Bhakta Prahlada (1967 film)

Bhakta Prahlada
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Chitrapu Narayana Rao
Written by	D. V. Narasa Raju
Produced by	A. V. Meiyappan M. Murugan M. Kumaran M. Saravanan
Starring	S. V. Ranga Rao Anjali Devi Roja Ramani M. Balamuralikrishna
Cinematography	A. Vincent
Edited by	R. Vittal
Music by	Saluri Rajeshwara Rao
Distributed by	AVM Productions
Release date	12 January 1967 (1967-01-12)
Running time	170 minutes
Country	India
Language	Telugu

Bhakta Prahlada (transl. Prahlada, the devotee) is a 1967 Telugu-language Hindu devotional film produced by A. V. Meiyappan's AVM Productions. It was co-produced by M. Murugan, M. Kumaran and M. Saravanan. The film features S. V. Ranga Rao, Anjali Devi and Roja Ramani (in her cinematic debut) in the lead roles, with M. Balamuralikrishna, Haranath, Relangi Venkata Ramaiah and Basavaraju Venkata Padmanabha Rao playing supporting roles. Written by D. V. Narasa Raju and directed by Chitrapu Narayana Rao, the film is based on the legend of Prahlada, a demonic character in Bhagavata Purana, known for his devotion towards the Hindu god Vishnu.

Unlike the 1932 and 1942 Telugu films of the same name (filmed in black and white), Meiyappan opted to shoot Bhaktha Prahlada using Eastman Color Negative. The film's scripting was completed by May 1965. As Bhaktha Prahlada was being simultaneously produced by AVM Productions along with Ave Kallu, the principal photography and post-production phases were delayed and lasted for one and a half year.

Bhaktha Prahlada was released on 12 January 1967, and was a commercial success, completing a hundred-day run. It received the Nandi Award for the Second Best Feature Film, and Ramani subsequently won the National Film Award for Best Child Artist. Bhaktha Prahlada was subsequently dubbed into Tamil and Hindi as Bhaktha Pirahalatha and Bhakt Prahlad in the same year, and into Kannada with the same title in 1974.

Plot

The four Kumara sages visit Vaikuntha, the abode of Vishnu. Jaya-Vijaya, the demigod gatekeepers of Vaikuntha, fail to recognise them and deny entry. In resentment, they curse the duo stating that they would have to give up divinity, born and live the lives of mortal beings on earth. Vishnu fails to revoke the curse of the Kumaras and offers two solutions: either being Vishnu's devotees in seven human lives or his enemies in three demonic lives. Jaya-Vijaya could not bear separation with Vishnu for a long time and chose the second possibility.

In their first demonic lives, Jaya-Vijaya were born as Hiranyakashipu and Hiranyaksha to sage Kashyapa and Diti in an inauspicious time during a sunset. Hiranyaksha, in an attempt to win over the deities, torments the earth and its inhabitants. Bhudevi, the earth goddess, goes to Vaikuntha and seeks Vishnu's help. Vishnu arrives as Varaha, a wild boar-faced avatar, and kills Hiranyaksha thereby saving the earth. Hiranyakashipu wishes to avenge his brother's death and prays to Brahma for gaining powers that could make him immortal. He gains a boon which made him invulnerable to death either by day or night, either in the morning or the night, and either by a human or a beast.

In Hiranyakashipu's absence, Indra, the king of the deities, tries to kill the former's wife Leelavathi and her unborn child. Sage Narada intervenes and takes Leelavathi to his hermitage, where she gives birth to a male child named Prahlada. Hiranyakashipu invades Vaikuntha but is unable to find Vishnu. He declares himself as the king of all the celestial worlds and returns to earth. The deities approach Vishnu for help, who promises to kill Hiranyakashipu at the right time.

Five years later, Prahlada is sent to the hermitage of Chanda-Amarka, the children of Hiranyakashipu's master for education. After returning from the hermitage, Hiranyakashipu learns that Prahlada has become a staunch devotee of Vishnu, and identifies the deity with the name Srihari. Hiranyakashipu explains to his son that Srihari was responsible for Hiranyaksha's death, and hence is their enemy. He requests Prahlada to stop worshiping Srihari, which the latter politely declines.

