Maro Charitra

Maro Charitra (“Another History”) is a 2010 Telugu romantic drama directed by Ravi Yadav, a remake of the 1978 classic of the same name, transplanted to the Telugu community in the United States. Varun Sandesh stars with newcomer Anita Galler and Shraddha Das; Mickey J. Meyer composed the songs and Thaman the background score. Produced by Sri Venkateswara Creations, it was released on 25 March 2010 to poor reviews and was a box-office flop.

What the story is about

Balu is a carefree, US-born young man who has dropped out of his course and argues with his father about everything. His new neighbour, Swapna, grew up in India and speaks no English, so she stays silent outside her home and the neighbourhood assumes she cannot speak. Balu is intrigued, and the two fall in love, but their families look down on each other and pull them apart. To prove their love, Balu and Swapna accept a pact: a whole year with no contact of any kind. Balu moves to New York for work, where his strict but kind boss, Sandhya, is still grieving a lost love, and the year becomes a test that others try to sabotage.

Cast and crew

• Varun Sandesh as Balu
• Anita Galler as Swapna
• Shraddha Das as Sandhya
• Aadarsh Balakrishna as Maddy
• Pratap K. Pothen as Vijayakumar, Balu’s father
• Thalaivasal Vijay and Urvashi as Swapna’s parents
• Naresh as a police officer and Kota Srinivasa Rao as Lakshmi Narayana

Director: Ravi Yadav. Production: Sri Venkateswara Creations. Songs: Mickey J. Meyer. Background score: Thaman.

Making the film

Ravi Yadav had watched the 1978 Maro Charitra more than 20 times and believed its story would work in the present day. Telugu-American Anita Galler made her debut, and the film was shot in the US, the UK, Canada, Dubai, Hyderabad and Vizag. (An unrelated Maro Charitra with Deepak and Rambha had started production in 2005.) The music was launched at Taramathi Baradari in Golconda on 14 February 2010, with Ram Charan releasing the audio CD.

Reviews and box office

Critics gave it two out of five almost unanimously. Rediff found the remake “bereft of the spirit and soul which characterised the original”. The Times of India credited “some breath-taking visuals and a couple of touching moments” but said it failed to live up to expectations, and Idlebrain said it “disappoints even if we don’t compare it with the classic”. It was also a flop at the box office, according to The Hindu.

Where to watch Maro Charitra

We do not have a confirmed streaming listing for the 2010 Maro Charitra on file. If we verify one with a platform, it will appear on this page.

Sources: the Wikipedia article on Maro Charitra (2010 film) and the reviews it cites, linked above; our own cast and crew records.