Jagadeka Veerudu Athiloka Sundari

Jagadeka Veerudu Athiloka Sundari is a 1990 Indian Telugu-language supernatural fantasy film, directed by K. Raghavendra Rao, from a screenplay written by Rao and Jandhyala. The Indian Super Stars Chiranjeevi and Sridevi in the lead roles. Amrish Puri, Kannada Prabhakar, Allu Ramalingaiah and Rami Reddy are featured in supporting roles. The film marked the first collaboration between frequent collaborators C. Ashwini Dutt and Chiranjeevi. The film's narrative follows; a man finds a ring that gives the bearer great power, but the goddess to whom the ring belongs wants it back.

Jagadeka Veerudu Athiloka Sundari
Film poster
Directed byK. Raghavendra Rao
Produced byC. Ashwini Dutt
Written byK. Raghavendra Rao
Jandhyala
Story byYandamoori Veerendranath
StarringChiranjeevi
Sridevi
Amrish Puri
Music byIlaiyaraaja
CinematographyK. S. Prakash
A. Vincent
Edited byKotagiri Venkateswara Rao
Distributed byVenkata Lakshmi Films
Release date
  • 9 May 1990 (1990-05-09)
CountryIndia
LanguageTelugu
Budget₹8 crore (equivalent to ₹63 crore or US$8.9 million in 2019)
Box office₹13 crore (equivalent to ₹103 crore or US$14 million in 2019)

Jagadeka Veerudu Athiloka Sundari was theatrically released on May 9, 1990 by Venkata Lakshmi Films. The film upon release was a massive success, grossing ₹13 crore at the box office becoming the highest grossing Telugu film of 1990 and at one point the highest grossing Telugu film of all-time. The film's soundtrack composed by Ilaiyaraaja, became a chart-topping success. The film was subsequently dubbed in Tamil as Kaadhal Devathai, in Hindi as Aadmi Aur Apsara and in Malayalam as Hai Sundhari, capitalising on Sridevi's popularity.[1][2] It is regarded as a cult classic of Telugu cinema. India Today cited it as the most influential Telugu film of the 1990s decade.

Plot

Raju (Chiranjeevi), a courageous and spirited young man, is a caregiver to four young orphans (Shamili, Shalini and Richard Rishi). He is a tourist guide in a picturesque hill station.

One of the children is accidentally injured. An ayurvedic guru suggests the only cure for the child's injury - herbs found only on the banks of lake Manasarovar. Raju goes to the Himalayas to retrieve these powerful herbs. During the same time, a celestial being, Indraja (Sridevi), the daughter of Lord Indra, happens to visit Manasarovar. She accidentally drops her ring there. This ring is her passport to Heaven. Raju finds the ring and starts wearing it, oblivious to its divine power. Indraja is unable to enter Heaven as she lost her ring. Brihaspathi, the Deva-guru, instructs her to go back to Earth to retrieve it before the next Kartik Poornima.

In search of the ring, Indraja finds her way to Raju's hometown. Due to her strange language and lack of emotional and social awareness, she is initially considered insane. Her umpteen confessions about her divinity are subject to laughter. Raju and the children take pity on her and provide her shelter in their home. She becomes close to the children and often ends up in trouble trying to take the ring from Raju.

In the meanwhile, Raju is caught up in a moral squabble with an arrogant millionaire, K. P. (Tiger Prabhakar). K. P.'s goons launch a series of attacks on Raju and Indraja. Raju overcomes them, unaware that the ring is helping him. KP gets suspicious about Raju's supernatural power. K. P. approaches Mahadrashta (Amrish Puri), a sorcerer who sacrifices women to attain his powers. Mahadrashta discovers that Indraja is a celestial being and wants to sacrifice her to become immortal.

The kids take Indraja on a car ride one day and the car loses control. Raju averts a major accident and blames and abandons Indraja. The youngest of the orphans is critically injured when Mahadrashta's men bomb the school. When everyone's asleep, Indraja puts on the divine ring and saves the child. Raju realises Indraja's true self and repents for his folly. The two realize that they have fallen in love.