Hiranyakashipu then makes repeated attempts of filicide on Prahlada, hoping that the fear of death would make Prahlada stop praying to Srihari. Prahlada is made to starve, and is jailed in a dark room. When he refuses to budge, Hiranyakashipu issues orders to his soldiers to make elephants trample onto Prahlada. When their attempt fails, they throw Prahlada from a steep cliff. Srihari rescues Prahlada, and the soldiers call a group of tribals, who are snake charmers. They ask the group to harm Prahlada using venomous snakes. Prahlada prays to Srihari, and the snakes turn into garlands of roses. The snake charmers are shocked and beg Prahlada to bring the snakes back. He agrees and prays to Srihari, who restores the snakes. The tribes declare Prahlada as their leader, which angers Hiranyakashipu further.

Hiranyakashipu orders his soldiers to tie Prahlada's hands and feet, and to throw him into the sea waters. Convinced that Prahlada is dead, Hiranyakashipu laments that he had to kill his son for avenging his brother's death, and that the child had more love for Srihari than him. Prahlada is rescued by Srihari, and send him back home. Initially happy to see Prahlada alive, Hiranyakashipu is angered that his son still worships Srihari. Narada approaches Hiranyakashipu and confirms that Srihari is saving Prahlada every time, adding that he resides in Prahlada, whose death would defeat him.

In a final attempt, Hiranyakashipu gives Prahlada poisoned milk and orders him to drink it before his eyes. Prahlada drinks it and survives, which makes Hiranyakashipu believe that his death has arrived in the form of Prahlada. When Hiranyakashipu questions Prahlada about the abode of Srihari, the latter replies that he is omnipresent. Hiranyakashipu breaks a pillar with his mace, calling Srihari to come out of it. Srihari arrives as Narasimha, another avatar of Vishnu with a man's torso and a lion's face, and kills Hiranyakashipu. Narasimha's anger is subdued by Prahlada and the deities, who sing his praises and request him to re-appear as Srihari. Vishnu appears and crowns Prahlada as the king of the demons, advising him to lead a virtuous life as a ruler.

Cast

Male actors

• S. V. Ranga Rao as Hiranyakashipu
• M. Balamuralikrishna as Narada
• Relangi Venkata Ramaiah as Chanda
• Basavaraju Venkata Padmanabha Rao as Amarka
• Haranath as Vishnu
• Dhulipala Seetarama Sastry as Indra
• Ramana Reddy as a snake charmer
• V. Sivaram as Kashyapa
• Chittor V. Nagaiah as Shukracharya (cameo appearance)

Female actors

• Anjali Devi as Leelavathi
• Jayanthi as Diti
• T. Kanakam as a snake charmer
• Roja Ramani as Prahlada
• L. Vijayalakshmi as royal dancer in Hiranyakashipu's court
• Gitanjali as Menaka
• Vijaya Lalitha as Urvashi
• Vennira Aadai Nirmala as Tilottama
• Shanta as Rambha

Production

Development

A. V. Meiyappan, with his sons M. Kumaran, M. Saravanan and M. Murugan, wished to produce a film titled Bhaktha Prahlada for children based on the legend of Prahlada, a demonic character in Bhagavata Purana, known for his devotion towards the Hindu god Vishnu. Encouraged by the success of the 1965 Telugu film Naadi Aada Janme, a remake of his own Tamil film production Naanum Oru Penn (1963), Meiyappan decided to produce Bhaktha Prahlada in Telugu. According to Kumaran, Meiyappan believed that mythological films found more encouragement from Telugu audience compared to the Tamil diaspora, which was one reason why Bhaktha Prahlada was produced in Telugu.

