Suryavamsam

Suryavamsam (transl. “Solar dynasty”) is a 1998 Telugu family drama directed by Bhimaneni Srinivasa Rao and produced by R. B. Choudary under Super Good Films, a remake of the 1997 Tamil hit Surya Vamsam. Venkatesh plays both a respected village patriarch and the son he has written off, with Meena, Radhika and Sanghavi, and music by S. A. Rajkumar. It was released on 25 February 1998.

What the story is about

Harischandra Prasad is the village arbiter, its most respected man, who makes sure everyone lives in peace. His only enemy is Singaraju Lingaraju, whom he once punished for trying to molest a woman. Harischandra has a large family, but he cannot stand his third son, Bhanu, who never managed an education and is made to do the household’s menial work, even though Bhanu is devoted to him. When Swapna comes to the village for her brother’s wedding to Bhanu’s sister, she first takes Bhanu for a servant, then learns his story from his friend Nukaraju. How Bhanu’s life changes, and whether his father ever relents, is the heart of the film.

Cast and crew

• Venkatesh as Harischandra Prasad and his son Bhanu Prasad
• Meena as Swapna
• Radhika as Vasundhara, Harischandra’s wife
• Sanghavi as Madhavi
• Anandaraj as Singaraju Lingaraju
• Kaikala Satyanarayana as Justice Dakshana Murthy, Swapna’s father
• Kota Srinivasa Rao as Major Yeddulayya
• Sudhakar as Nukaraju
• Ali as Devadasu
• Raja Ravindra as Venu Gopal

Director: Bhimaneni Srinivasa Rao. Producer: R. B. Choudary. Music: S. A. Rajkumar (Aditya Music). Runtime: 163 minutes.

Music

S. A. Rajkumar kept the songs from the Tamil original except one: “Kadhala” was replaced with a new tune, “Kila Kila Navve”, set in the Shuddha Dhanyasi raga. He later reused that tune in the Tamil film Thullatha Manamum Thullum (1999) and the Kannada film Varsha (2005).

Box office

Wikipedia describes Suryavamsam as a blockbuster, but gives no source or figure, and we have not found one from a named outlet.

Where to watch Suryavamsam

Suryavamsam 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 Suryavamsam (1998 film); the Aha listing; our own cast and crew records.