''Amarasilpi Jakkanna'' is a 1964

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 ...

-language

biographical film A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of a non-fictional or historically-based person or people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from docudra ...

, produced and directed by B. S. Ranga under the Vikram Studios banner. The film 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 ...

in the title role of Jakanachari, a legendary sculptor credited with building various temples of Kalyani Chalukyas and

Hoysala The Hoysala Empire was a Kannadiga power originating from the Indian subcontinent that ruled most of what is now Karnataka between the 10th and the 14th centuries. The capital of the Hoysalas was initially located at Belur, but was later moved ...

s. Music was composed by S. Rajeswara Rao. ''Amarasilpi Jakkanna'' is the first

Eastmancolor Eastmancolor is a trade name used by Eastman Kodak for a number of related film and processing technologies associated with color motion picture production and referring to George Eastman, founder of Kodak. Eastmancolor, introduced in 1950, was on ...

production of

Telugu cinema Telugu cinema, also known as Tollywood, is the segment of Indian cinema dedicated to the production of motion pictures in the Telugu language, widely spoken in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Telugu cinema is based in Film Nagar, ...

. It is a remake of director's own Kannada film '' Amarashilpi Jakkanachari'' (1964).

Plot

There existed a great sculptor named Mallanna (Nagayya) in the current day of the Karnataka region. His son Jakkanna (ANR) inherits these qualities from his father and becomes a great sculptor by the time he reaches young age. He spends most of the time in between stones and dreams of making them into great sculptures. It is at this moment he falls in love with a dancer named Manjari (B. Saroja), a breathtakingly beautiful woman and a great dancer. They appreciate each other's art and get married. When things go on a relaxed pace, the king Gopadevudu (Udayakumar) lusts for Manjari. In dramatic circumstances, Manjari happens to dance in the court of Gopadevudu. Seeing that, Jakkanna is left heartbroken. He starts suspecting Manjari and establishes a huge temple compound. With severe sadness, Jakkanna leaves to an unknown location in grief. He tries to tell people not to love or fall for a woman and gets abused in return. It is when Bhagawan Ramanujacharya (Dhulipalla) rescues Jakkanna and takes him in the direction of service to God. Jakkanna rightfully follows the path and dedicates himself to making beautiful temples. Meanwhile, Manjari who is already pregnant attempts suicide because her husband left him. She is rescued by fishermen (Relangi, Girija) and delivers a baby boy. She names the son Dankana (Haranath). Dankana trains under his grandfather Mallanna and becomes a great sculptor. Vishnuvardhana (Kannada Narasimha Raju), the Emperor of Hoyasala makes a huge temple in Belur on the advice of Ramanujacharya. Dramatically, Jakanna and Dankana meet there. However, they don't realize that they are father and son respectively. Dankana points out a flaw in a brilliantly made sculpture by Jakkanna in public. Jakkanna takes the challenge and when Dankana hits the sculpture with a hammer, a frog comes out of it. Jakkanna immediately chops his arms off. Manjari reaches then and gets sad to see her husband and son. After the prayers in Belur temple in the presence of Ramanujacharya, Jakkanna gets back his hands. The family reunites. Jakkanna gets the title Amarasilpi, thereby making history.

Cast

as Jakkannacharya * B. Saroja Devi as Manjari * V. Nagayya as Mallanna * Haranath as Dankanna * Udaya Kumar as Gopadevudu *

Dhulipala Dhulipala Sitarama Sastry (24 September 1921 – 13 April 2007), known mononymously by the surname Dhulipala, was an Indian actor and thespian, known for his works predominantly in Telugu cinema. He was noted for playing mythological roles, p ...

as Ramanuja Charya * Relangi as Sundaram *A. V. Subba Rao as Vishnu Vardhanudu * Suryakantham as Rajamma * Girija as Gangu *Pushpavalli as Santhala *

Jayalalitha Jayaram Jayalalithaa (24 February 1948 – 5 December 2016) was an Indian politician and actress who served as Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu for more than fourteen years over six terms between 1991 and 2016. From 9 February 1989 to 5 December 2 ...

as Dancer

Music

Music was composed by S. Rajeswara Rao.

Awards

;

National Film Awards 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 Directorat ...

National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Telugu The National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Telugu is one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India. It is one of several ...

- 1963

References

{{National Film Award Best Feature Film Telugu 1963 films 1960s Telugu-language films Indian biographical films Telugu remakes of Kannada films Films scored by S. Rajeswara Rao Films set in the Hoysala Empire 1960s biographical films