribes the astrologer to influence Krishnadevaraya to postpone the war on Bijapur so they have time to make proper preparations. Ramakrishna escapes and meets Prime Minister

Timmarusu Saluva Timmarusu or Saluva Nayaka or simply Timmarasu was the Prime Minister (Mahapradhana) and military commander of Krishna Deva Raya. He is also known as "Appaji". He had also served as Prime Minister under Viranarasimha Raya and Tuluva Nar ...

who helps him reveal the astrologer's intentions. The astrologer is killed and Tatacharya, who believed in him in good faith, is accused of trying to backstab the king. Ramakrishna intervenes and Tatacharya is saved, improving their relationship. The

Bahmani Sultanate The Bahmani Sultanate, or Deccan, was a Persianate Sunni Muslim Indian Kingdom located in the Deccan region. It was the first independent Muslim kingdom of the Deccan,

then sends the courtesan Krishnasani to Hampi. With her acclaimed dancing skills, she manages to attract the attention of Krishnadevaraya, who finds himself besotted by her wit and sensuousness. He issues orders that anyone who enters his private chamber will be beheaded and spends time with Krishnasani for months. Timmarusu and Ramakrishna learn that the Sultans are planning to take advantage of the King's inaccessibility and will soon launch a combined attack on Hampi. Worried about the state of affairs, Ramakrishna ignores the King's order and enters his abode dressed as a woman, but he is ignored and expelled from the kingdom. Meanwhile, Krishnadevaraya's wife

Tirumala Devi Tirumala Devi (also known as Tirumalamba) (died 1553) was the senior wife and chief queen (''patta mahishi'') of Emperor Krishnadevaraya, who is considered to be the greatest ruler of the Vijayanagara Empire. She was also the most honoured wife ...

falls seriously ill, and he finally realizes his mistakes. Once the King is back at his palace, Ramakrishna manages to enter Krishnasani's chamber again, this time under the guise of a saint. He catches her red-handed with her gang of spies, and signals to the hidden soldiers to surround her. She kills herself preferring a dignified death. Ramakrishna wishes to leave for Delhi to convince Emperor

not to send his

elephantry A war elephant was an elephant that was trained and guided by humans for combat. The war elephant's main use was to charge the enemy, break their ranks and instill terror and fear. Elephantry is a term for specific military units using elephan ...

to support the Sultanate in the war. Ramakrishna reaches Delhi and meets Babur in the guise of an aged fakir. He sings his praises until he empties all the gold coins Babur has. Babur invites him to his palace to gift him properly. Ramakrishna goes to Babur's palace. He introduces himself as one of the innocent citizens of the Vijayanagara empire who will suffer if Babur extends his support to the unjust Sultanate. Babur is convinced and calls his elephantry back. Dismayed at the sudden turn of events, the Sultanate calls off the war. Krishnadevaraya learns about Ramakrishna's efforts in stopping the war from Timmarusu. Remorseful, Krishnadevaraya invites Ramakrishna to rejoin the court; he gladly agrees.

Cast

;Male actors *

Tenali Rama Tenali Ramakrishna (born Garlapati Ramakrishna; also known as Tenali Rama) was an Indian poet, scholar, thinker and a special advisor in the court of the Vijayanagar king Krishnadevaraya, who ruled from C.E. 1509 to 1529. He was a Telugu poet ...

krishna *

* Mukkamala as Tatacharya *

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 Appanna, Tatacharya's assistant *Master Venkateshwar as Madhava, Ramakrishna's son * Mikkilineni as Kanakaraju *Kamaraju as

;Female actors *

as Krishnasani * Jamuna as Kamala, Ramakrishna's wife *

Raavu Balasaraswathi Raavu Balasaraswathi Devi (born 28 August 1928) is an Indian singer and actress who performed from 1930 to the 1960s in Telugu and Tamil cinema. She was the first light music singer on All India Radio and the first playback singer in the Telu ...

as Radha *Sandhya as

*Lakshmikantha as a street dancer *Venkumamba as Ramakrishna's mother

Production

Development

After the success of his first production venture ''

Maa Gopi ''Maa Gopi'' is a 1954 Telugu language film directed by B. S. Ranga. The film stars V. Nagayya, G. Varalakshmi, Vallam Narasimha Rao, Jamuna. The film was dubbed into Tamil as ''Jaya Gopi'' and released in 1955. The film was a remake of 1953 ...

