Suvarna Sundari
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Vedantam Raghavayya
Written by	Malladi Ramakrishna Sastry (dialogues)
Screenplay by	Vedantam Raghavayya
Story by	Vempati Sadasivabrahmam Adinarayana Rao
Produced by	P. Adinarayana Rao
Starring	Akkineni Nageswara Rao Anjali Devi
Cinematography	M. A. Rahman
Edited by	N. S. Prakash
Music by	P. Adinarayana Rao
Production company	Anjali Pictures
Distributed by	Chamria Talkie
Release date	10 May 1957 (1957-05-10)
Running time	208 minutes
Country	India
Languages	Telugu Tamil

Suvarna Sundari (transl. Golden Beauty) is a 1957 Indian Telugu-language swashbuckler film directed by Vedantam Raghavayya.^[1] It stars Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Anjali Devi with music composed by P. Adinarayana Rao. The film was produced by Adinarayana Rao under the Anjali Pictures banner.

The film was simultaneously shot in Tamil as Manaalane Mangaiyin Baakkiyam (transl. The only fortune for a woman is her husband).^[2] Lata Mangeshkar suggested that Suvarna Sundari be remade in Hindi instead of dubbing the film. It was then made in Hindi with the same title as the Telugu version. Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Anjali Devi did their roles in the Hindi version as well; it was the only Hindi film in Nageswara Rao's film career, while Gemini Ganesan played the male lead in the Tamil version.

The shooting of the film was held at Venus Studios, Madras and the outdoor shooting was held at Shimsha falls, Mysore. The film was released through Chamria Talkie Distributors, headed by Sundar Lal Nahata, and it set a record at the box office by celebrating 50 days in 48 centres and completed 100 days in 18 centres.^[3][4][5]

Plot

Once upon a time, there was a kingdom Malwa, it's prince Jayanth is ready to leave, after accomplishing his education. Just before, Rajaguru's daughter Sarala denounces him for the refusal of her love and claims that he molested her. So, King Chandra Bhanu penalises him with the death penalty but Jayanth absconds somehow. On the way, he is acquainted with 3 sly thieves Kailasam, Ullasam, and Chadastam who confront Jayanth to resolve the mystery behind a Lord Siva’s temple. Therein, Jayanth relieves the curse of a Gandharva who bestows him with 3 marvel gifts. A Jug which supplies any amount of food, a Mat which travels anywhere, and a Wand which punishes a person irrespective of his strength. Meanwhile, the 3 crafty thieves backstab Jayanth and, steals the objects. They share the 3 objects among themselves and split.

Before long, fortuitously, a glorious angel Surana Sundari lands from heaven and comes across Jayanth. The two fall in love. They marry and Sundari conceives. When Lord Indra knows about Sundari's affair with a mortal man, he curses Sundari to take a permanent human form and casts her to Earth. He also curses that Jayanth will lose all her memory and will turn into stone if she touches him. Jayanth wanders, and Sundari becomes a mortal on earth and gives birth to a baby boy. But the wheel of fortune makes them separate. Years roll by, and Jayanth as a wanderer regains the 3 objects from the thieves who cheated him earlier. In between, he contracts a curse that he will turn into a woman in the day and a man in the night. The curse will be lifted only if one gets Amrit, the nectar from heaven. Thereafter, he goes into a kingdom and lands a job at the palace in the female form of Jayanthi, getting close to the princess Parthima Devi.

In the meantime, Sundari uses a man's guide to search for his son and Jayanth. Sundari gets appointed as Chief Minister by the King. Simultaneously, their son Siva Kumara is raised by a cowherd. After the cowherd's death, Siva Kumara sets foot in a Siva temple where Lord Siva & Goddess Parvathi rear him with her breast milk. By fate, one-night Parthima encounters Jayanth and falls for him. Sundari sees that and renounces Jayanth and feels it's better for him as there is also Indra's curse. Later, Jayanth comes across a demon, and through it, he gets relieved from his curse. When Sundari touches him, he starts to become a statue due to Indra's curse and remembers his past with Sundari. At that moment, their son Siva Kumara checks them to the Shiva's temple. Thereupon, Lord Siva reveals to them that the boy is their son and for lifting Jayanth's curse the boy should pick up the Golden Lotus from heaven. After making an audacious journey, the boy secures the golden lotus and reverses the curse. At last, they reunite and Jayanth is proven innocent.

Cast

• Akkineni Nageswara Rao as Jayanth
• Anjali Devi as Suvarna Sundari
• Ramana Reddy as Ullasam
• Relangi as Kailasam
• Gummadi as Tata
• C.S.R as Maharaju
• Balakrishna as Chadastham
• Peketi Sivaram as Vasanthudu
• K. V. S. Sharma as Rajaguru
• Rajasulochana as Jayanthi
• Girija as Parthima Devi
• Suryakala as Sarala
• E. V. Saroja as Goddess Parvati
• Master Babji as Siva Kumarudu
• Kanchana as Naaga Kanyaa (credited as Vasundhara)

Production

After Paradesi (1953), the inaugural production of Anjali Pictures was an average success at the box office, its producers – husband and wife P. Adinarayana Rao and Anjali Devi – considered making their sophomore production based on folklore. The 1953 Hindi film Anarkali was a success and caught their attention, prompting them to adapt the same story in Telugu with the same title, while putting their folklore film plans on hold; it would eventually be revived as Suvarna Sundari.^[6][7]

Soundtrack

Telugu version

Music composed by P. Adinarayana Rao. Adinarayana Rao, in an interview to The Indian Express in 1987, said for a song in Tamil version, he "adapted a rare composition of the famous Tanjore quartet" which prompted their sons to file a copyright violation, later Adinarayana Rao was bailed out by his friend.^[8]

Tamil version

References

External links

• Suvarna Sundari at IMDb