''Viswa Mohini'' () is a 1940

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

romantic thriller A romantic thriller is a narrative that involves elements of the romance and thriller genres. A good thriller provides entertainment by making viewers uncomfortable with moments of suspense, the heightened feeling of anxiety and fright. A thril ...

film in the backdrop of Indian

motion picture A film also called a movie, motion picture, moving picture, picture, photoplay or (slang) flick is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, feelings, beauty, or atmosphere ...

world, directed by

Y. V. Rao Yaragudipati Varada Rao (Telugu: యెర్రగుడిపాటి వరదరావు; 30 May 1903 – 13 February 1979) was an Indian director, producer, actor, screenwriter, and editor known for his works primarily in Telugu, Kannada, ...

. The

ensemble cast In a dramatic production, an ensemble cast is one that is composed of multiple principal actors and performers who are typically assigned roughly equal amounts of screen time.Random House: ensemble acting Linked 2013-07-17 Structure In contrast to ...

starring

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. ...

was written by

Balijepalli Lakshmikanta Kavi Balijepalli Lakshmikantha Kavi (23 December 1881 – 30 June 1953) was an Indian playwright, novelist, poet, screenwriter, actor and freedom fighter. He is remembered for the magnum opus ''Satya Harischandriyamu'', a play written in 1924, and f ...

, and was screened at the

Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival ( it, Mostra Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica della Biennale di Venezia, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival he ...

. The production design was handled by T. V. S. Sarma, and cinematography was handled by Pandurang Naik. It is the first Indian film to be made about the movie world. The film released in 1940, and turned out to be a mediocre success.

Plot

Mohan Rao, who works for a Law firm in

Madras 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 ...

, cheats his Manager Padmanabham, and becomes the owner of the company through illegal means. Mohan Rao is the son of Padmanabham's business rival Purushothama Rao. He plans his son Mohan Rao's marriage with Hemalatha, the daughter of a wealthy widow Visalakshi who happens to be Puroshothama Rao's neighbour. But Mohan Rao is not interested in this alliance. Pasupathi, a renowned filmmaker and friend of Mohan Rao, lures him to popular actress Viswamohini on the sets of a film shooting. Viswamohini is the daughter of Padmanabham who is cheated by Mohan Rao. Mohan Rao develops a secret affair with Viswamohini, and expresses his wish to marry her. Padmanabham, is unaware of the fact that Mohan Rao is the son of his arch rival Purushotham. Meanwhile, Pasupathi lures the wealthy Visalakshi into film production and distribution. Visalakshi loses all her wealth in the process. In a twist of fate, Padmanabham is shocked to know through Hemalatha that Mohan Rao is the son of his rival Purushotham. How Padmanabham deals with the situation, and how he becomes aware of Mohan Rao's criminal deeds, and Pasupathi's ulterior motive forms the rest of the plot.

Cast

* Pushpavalli *

Gohar Mamajiwala Gohar Khayyam Mamajiwala (19 November 1910 – 28 September 1985), also known as Miss Gohar, was an Indian singer, actress, producer and studio owner. Early life She was born into a Dawoodi Bohra family. Gohar's father's business almost collaps ...

*Lalitha *Bezawada Rajarathnam *T. Suryanarayana *Doraiswamy *Cocanada Rajarathnam *P. Ganga Rathnam *Rangaswamy *Sampurna

Soundtrack

The lyrics for the soundtrack were written by Balijepalli Lakshmikantha Kavi, the songs were choreographed by Srinivasa Kulakarni. *"Melavimpagade Cheliya Veena" *"Bhale Face Beautiful Nee Pose" *"Yee Poo Podarinta"

Release and reception

The film had an unprecedented release in 1940 at 11 centers in

Madras Presidency The Madras Presidency, or the Presidency of Fort St. George, also known as Madras Province, was an administrative subdivision (presidency) of British India. At its greatest extent, the presidency included most of southern India, including the ...

, and turned out to be a mediocre success.

References

{{Reflist 1940 films 1940s romantic thriller films 1940s Telugu-language films Films about actors Films about entertainers Films about mass media people Films about mass media owners Films scored by Ogirala Ramachandra Rao Films about modeling Films about filmmaking Indian black-and-white films Films about film directors and producers Films about journalists Indian romantic thriller films Films about screenwriters Indian films based on actual events Films directed by Y. V. Rao