'' (1954),

wished to produce and direct a historical film based on the life of the 14th century Telugu poet and scholar

Tenali Ramakrishna Tenali Ramakrishna (born Garlapati Ramakrishna; also known as Tenali Rama) was an Indian poet, scholar, thinker and a special advisor in the court of the Vijayanagar king Krishnadevaraya, who ruled from C.E. 1509 to 1529. He was a Telugu poet ...

, one of the

Ashtadiggajas Ashtadiggajas is the collective title given to the eight Telugu scholars and poets in the court of Emperor Krishnadevaraya who ruled the Vijayanagara Empire from 1509 until his death in 1529. During his reign, Telugu literature and culture reac ...

(a collective title given to the eight Telugu poets in the court of

, which literally translates as "eight great elephants"). He planned it as a bilingual film to be filmed simultaneously in the Telugu and Tamil languages but with a slightly altered cast. Ranga collaborated with

and Murugadasa on the basic script for both the versions. They decided to adapt Ch. Venkataramaiah's Kannada-language stage play ''Tenali Ramakrishna'' into the film, instead of following

H. M. Reddy Hanumappa Muniappa Reddy (12 June 1892 – 14 January 1960), known as H. M. Reddy, was an Indian film director and producer, known for his works in Telugu cinema. He directed the first Indian multilingual sound film ''Kalidas'' (1931), shot in ...

script for the 1941 Telugu directorial of the same name. Ranga titled the film ''

'' in Tamil. Venkataramaiah's play was comical in nature, and focused on the life and times of Ramakrishna. Fearing it would fail to translate on-screen effectively, Samudrala and Kannadasan decided to incorporate political elements during the rule of Krishnadevaraya. While Samudrala focused on the administrative aspects of Krishnadevaraya, Kannadasan opted to "humanise" the king by writing scenes related to his personal life and preferences. ''Tenali Ramakrishna'' was filmed in and around Revathy Studios in Madras, due to the floors of Ranga's production company Vikram Studios still being under construction. V. S. Rangachari, the film's associate director, assisted Ranga in directing the Telugu version.

Cast and crew

Ranga cast

to play Ramakrishna in Telugu, with

replacing him in the Tamil version.

and

were signed to play Krishnadevaraya and his minister

. Mukkamala played the role of Tatacharya, the kingdom's royal priest. He was replaced by

M. N. Nambiar Manjeri Narayanan Nambiar (7 March 1919 – 19 November 2008) was an Indian actor who worked predominantly in Tamil cinema, known mostly for his villain roles in an eight decade long career. He has also appeared in a few Malayalam films. ...

in the Tamil version. Ranga approached

to play Krishnasani. Initially disinterested, Bhanumathi accepted the offer because of Ranga's association as a cinematographer for films produced by her production company

Bharani Pictures Bharani Pictures is a film production company in Chennai, India. It was established by P. S. Ramakrishna Rao and Bhanumathi Ramakrishna in 1947. They later established Bharani Studios in 1950. It is named after their son Bharani. Dr. Bharani Palu ...

. ''Tenali Ramakrishna'' is the only film where Bhanumathi shared the screen with both Rama Rao and Nageswara Rao at once.

, Sandhya,

, Jamuna, Lakshmikantha, Venkumamba and Master Venkateshwar were cast in key supporting roles. Kamaraju appeared as Emperor

, and Mikkilineni made a brief appearance as Ramakrishna's relative Kanakaraju.

were signed to compose the soundtrack and background score for both the versions. Ranga's brother-in-law B. N. Haridas worked as the cinematographer. However, Ranga was credited as the film's director of photography with Haridas. P. G. Mohan edited the film. Vali and Ganga were the art directors, and V. K. Srinivasan was the film's production manager. Chopra and Gopalakrishnan choreographed the dance sequences.