Upon Meiyappan's insistence, D. V. Narasa Raju wrote the film's story, screenplay and dialogue as the former wished to have a more contemporary and dramatic approach. Unlike the 1932 and 1942 Telugu films of the same name (filmed in black and white), Meiyappan opted to shoot Bhaktha Prahlada using Eastman Color Negative. In May 1965, Chitrapu Narayana Rao, who directed the 1942 film, approached Meiyappan to give him a chance to direct a film. Meiyappan retained him as the director for this film, considering the fact that Narayana Rao was in financial crisis due to the commercial failure of his production Krishna Kuchela (1961). Saluri Rajeswara Rao composed the film's soundtrack and background score. A. Vincent handled the cinematography, R. Vittal edited the film and A. K. Sekhar was the film's art director.

Casting

S. V. Ranga Rao and Anjali Devi were cast in the lead roles, playing the demon king Hiranyakashipu and his wife Leelavathi (Kayadhu as per Bhagavata Purana). The makers then held an audition for the third lead role of Prahlada, inviting many children in and around Madras (now Chennai) to AVM Studios. Roja Ramani was cast to play Prahlada after a successful screen test and a song rehearsal, which included her holding an alive snake. She was recommended to Meiyappan by her father Satyam's employer, who was an editor of the now defunct magazine Cinema Rangam in Madras. As Ramani looked pale and thin, the makers approached a nutritionist to help her build a proper body which would suit the role's requirement.

M. Balamuralikrishna agreed to play the role of sage Narada upon Meiyappan's request. When his choice was criticised citing Balamuralikrishna's height, Meiyappan retorted that the casting was apt as the role would be used for comic affect at times. Haranath played the role of Vishnu. Relangi Venkata Ramaiah and Basavaraju Venkata Padmanabha Rao were cast as Prahlada's teachers Chanda-Amarka. Ramana Reddy and T. Kanakam were signed to play snake charmers in a key sequence of the film. L. Vijayalakshmi played the royal dancer in Hiranyakashipu's court; Shanta, Vijaya Lalitha, Gitanjali, and Vennira Aadai Nirmala were cast as the apsaras (celestial dancers) Rambha, Urvashi, Menaka and Tilottama respectively.

Filming

Bhaktha Prahlada's scripting was completed by May 1965, but the principal photography and post production phases lasted for one and a half year. Meiyappan was producing another Telugu film Ave Kallu (a remake of his 1967 Tamil production Adhey Kangal) simultaneously with Bhaktha Prahlada. Meiyappan's sons were more interested in Ave Kallu than Bhaktha Prahlada as they lacked confidence in the latter's commercial viability. When Sekhar showed the set designs to Meiyappan and his sons before erecting them, they used to reject it and gave importance to Ave Kallu. As a result, filming got delayed and the film's cast and crew grew impatient and frustrated towards the end of the filming.

During the filming, Ramani was trained by 'Rangoon' Ramarao (who played Amarka in the 1942 film) in dialogue diction. For the scene where the snake charmers place a snake on Prahlada's shoulders, a trained wheat coloured snake was used during the rehearsals and a black cobra was chosen for the actual shoot. While filming the scene where elephants are made to trample on Prahlada, a child stunt artiste from Great Oriental Circus was initially engaged as Ramani's dupe. However, the child was sent away when Ramani started crying and she performed the scene herself.

Narayana Rao was reluctant to direct the climax, as he was unable to forget Hiranyakashipu's death scene from a stage play where the actor playing Narasimha was emotionally charged. Murugan directed the scene as per Meiyappan's wishes, and a dupe was engaged for Ranga Rao for the climax sequence. Meiyappan was not satisfied with the overall output, and took close-up shots of Ranga Rao for making the scene look authentic. Gopalakrishnan and K. S. Reddy choreographed the dance sequences in the film.

Soundtrack

Saluri Rajeswara Rao composed the film's soundtrack and background score, and was assisted by Rajagopal and Krishnan. Bhaktha Prahlada's soundtrack consisted of 23 songs, and poems from Andhra Maha Bhagavatham, the Telugu translation of Bhagavatha Purana by the 15th century poet Pothana. Samudrala Raghavacharya, Samudrala Ramanujacharya, Kosaraju Raghavaiah, Palagummi Padmaraju, Daasarathi Krishnamacharyulu and Aarudhra penned the lyrics for the songs. The song "Varamosage Vanamali" was composed using Bihag raga and was sung by Balamuralikrishna, on whom the song was filmed. The song "Kanulaku Veluguvu Neeve" based based on both Mohana and Abheri ragas.

