Swayam Krushi

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Swayam Krushi (Swayamkrushi, “Self-made”) is a 1987 Telugu drama written and directed by K. Viswanath, starring Chiranjeevi as a cobbler who works his way from the roadside to running a shoe company, with Vijayashanti, Sumalatha and Sarvadaman D. Banerjee. Released on 3 September 1987, it won Chiranjeevi the Nandi Award for Best Actor and Vijayashanti the Filmfare Award for Best Actress, and it travelled to several film festivals.

What the story is about

Sambasiva Rao, “Sambayya”, is an uneducated but principled and hard-working cobbler. When his sister dies after years of abuse by her husband, he takes in her infant son, Chinna, and drives off the boy’s father, Govind, when he comes out of prison and tries to take the child. Ganga, a friend who loves Sambayya, helps him get a bank loan to open a small footwear shop, though she knows he quietly cares for his childhood friend Sarada, whose college education he pays for. Over the years Sambayya’s shop grows into a large shoe business, but success brings its own trials: Govind has not finished with the family, and Chinna grows up proud and spoiled. The film is about what wealth does to a family, and what hard work means.

Cast and crew

• Chiranjeevi as Sambasiva Rao “Sambayya”
• Vijayashanti as Ganga
• Sumalatha as Sarada
• Charan Raj as Govind
• Sarvadaman Banerjee as Bhaskar
• Master Arjun as Chinna
• J. V. Somayajulu as Sambayya’s teacher
• S. K. Misro as a cobbler who becomes Sambayya’s manager, with Brahmanandam, M. V. S. Haranatha Rao and P. L. Narayana

Writer and director: K. Viswanath. Music: Ramesh Naidu, with lyrics by C. Narayana Reddy and Sirivennela Seetharama Sastry and one song by the poet Kshetrayya; the soundtrack was released on Lahari Music. Runtime: 164 minutes.

Festivals and awards

Swayam Krushi was screened at the International Film Festival of India and the Asia Pacific Film Festival. It was also dubbed into Russian and shown in the special mention section of the Moscow International Film Festival. Chiranjeevi won the Nandi Award for Best Actor and the Cinema Express (Indian Express) Best Actor award for his performance, and Vijayashanti won the Filmfare Award for Best Actress (Telugu). The film was dubbed into Hindi as Dharamyudh.

Where to watch Swayam Krushi

Swayam Krushi is listed on Aha (checked against the platform’s own listing). Availability can vary by region and subscription.

Sources: the Wikipedia article on Swayamkrushi; Aha’s listing; our own cast and crew records.