Sneham Kosam

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Sneham Kosam (transl. “For friendship”) is a 1999 Telugu drama directed by K. S. Ravikumar and produced by A. M. Ratnam under Sri Surya Movies. Chiranjeevi plays a double role, as a loyal servant and his son, with Vijayakumar as the landlord they serve, Meena and Prakash Raj. A remake of Ravikumar’s own Tamil hit Natpukkaga (1998), it was released on 1 January 1999 and became one of the biggest hits of the year.

What the story is about

Chinnayya works for Peddayya, a rich man in the village, and the two are bound by deep mutual affection: the labourer reveres his master, and Peddayya treats him like a son. Peddayya, though, wants nothing to do with his elder daughter Gowri and her husband Peddabbayi. His younger daughter Prabhavathi comes home after studying in the US and falls for Chinnayya, who holds back because loving her would feel like betraying Peddayya’s trust. Then Chinnayya’s father, Simhadri, who once served Peddayya too, is released from prison, where he was sent for killing Peddayya’s wife. What really happened that day is the secret the film turns on, and we will leave it there.

Cast and crew

• Chiranjeevi as Simhadri and Chinnayya
• Meena as Prabhavathi
• Vijayakumar as Peddayya
• Sithara as Gowri
• Prakash Raj as Peddabbayi
• Sujatha as Lakshmi
• Ranjith as Chinnababu
• Nirmalamma as Simhadri’s mother
• Kota Srinivasa Rao as Govindayya
• M. S. Narayana as Annavaram
• Brahmanandam

Director: K. S. Ravikumar, who also appears in a cameo. Producer: A. M. Ratnam. Music: S. A. Rajkumar (Aditya Music).

Making of the film

As Idlebrain reported at the time, Ravikumar’s planned film with Rajinikanth was held up by the FEFSI strike in 1998. Natpukkaga’s producer, A. M. Rathnam, asked him to remake that film in Telugu with Chiranjeevi, and the initially reluctant director agreed to do it quickly; shooting was finished in 56 days. A November 1998 release slipped to New Year’s Day. S. A. Rajkumar later reused his song “Gundello” as “Megham Udaithu” in the Tamil film Maayi.

Reviews and box office

Rakesh P. of the Deccan Herald called it “a family entertainer”, and Andhra Online wrote that “in a different role altogether, Chiranjeevi impresses” while Vijayakumar “does justice to his role”. According to Idlebrain’s analysis, the film ran 50 days in 89 centres and 100 days in 52 centres, making it one of 1999’s biggest hits.

Where to watch Sneham Kosam

Sneham Kosam is listed on Aha: our record is based on the Aha listing. We do not have a date for when it was added. Availability can vary by region and plan, so check the listing before you press play.

Sources: the Wikipedia article on Sneham Kosam and the reviews and reports it cites, linked above; the Aha listing; our own cast and crew records.