Chitram Bhalare Vichitram

Chitram Bhalare Vichitram (“Picture! Bravo, Strange!”) is a Telugu comedy directed by P. N. Ramachandra Rao, with an ensemble cast led by Naresh, Rajeevi, Subhalekha Sudhakar, Tulasi, Brahmanandam and Maharshi Raghava, and music by Vidyasagar. It is an adaptation of Sailesh Dey’s Bengali play Joymakali Boarding. Wikipedia dates the film to 1991, and Naresh’s Nandi award for it is listed under 1991; our record gives a release date of 7 June 1992. It was Rajeevi’s first lead role.

What the story is about

Four bachelors, Raja, Sudhakar, Raghava and Brahmanandam, come home drunk one night and misbehave with their landlord, Gorojanala Garudachalam, who throws them out the next morning. Every other landlord in town refuses to rent to bachelors, until they find a landlady who will take only families. So the four become a family: Sudhakar plays the husband, Raja dresses up as his wife “Prema”, Raghava is Sudhakar’s disabled brother and Brahmanandam the elderly uncle. The trouble is that Raja’s girlfriend is the landlady’s daughter, and the disguise sets off one comic mishap after another.

Cast and crew

• Naresh as Raja and “Prema”
• Rajeevi as Swapna
• Subhalekha Sudhakar as Sudhakar
• Tulasi as Meera
• Brahmanandam as Brahmanandam
• Maharshi Raghava as Raghava
• Kota Srinivasa Rao as Gorojanala Garudachalam
• Jaya Prakash Reddy as Phani, Raavi Kondala Rao as Raghava’s uncle, Radha Kumari as Raja’s grandmother and Giri Babu as Raja’s boss

Director: P. N. Ramachandra Rao. Music: Vidyasagar.

Music

Vidyasagar was still fairly new when he scored the film. Its best-remembered song, “Seetalu Yerugani”, sung by Sailaja and Chitra for Prema’s seemantham (baby shower) scene, is still often played at seemantham functions in Hyderabad. Its tune is adapted from the Marathi song “Ga Kuneetari Yenaar Yenaar Ga” from Ashi Hi Banwa Banwi (1988), itself picturised at a baby-shower ceremony.

Reception and legacy

The film was well reviewed, did well at the box office and went on to gain a cult following, according to The Times of India, which in 2020 listed it among five Telugu films you can rewatch endlessly. Naresh won the Nandi Special Jury Award for his performance. Brahmanandam’s catchphrase “Nee Yenkamma” took off with this film, and he later named it among the top 11 films of his career. It was remade in Kannada as Bombat Hendthi (1992) and in Tamil as Aanazhagan (1995).

Where to watch Chitram Bhalare Vichitram

We do not have a confirmed streaming listing for Chitram Bhalare Vichitram on file. If we verify one with a platform, it will appear on this page.

Sources: the Wikipedia article on Chitram! Bhalare Vichitram!! and the article it cites, linked above; our own cast and crew records.