''Draupadi Vastrapaharanam'' () () is a 1936 Indian Telugu-language film directed by H. V. Babu, brother-in-law of noted filmmaker

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 ...

. It was made to compete with ''Draupadi Manasamrakshanam'' (1936). This film was a major box office success, whereas ''Draupadi Manasamrakshanam'' failed. The film is remembered for the rendition of poems with acting performances by

C. S. R. Anjaneyulu Chilakalapudi Seeta Rama Anjaneyulu (11 July 1907 – 8 October 1963), popularly known as C. S. R., was an Indian method actor, and thespian best known for his works in Telugu cinema, and Telugu theater. He acted in many stage dramas and portray ...

and

Yadavalli Suryanarayana Yadavalli Suryanarayana () (1888–1939) was an Indian actor and thespian known for his works in Telugu cinema and Telugu theatre. He made his transition from theater to cinema in 1932. He contributed to the Telugu theatre for over three decades ...

Plot

The story is based on the

Mahabharata The ''Mahābhārata'' ( ; sa, महाभारतम्, ', ) is one of the two major Sanskrit epics of ancient India in Hinduism, the other being the ''Rāmāyaṇa''. It narrates the struggle between two groups of cousins in the Kuruk ...

episode of Draupadi Vastrapaharanam. It depicts the episode in which

Draupadi Draupadi ( sa, द्रौपदी, draupadī, Daughter of Drupada), also referred to as Krishnaa, Panchali, and Yagyaseni, is the main female protagonist of the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata,'' and the common consort of the five Pandava brothers ...

is publicly humiliated by the Kauravas. It occurs after Dharmaraju and other

Pandavas The Pandavas (Sanskrit: पाण्डव, IAST: Pāṇḍava) refers to the five legendary brothers— Yudhishthira, Bhima, Arjuna, Nakula and Sahadeva—who are the central characters of the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata''. They are acknowledg ...

lose her to

Duryodhana Duryodhana ( sa, दुर्योधन, ) also known as Suyodhana, is the primary antagonist in the Hindu epic ''Mahabharata.'' He was the eldest of the Kauravas, the hundred sons of the blind king Dhritarashtra and his queen Gandhari. Being ...

over a game of

dice Dice (singular die or dice) are small, throwable objects with marked sides that can rest in multiple positions. They are used for generating random values, commonly as part of tabletop games, including dice games, board games, role-playing g ...

. As the Kauravas try to insult her by removing her clothes, she prays to Lord

Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...

. He comes to her aid by making her

sari A sari (sometimes also saree or shari)The name of the garment in various regional languages include: * as, শাৰী, xārī, translit-std=ISO * bn, শাড়ি, śāṛi, translit-std=ISO * gu, સાડી, sāḍī, translit-std= ...

longer and longer.

Cast

Production

The production of this film has some historical importance in the

Telugu film industry 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, Hy ...

, wherein two production houses competed for the same theme of ''Draupadi Vastrapaharanam'' in

to produce films in 1936. Kurukuri Subbarao of Saraswati Publishing House and Parupalli Venkata Seshayya launched Saraswati Talkies Ltd. with Gudavalli Ramabrahmam as the production controller. After some debate they arrived at making the film version of Bellary Raghavacharya's popular stage play, ''Draupadi Vasthrapaharanam''. By then, Kavali Gupta of Sri Lakshmi Films already acquired the rights and signed

Bellary Raghava Bellary Raghava (Telugu: బళ్ళారి రాఘవ; born ''Tadipatri Raghavacharyulu''; 2 August 1880 – 16 April 1946) was an Indian playwright and actor, known for his works predominantly in Telugu theatre and cinema.M.L. Narasimha ...

to play the key role. Subbarao and Seshayya had decided to go ahead with their project. They signed the famous stage actor of Vijayawada

to play Duryodhana. When Kavali Gupta saw their announcement, he changed his film’s title as ''Draupadi Manasamrakshanam'' and hurried the production. This film was produced in

Bombay Mumbai (, ; also known as Bombay — the official name until 1995) is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra and the ''de facto'' financial centre of India. According to the United Nations, as of 2018, Mumbai is the second- ...

. However it was released three weeks after Saraswati Talkies venture and failed at the box-office. Subbarao and Seshayya approached

to direct their film. Since he was busy, Reddy agreed to be the supervisory director with his brother-in-law H. V. Babu as the director. Pasumarthi Yagna Narayana Sastry, editor and publisher of the famous Telugu film magazine ''Chitrakala'' was chosen to write the screenplay and additional lyrics and poems. Yadavalli Suryanarayana has clean diction, expressive rendition of poems and natural acting was his forte. He made his screen debut in 1932 with ''Paduka Pattabhishekam''. They signed

for Sri Krishna's role as he showed variance in each role he played. The other actors were chosen selectively for the film characters. The sequence Dussasana pulling Draupadi's Sari was shot by throwing a bundle of tied saris from a height by a man away from the camera sitting on a plank and were shot separately by Cinematographer S. C. Shinde. They were joined at the editing table by Baburao Bhadorkar.

References

External links

Audiotrack of the film at Raaga.com.
{{Works based on the Mahabharata 1936 films Indian black-and-white films Films based on the Mahabharata Indian drama films 1936 drama films 1930s Telugu-language films