Prema Pusthakam
| Prema Pusthakam | |
|---|---|
 Poster | |
| Directed by |
|
| Written by | Gollapudi Srinivas |
| Produced by | Atluri Purnachandra Rao |
| Starring | |
| Music by | Devendran |
Release date |
|
| Country | India |
| Language | Telugu |
Prema Pusthakam (transl. Book of Love) is a 1993 Indian Telugu-language romance film which was partly directed by Gollapudi Srinivas before his death on the set of the film; it was later finished by his father, Gollapudi Maruthi Rao.[1] It stars newcomers Ajith Kumar and Kanchan, with Devendran was the music composer. This film is the first film that Ajith Kumar shot for and is his only Telugu film to date. The film was temporarily put on hold after the director died.[2] The film won three Nandi Awards.
Plot[edit]
Sreekar (Ajith Kumar) and Charitra (Kanchan) are college students. They are expelled from their college. They find themselves homeless and unemployed. They decide to get married. On the eve of the marriage, a rich old man tries to disrobe Charitra with the intention of raping her. Charitra prevents him from disrobing and raping her. She stabs him to death with a thick piece of glass. The next day, she gets married to Sreekar. Seconds after the wedding, police personnel enters the marriage hall and arrest Charitra on the charges of murdering the old man. Even after this incident, Sreekar neither hates her nor does he abandon her. The courts finds Charitra guilty of murder and sentences her.[3]
Cast[edit]
- inba Kumar as Sreekar (credited as Sreekar)
- Kanchan as Charitra
- Thangana
- Lakshmipriya
- Sohini
- Deepika
- Swati
- P. L. Narayana as Charitra's father
- Maharshi Raghava
- Tanikella Bharani as priest
- Gollapudi Maruthi Rao
- Balu
- Misro
- Kashi Viswanath
- Kallu Chidambaram
- Kumara Raja
- Vizag Prasad
- Rajani Srinivas
- GV Rama
- Gauri Shankar
- Vidyasagar
- Murali Mohan
- Giri Babu as Paper mill worker
- Mallikarjuna Rao as Police officer
- Suthivelu as Police officer
- Sameer as Sreekar's friend (uncredited)[4]
Production[edit]
The film was written by Gollapudi Srinivas, son of noted director Gollapudi Maruthi Rao, in early 1992 and Ajith Kumar was signed on to feature in the lead role.[5] However, during the ninth day of the shoot, the debutant director died after succumbing to injuries suffered during a water accident on sets in Vizag, Andhra Pradesh.[6][7] The death led to creation of the Gollapudi Srinivas Award, with the director's father Gollapudi Maruthi Rao giving the award to promising debutant directors to continue his son's legacy.[8] The film was duly delayed and later completed by Srinivas's father and only released in 1993.[6]
Soundtrack[edit]
The songs were composed by Devendran.[9]
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Anukunnadhi" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam | 2:58 | |
| 2. | "Geluchuko" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, K. S. Chithra | 3:58 | |
| 3. | "Kaliki Seethammaku" | K. S. Chithra, S. P. Balasubrahmanyam | 3:08 | |
| 4. | "Manugade Madhuramu" | K. S. Chithra, S. P. Balasubrahmanyam | ||
| 5. | "Modhalainadhi Mana" | Vennelakanti | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, K. S. Chithra | 3:13 |
| 6. | "Moodu Nelalaega" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, K. S. Chithra | 3:15 | |
| 7. | "Poornamadham" | Veturi | K. S. Chithra, S. P. Balasubrahmanyam | |
| 8. | "Thiyagga Puttadhae" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam | ||
| 9. | "Visakha Beach Lo" | Veturi | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, K. S. Chithra | 4:18 |
Release[edit]
The film has been described by commentators as an "eminently forgettable" debut for Ajith Kumar, due to the problems faced during production.[10][11]
It was later dubbed and released in Tamil as Kadhal Puthagam in 1997.[12] A reviewer of the dubbed version wrote "The screenplay could have been better as the story flow seems to be discontinuous at times. In spite of this, the director has shown some flashes of talent in some scenes, especially scenes involving Ajit and Kanchan".[13]
Awards[edit]
- Best Screenplay Writer - Gollapudi Maruthi Rao
- Best Costume Designer - Manohar Reddy
- Special Jury Award - Kanchan
References[edit]
- ^ "A bid day for Thala Ajith! Check to know why!". Behindwoods.com. 2 August 2017. Retrieved 2 August 2017.
- ^ Warrier, Shobha (6 April 1997). "Bad back, great future". Rediff.
- ^ "- YouTube". YouTube.
- ^ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oy2k5OXv_Bw&t=153s
- ^ "SPB reveals truth about Ajith". The Times of India. 11 March 2019. Retrieved 15 November 2022.
- ^ a b Ramanujam, Srinivasa (30 April 2018). "Nine days and a killer wave: the story behind Ajith's 'Prema Pusthakam'". The Hindu.
- ^ Warrier, Shobha (6 July 1999). "Bad back, great future". Rediff.com. Retrieved 8 July 2011.
- ^ "About Us". Gollapudi National Award. Archived from the original on 11 July 2011. Retrieved 8 July 2011.
- ^ "Prema Pusthakam (1993) - Devendran". MusicIndiaOnline. Archived from the original on 18 October 2014.
- ^ "Pyar to hona hi tha". Rediff.com. 15 September 1999. Retrieved 8 July 2011.
- ^ Ajith Kumar Retrieved 8 July 2011.
- ^ Tamil Movie News--Pudhu Edition 3 Retrieved 8 July 2011.
- ^ "Review of Kathal Puthakam". Archived from the original on 1 October 2000.
- ^ "నంది అవార్డు విజేతల పరంపర (1964–2008)" [A series of Nandi Award Winners (1964–2008)] (PDF). Information & Public Relations of Andhra Pradesh. Retrieved 21 August 2020.(in Telugu)