Music

Viswanathan–Ramamoorthy composed the soundtrack and background score, with Samudrala penning the lyrics for the songs and poems. Ghantasala,

Madhavapeddi Satyam Madhavapeddi Satyam (11 March 1922 – 18 December 2000) was an Indian playback singer and actor who predominantly worked in Telugu cinema. He entered films as a singer-actor in Y. V. Rao's Tamil-Hindi bilingual movie ''Ramadas'' in the year 194 ...

P. Leela Porayathu Leela (19 May 1934 – 31 October 2005) was an Indian playback singer, Carnatic vocalist and a music director. She has recorded more than 5,000 songs in various Indian languages including Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Hindi, ...

P. Susheela Pulapaka Susheela (born 13 November 1935), popularly known as P. Susheela, is an Indian playback singer associated with the South Indian cinema primarily from Andhra Pradesh for over six decades. She is one of the greatest and best-known playba ...

, Balasaraswathi and

A. P. Komala Arkadu Parthasarathy Komala (born 28 August 1934), commonly known as A. P. Komala, is an Indian playback singer. She has sung songs in Tamil, Malayalam, Telugu and Kannada languages. Career life She was a much sought after playback singer from t ...

were the soundtrack's playback singers. Bhanumathi provided vocals as the playback singer for the songs featuring her. The song "Chesedi Yemito" was composed using the Sindhu Bhairavi raga. "Neevega Raja Neevega" and "Jhan Jhan Kankanamulu" are based on the

Shanmukhapriya Shanmukhapriya is a ragam in Carnatic music (musical scale of South Indian classical music). It is the 56th ''melakarta'' rāgam (parent scale) in the 72 ''melakarta'' rāgam system of Carnatic music. It is called Chāmaram in Muthuswami Dikshi ...

and

Shuddha Saveri Shuddha Saveri or śuddha sāveri is a ragam in Carnatic music (musical scale of South Indian classical music) and Yakshagana music. It is an ''audava'' rāgam (or ''owdava'' rāgam, meaning pentatonic scale). It is a '' janya'' rāgam (derive ...

ragas. The song "Chandana Charchita", an

ashtapadi ''Ashtapadis'' or ''Ashtapadi'' refers to the Sanskrit hymns of the ''Gita Govinda'', composed by Jayadeva in the 12th Century. The ''ashtapadis'', which describe the beauty of Lord Krishna and the love between Krishna and the '' gopis'', are co ...

adapted from ''

Gita Govinda The ''Gita Govinda'' ( sa, गीत गोविन्दम्; ) is a work composed by the 12th-century Hindu poet, Jayadeva. It describes the relationship between Krishna, Radha and ''gopis'' (female cow herders) of Vrindavan. The ''Gita G ...

'' written by the Sanskrit poet

Jayadeva Jayadeva (; born ), also spelt Jaideva, was a Sanskrit poet during the 12th century. He is most known for his epic poem ''Gita Govinda'' which concentrates on Krishna's love with the '' gopi'', Radha, in a rite of spring. This poem, which presen ...

, 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. When Ghantasala refused to take money for the 14 poems he sang, Ranga went to his home and gave his wife Savithri Ghantasala one hundred rupees for each poem. Ramakoti, who played a washer man in the film, sang the song "Akathayipilla Mooka". The soundtrack, 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 ...

