Bhakta Prahlada

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Bhakta Prahlada (transl. “Prahlada, the devotee”) is a 1967 Telugu devotional film directed by Chitrapu Narayana Rao from a script by D. V. Narasa Raju, produced by A. V. Meiyappan and his sons for AVM Productions. S. V. Ranga Rao plays the demon king Hiranyakashipu and Anjali Devi his queen, while the child actress Roja Ramani, in her film debut, plays the boy devotee Prahlada. The third Telugu film on the legend after the 1932 and 1942 versions, and the first in colour, it was released on 12 January 1967, ran 100 days and won the Nandi Award for Third Best Feature Film.

What the story is about

The film tells the Puranic legend. Vishnu’s gatekeepers, Jaya and Vijaya, are cursed to be born on Earth and choose three lives as Vishnu’s enemies over seven as his devotees. In their first birth they become the demon brothers Hiranyaksha and Hiranyakashipu. After Vishnu, as the boar Varaha, kills Hiranyaksha, Hiranyakashipu performs fierce penance and wins from Brahma a boon that makes him almost impossible to kill. Meanwhile his queen, Leelavathi, sheltered by the sage Narada, gives birth to Prahlada, who grows up an unshakeable devotee of Vishnu. Hiranyakashipu orders his son to give up the god who killed his brother. Prahlada refuses, and what his father does next, and how Vishnu answers, is the story every Telugu viewer knows.

Cast and crew

• S. V. Ranga Rao as Hiranyakashipu
• Anjali Devi as Leelavathi
• Roja Ramani as Prahlada
• M. Balamuralikrishna as Narada
• Haranath as Vishnu
• Relangi and Padmanabham as the teachers Chanda and Amarka
• V. Nagayya as Shukracharya (cameo)
• Vijayakumar as one of the Four Kumaras
• L. Vijayalakshmi as a court dancer

Director: Chitrapu Narayana Rao. Script: D. V. Narasa Raju. Music: S. Rajeswara Rao. Cinematography: A. Vincent. Runtime: 170 minutes.

Making of the film

Meiyappan, encouraged by the success of Naadi Aada Janme (1965), believed Telugu audiences valued mythologicals more than Tamil ones, and wanted this version in colour; it was AVM’s second colour film after Anbe Vaa (1966). Chitrapu Narayana Rao, who had directed the 1942 version, asked Meiyappan for work in May 1965. Roja Ramani won the title role after a screen test in which she held a live snake. The singer M. Balamuralikrishna made his acting debut as Narada. Because AVM was making Ave Kallu at the same time, shooting and post-production stretched over a year and a half. The climax was shot under Meiyappan’s son Murugan after the director balked at it.

Music

S. Rajeswara Rao’s soundtrack has 23 songs plus poems from Pothana’s Andhra Maha Bhagavatham, with lyrics by Samudrala Sr., Samudrala Jr., Kosaraju, Aarudhra and others. “Jeevamu Neeve Kadha”, “Raara Priya Sundara” and “Sirisiri Laali Chinnari Laali” became popular, and Balamuralikrishna sang “Varamosage Vanamali”.

Release and reception

The first print was shown to President Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, who praised the cast, Roja Ramani in particular. Andhra Prabha’s reviewer, on 22 January 1967, judged it better than the two earlier versions, thanks to better technology and the performances of Ranga Rao, Anjali Devi and Ramani. The film was a commercial success and completed a 100-day run. It was dubbed into Tamil and Hindi in 1967, with the teachers’ scenes reshot with other actors, and into Kannada in 1974.

Where to watch Bhakta Prahlada

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Sources: the Wikipedia article on Bhakta Prahlada (1967 film) and the sources it cites; our own records.