Raju uses the ring's power to scare K. P. and his goons. During this time, Mahadrashta tries to acquire it from one of the kids by hypnotizing her. A monkey grabs the ring and carries it far away, dropping it in the bowl of Kumkum at the feet of a statue of Hanuman. Raju and the kids search for the ring in vain.

Mahadrashta and his men plant false evidence in Raju's home to fabricate the lie that Indraja is a sorceress. Raju and Indraja are pelted with stones and Indraja is carried away by Mahadrashta. The kids discover the ring and Raju sets out to save Indraja. A hypnotized Indraja does not recognize or respond to their calls. Upon coming in contact with the ring, she comes to her senses and destroys K. P. and his men. Raju kills Mahadrashta, refusing to use the ring, as he believes human power is enough to defeat evil.

The very same evening is Kartik Poornima, the final call for Indraja to return to heaven. Her thoughts are flooded with the loving memories of her time with Raju and the kids. She is caught between her love for Raju and her obligation to return to heaven to remain divine and immortal. Indraja throws away her ring and chooses to go back to Raju to lead a mortal life.

Cast

Production

This is the third time Chiranjeevi and Sridevi paired in a film and the first to be as a mainstream onscreen pair.[3][4]

Reception

The film had 100-day runs in a number of theaters and a 200-day run in one centre.[5] it collected over more than 110 million at box office and broke all the records which were set up by past movies and became a blockbuster. This movie has also set a new record by managing to pull the crowds to theaters despite floods during that time similarly like Premnagar in 1971.

Soundtrack

The background score and soundtrack for Jagadeka Veerudu Athiloka Sundari were provided by maestro Ilaiyaraaja. All songs are written by Veturi Sundararama Murthy, who is known for single cards in this era of Telugu movies. "Yamaho" was a remake from Ilaiyaraaja's own "Madurai Marikozhundhu" from the Tamil movie Enga Ooru Pattukaran. The song "Abbanee Teeyani" went on to be remade in Hindi as "Dhak Dhak Karne Laga" in the film Beta.

  1. "Abbanee Teeyani" – S. P. Balu, K. S. Chitra
  2. "Priyatama" – S. P. Balu, S. Janaki
  3. "Yamaho" – S. P. Balu, S. Janaki
  4. "Mana Bharatamlo" – S. P. Balu
  5. "Jai Chiranjeeva" – S. P. Sailaja
  6. "Andalalo" – S. P. Balu, S. Janaki
  7. "Dhinakku" – S. P. Balu, K. S. Chitra
Hindi (as Aadmi Aur Apsara)
  1. "Sundar Dekho Lage Bada Shama" - Kavita Krishnamurthy, Amit Kumar
  2. "Tumne Is Tarah Maara Dekh Gaya Mai Zamarla Tumhara" - Kavita Krishnamurthy, Amit Kumar
  3. "Balama Hai Tu Mere Dil Ka Mehma" - Kavita Krishnamurthy, Amit Kumar
  4. "Chamke Tu Chama Chama Chham Chham" - Kavita Krishnamurthy, Amit Kumar
  5. "Pehle Bharat Me Korawo Pandawo Ka Raj Tha" - Kavita Krishnamurthy, Amit Kumar
  6. "Tanak Dhin Ta, Tanak Dhin Ta" - Kavita Krishnamurthy, Amit Kumar

Awards

References
  1. "JVAS-II: Fancy turning Reality? – Chitramala.com". Archived from the original on 8 August 2009. Retrieved 29 December 2007.
  2. My-Telugu.Com: Andhra Pradesh – MTl Nws Error
  3. http://www.thehindu.com/thehindu/mp/2003/03/04/stories/2003030400240404.htm
  4. http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-fridayreview/yesterday-today-and-naalai/article3231269.ece
  5. CineGoer.com – Box-Office Records and Collections – Chiranjeevi's 175-Day Centres List Archived 14 August 2012 at the Wayback Machine
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