The soundtrack was marketed by HMV Records, and was critically acclaimed. The songs "Jeevamu Neeve Kadha", "Raara Priya Sundara", "Janani Varadayini Trilochani" and "Sirisiri Laali Chinnari Laali" gained popularity post release. Among the poems, the rendition of "Kaladambodhi" and "Indhugaladu Andhuledanu" received praise from the critics.

Telugu tracklist

No.	Title	Lyrics	Singer(s)	Length
1.	"Raara Priya Sundara"	Daasarathi Krishnamacharyulu	P. Susheela	04:20
2.	"Bhujashakthi Nathoda" (Poem from Andhra Maha Bhagavatham)	Pothana	Madhavapeddi Satyam	00:57
3.	"Janani Varadayini Trilochani"	Palagummi Padmaraju	S. Janaki	03:20
4.	"Aadhi Anadhiyu Neeve Deva"	Daasarathi Krishnamacharyulu	M. Balamuralikrishna	03:02
5.	"Sirisiri Lali Chinnari Lali"	Aarudhra	S. Janaki, M. Balamuralikrishna	03:36
6.	"Galira Kumbhini" (Poem from Andhra Maha Bhagavatham)	Pothana	Madhavapeddi Satyam	01:03
7.	"Jayaho Jayaho"	Samudrala Ramanujacharya	P. Susheela, S. Janaki, Sulamangalam Rajalakshmi	03:25
8.	"Hiranyakashipuni Divya Charithamu"	Kosaraju Raghavaiah	Madhavapeddi Satyam, Pithapuram Nageswara Rao	05:08
9.	"Chettu Meedha Oka Chilakundhi"	Kosaraju Raghavaiah	P. Susheela	02:14
10.	"Karunaleni Manasu"	Daasarathi Krishnamacharyulu	P. Susheela	00:35
11.	"Om Agnimeele Purohitham" (Adapted from the Rigveda)	NA	Padma, Subramanya Sastry	03:31
12.	"Chadhivinchiri" (Poem from Andhra Maha Bhagavatham)	Pothana	P. Susheela	00:31
13.	"Mandara Makaranda" (Poem from Andhra Maha Bhagavatham)	Pothana	P. Susheela	01:41
14.	"Kanjakshunakugani" (Poem from Andhra Maha Bhagavatham)	Pothana	P. Susheela	01:30
15.	"Patuthara Neethi" (Poem from Andhra Maha Bhagavatham)	Pothana	Madhavapeddi Satyam	00:51
16.	"Varamosage Vanamali"	Samudrala Raghavacharya	M. Balamuralikrishna	02:58
17.	"Om Namo Narayanaya"	Samudrala Raghavacharya	P. Susheela, Chorus	03:48
18.	"Balayuthulaku" (Poem from Andhra Maha Bhagavatham)	Pothana	P. Susheela	00:59
19.	"Kanulaku Veluguvu Neeve"	Samudrala Raghavacharya	P. Susheela, S. Janaki	03:56
20.	"Aadhukovayya O Ramesha"	Samudrala Raghavacharya	P. Susheela, Chorus	08:26
21.	"Panchabdambulavadu" (Poem from Andhra Maha Bhagavatham)	Pothana	Madhavapeddi Satyam	00:36
22.	"Jeevamu Neeve Kadha"	Samudrala Raghavacharya	P. Susheela	10:02
23.	"Ninnegani Parulaberumga"	Samudrala Raghavacharya	P. Susheela	03:14
24.	"Hey Prabo Hey Prabo Lakshmi Vallabha"	Samudrala Raghavacharya	P. Susheela	02:39
25.	"Pamulollamayya"	Kosaraju Raghavaiah	L. R. Eswari, Pithapuram Nageswara Rao	03:14
26.	"Ninne Nammi"	Samudrala Raghavacharya	P. Susheela	01:28
27.	"Madhilo Velilo Cheekati"	Samudrala Raghavacharya	P. Susheela	00:53
28.	"Bhavajaladhinibadi Thelagaleni"	Samudrala Raghavacharya	P. Susheela	02:19
29.	"Munchithi" (Poem from Andhra Maha Bhagavatham)	Pothana	Madhavapeddi Satyam	01:59
30.	"Vishwamunindi Velige Neeve"	Samudrala Raghavacharya	P. Susheela	02:15
31.	"Kaladambodhi" (Poem from Andhra Maha Bhagavatham)	Pothana	P. Susheela	00:39
32.	"Indhugaladu Andhuledanu" (Poem from Andhra Maha Bhagavatham)	Pothana	P. Susheela	00:22
33.	"Sri Manini Mandira"	Samudrala Raghavacharya	P. Susheela	02:06
34.	"Yella Sareera Dharulaku" (Poem from Andhra Maha Bhagavatham)	Pothana	P. Susheela	00:50
Total length:				01:28:27