, was released on 1 December 1956. The songs received positive reviews from the critics after the film's release. A review dated 27 January 1956 in ''Swatantra'' said: "The songs help the film greatly, with all the singers performing very well, though the ones sung by Bhanumathi could have been much better ic. The reviewer also found the background score "generally effective", and "exceptional" at times. ''Zameen Raithu'', in its review dated 10 February 1956, praised Samudrala for adapting Jayadeva's ashtapadi and other complicated poems and not "compromising" for the common audience to understand. However, the reviewer was critical of the grammatical and pronunciation errors made by the singers and actors in the film. The songs "Theerani Naa Korikale", "Chandana Charchita", "Jhan Jhan Kankanamulu" and "Gandupilli Menumarachi" gained popularity post release. Track listing

Release

''Tenali Ramakrishna'' was released on 12 January 1956, with an approximate total length of in 20 reels, with a running time of 169 minutes. Navayuga films distributed the film in the Vijayawada, Guntakal, and Madras areas. The Nizam area distribution rights were acquired by All India Corporation Limited. Due to technical issues, the film had a delayed theatrical release on 13 and 14 January 1956 in 13 centres across Telangana and Andhra Pradesh. ''Tenali Raman'' was released on 3 February 1956, with both the versions being commercially successful.

Reception

The film received mixed reviews from critics. ''Swatantra'', in its review dated 27 January 1956, wrote that the film was paced evenly until the end, and Samudrala's writing was one of the biggest strengths of the film. The reviewer praised Nageswara Rao's performance and dialogue delivery, but was critical of Rama Rao and Bhanumathi, noting that the latter was very "ill at ease" playing Krishnasani which was "surprising" given that the role was in her comfort zone. ''Zameen Raithu'' gave a negative review, writing that the film was disappointing and criticised the climax as the film's weakest link. In its review dated 10 February 1956, ''Zameen Raithu'' wrote that Ranga has a great vision which cannot be ignored, and an eye for subtle and innuendo-free comedy, calling Samudrala's writing and screenplay praiseworthy. The reviewer added that the characterisations were ill-developed, with Rama Rao and Nageswara Rao salvaging the film to an extent, though Bhanumathi struggled in portraying the grey shades with authenticity. The film was also criticised for being historically inaccurate. ''Swatantra'' noted that Ramakrishna is given credit for solving the problem of distributing 17 disputed elephants among three brothers, though this was actually done by Timmarusu. ''Zameen Raithu'' was very critical of the portrayal of Ramakrishna as a staunch Sri Vaishnavite, while he was a Telugu

Shaivite Shaivism (; sa, शैवसम्प्रदायः, Śaivasampradāyaḥ) is one of the major Hindu traditions, which worships Shiva as the Supreme Being. One of the largest Hindu denominations, it incorporates many sub-traditions rangin ...

Brahmin with the alternate name Ramalinga. The reviewer noted that the depiction of the clean-shaven Ramakrishna, a 6000 Niyogi Brahmin by birth, was inaccurate for the period as Niyogis always sported a moustache in the 14th century.

Accolades

''Tenali Ramakrishna'' won the President's Silver medal for the Best Feature Film in Telugu and the All India Certificate of Merit for Best Feature Film at the

. The film was the second South Indian film to win the All India Certificate of Merit for Best Feature Film.

Remake

''Tenali Ramakrishna'' was remade by Ranga into the Kannada language again in 1982 as ''

'', starring

Anant Nag Dr Anant Nagarkatte (born 4 September 1948) is an Indian actor whose predominant contribution has been in Kannada cinema. He has acted in over 300 films which include over 200 Kannada films as well as Hindi, Telugu, Marathi, Malayalam and Eng ...

and

Srinath Narayana Swamy (born 28 December 1944), known by his stage name Srinath, is an Indian actor and film producer who works predominantly in Kannada cinema. He holds the position of vice-president of the Kannada television channel Udaya TV. He is ...

as Ramakrishna and Krishnadevaraya. Unlike the original, the remake was a commercial failure with critics specifying that the audience did not accept Ramakrishna dominating Krishnadevaraya throughout the film.

Notes

References

External links

* {{Good article 1950s Telugu-language films 1956 films Best Telugu Feature Film National Film Award winners Films directed by B. S. Ranga Films set in ancient India Films set in the Vijayanagara Empire Indian biographical films Indian black-and-white films 1950s historical comedy films Indian films based on plays Indian historical comedy-drama films Indian multilingual films Telugu films remade in other languages Films scored by Viswanathan–Ramamoorthy Tenali Rama 1950s biographical drama films 1950s multilingual films 1956 comedy films