Rudraveena

Rudraveena( రుద్రవీణ) is an award-winning, criticlly acclaimed Telugu 1988 film which stars Chiranjeevi and Sobhana. Produced by Anjana Productions (Chiru's home banner), the film was directed by the legendary K. Balachander and the music was provided by maestro Ilaiyaraaja.Songs sung by K. J. Yesudas and S. P. Balasubrahmanyam are highlight for this movie

=Plot=

The film is about the ideological clash between a young man, Suryam (Chiranjeevi), and his father Bilahari Ganapathi Sastry (Gemini Ganesan). While the father believes that music and his life are for salvation, the son strives for a better society.

They part ways after Suryam decides to teach his father a lesson by representing the need for social awareness in a concert. Sastry hates this idea of polluting the sacredness of music by individualism and promotes another disciple ignoring Suryam.

Fed with his father's refusal to identify him, Suryam quits home. He finds solace in the association with Lalita(Sobhana) and her family. Sastry who believes in the supremacy of caste over humanity, tries to break this by instigating drunkards from the village whom Suryam has sworn to reform. Suryam vows not to marry in exchange for the drunkards reforming themselves.

Sastry takes a major blow when the disciple he groomed, later marries his daughter and abhors him from singing Sastry's favourite raga-The Bilahari.

Finally, Sastry changes his chauvinistic self, when the Indian government recognizes Suryam's efforts at social reform and the Prime Minister of India himself comes to his village to felicitate Suryam. He realizes his son's ideals and proudly addresses himself as Suryam's father rather than a great musician.

=Highlights=
* Directed by Balachandar, the characterisation of both Sastry and Suryam exceeds expectations.
* The film was made in a time when social reform and co-operative ventures were finding root in India - thus was very much contemporary.
* The scene where Suryam's mute elder brother plays the Shehnai to express himself is a remarkable display of emotions.
* The scene where Sastry suffers a good lesson in the hands of Lalitha's father clearly identifies his arrogance and the writer's hatred of it.
* The fight scene where Suryam first pleads with drunkards and then proceeds to bash them up is well picturised.
* It is an indication of Chiranjeevi's dedication to cinema that he could take up this subject which had no usual dance/fight/comedy sequences in spite of being a commercial hero. Though he wasn't sufficiently rewarded, it proved the point that being a crowd puller did not necessarily mean being a bad actor.
* The musical score is one of Ilayaraaja's greatest contribution to telugu cinema. It includes folk("chuttu pakkala"),carnatic("manava seva, neetone agena"), experimentation("tarali rada") and the highlight of all "cheppalani undi".
* Songs sung by S.P.Balasubramanyam
* The voice for Gemini Ganeshan's character was also given by S. P. Balasubrahmanyam.He is well known in south India for adaptation of his voice to suit any person/character.
* Last but not least Sirivennela SeetaRamaSashtri lyrics.

=Trivia=
* Was later remade in Tamil as Unnal Mudiyam Thambi with Kamal Hassan
* Received lukewarm response at the box office but regarded as one of the best telugu movies ever
* Declared by *Chiranjeevi as one of his best films ever
* The song Cheppalani Undi was partly written by the revolutionary writer Srirangam Srinivasarao (popularly SreeSree). His other works include Mahaprasthanam - an epic in modern literature. He was one of the most worshipped and quoted writer/poet till recently.
* The title means "The Veena"(a stringed instrument) "of Lord Siva". Though popular culture says Siva plays a "dhamaruk", it is observed that He also plays the Veena and the sounds emanating from them gave birth to music.

=Awards=
National Film Awards:
*won the Nargis Dutt Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration.
*Ilaiyaraja won National Film Award for Best Music Direction
*S.P. Balasubramanyam won the National Film Award for Best Male Playback Singer

=Songs=
*Cheppalani vundi (National Award-winner for S.P. Balasubramanyam)
*Chuttu pakkala chooda
*Lalita priya kamalam
*Manava seva
*Nammaku nammaku
*Raghupathi raghava
*Randi randi
*Tarali raada
*Tulasi dalamulache
*Neethone paadena sangeetham

=Credits=

*Chiranjeevi .... Suryanarayana Sastry

*Gemini Ganesan .... Bilahari Ganapati Sastry

*Sobhana .... Lalita Siva Jyoti

*Brahmanandam, P.L. Narayana, Prasad Babu, Kaikala Satyanarayana

*Director: K. Balachander

*Writers: K. Balachander (story) & Ganesh Patro (story & dialogues)

*Producers: Chiranjeevi & Nagendra Babu

*Music: Ilaiyaraaja

*Photography: Lok Singh

*Lyrics: Sirivennela Sitarama Sastry & Sri Sri (posthumous)

*Playback Singers: S.P. Balasubramanyam, K. S. Chithra, S. Janaki, S.P. Sailaja and K.J. Yesudas

* Production Company: Anjana Productions

* Distributors: Geeta Film Distributors, Jagapathi Film Distributors, Kokila Pictures, Kranthi Pictures, Navayuga Films, Sri Lakshmi Pictures, Venkata Krishna Films

* VCD release: Shalimar Videos

=External links=
*
* [http://www.idlebrain.com/nosta/jewels/rudraveena.html Retrospect: article at idlebrain.com]