File:Bhakta prahlada tamil.jpg

Tamil Poster

The Tamil version of the soundtrack features lyrics penned by Thiruchi Thiyagarajan, Vaali, Ku. Ma. Balasubramaniam, V. Seetharaman and Alangudi Somu. The playback singers are P. Susheela, S. Janaki, Soolamangalam Rajalakshmi, T. M. Soundararajan and A. L. Raghavan.

S/N	Song	Singer/s	Lyricist
1	Raajan Maharaajane	P. Susheela	Vaali
2	Kili Vandhu Kothaada Koyyaa
3	Devi Devi Thaaye	S. Janaki	Ku. Ma. Balasubramaniam
4	Hey Jothi Swaroopa	P. Susheela & S. Janaki
5	Aadhi Anaadhiyum Neeye	Balamurali Krishna	Thiruchi Thiyagarajan
6	Chinna Chinna Kanne	Balamurali Krishna, S. Janaki & Group
7	Aazhi Soozh Vannaa	P. Susheela & Group
8	Jeevanum Neeye Aiyaa	P. Susheela
9	Lakshmi Vallabha Dheena Dhayalaa
10	Unnai Nambi Un Patham Thuthithe
11	Vaazhgave Mannulagum Vinnulagum	P. Susheela, S. Janaki & Soolamangalam Rajalakshmi	V. Seetharaman
12	Thimikida Thimikida Vaadhya	T. M. Soundararajan & A. L. Raghavan
13	Karunai Serndha Manadhu	P. Susheela
14	Irul Niraindhadhaai Irukkum
15	Endhan Uyir Thandha Hari
16	Om Namo Narayana .. Naarayana Mandram Adhuve	P. Susheela & Group	Alangudi Somu

Release and reception

Bhaktha Prahlada was released on 12 January 1967, with a reel length of 4,927 metres (16,165 ft) contained in 19 reels and a runtime of 170 minutes. The film was distributed Andhra Pradesh, Madras and Nizam regions by Navayuga films. The first copy was screened for Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, the then President of India, who praised the performances of the cast, particularly Ramani.

Bhaktha Prahlada was a commercial success, completing a hundred-day theatrical run. It won the Nandi Award for the Second Best Feature Film in 1967. Ramani subsequently won the National Film Award for Best Child Artist that year. It was subsequently dubbed into Tamil and Hindi as Bhaktha Pirahalatha and Bhakt Prahlad, with scenes related to Chanda-Amarka being reshot with different actors. A. Karunanidhi and T. S. Balaiah played Chanda-Amarka in the Tamil version, and were replaced by Rajendra Nath and Dumal in Hindi. Bhaktha Pirahalatha and Bhakt Prahlad were released on 24 March and 2 November 1967. The Kannada dubbed version, also titled Bhaktha Prahlada was released by AVM Productions on 26 March 1974.

External links

• Bhakta Prahlada at IMDb