''Allari Premikudu'' () is a 1994 Indian

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of South India ** Telugu literature, is the body of works written in the Telugu language. * Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Tel ...

-language

musical romance film Romance films involve romantic love stories recorded in visual media for broadcast in theatres or on television that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate romantic involvement of the main characters. Typically their journey through dat ...

directed by

K. Raghavendra Rao Kovelamudi Raghavendra Rao (born 23 May 1942) is an Indian filmmaker known primarily for his work in Telugu cinema, besides a few Hindi film and Kannada films. Over a career spanning more than four decades, he has directed over a hundred films ...

and produced by Suresh and

Satyanand Sir Anand Satyanand (born 22 July 1944) is a New Zealand lawyer, judge, and ombudsman who served as the 19th governor-general of New Zealand from 2006 to 2011. Satyanand was chair of the Commonwealth Foundation for two 2-year terms, ending in ...

. The film stars

Jagapati Babu Veeramachaneni Jagapathi Chowdary (born 12 February 1962), professionally known as Jagapathi Babu (), is an Indian actor known for his works in Telugu cinema. He has also appeared in Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, and Hindi films. Babu has appeare ...

Soundarya Sowmya Sathyanarayana (18 July 1972 – 17 April 2004), better known by her stage name Soundarya, was an Indian actress known for her works primarily in Telugu cinema. She was regarded as one of the greatest actresses in the history of Telugu ...

, Rambha, and Kanchan in lead roles, with

Ramya Krishna Ramya Krishnan (born 15 September 1970), also credited as Ramya Krishna, is an Indian actress predominantly known for her work in Telugu and Tamil films, along with appearances in Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi films. Early life Ramya was born ...

in a guest appearance. The music was composed by M. M. Keeravani. The film was loosely inspired by the 1989 American film '' Worth Winning''. ''Allari Premikudu'' marked noted screenwriter Satyanand's debut as a producer. The film, noted for its high production values, underwent significant casting changes during its development, eventually featuring a star-studded ensemble. Despite its scale and casting, the film was a box-office failure upon its release. It was later dubbed into Tamil as ''Pokkiri Kaadhalan''.

Plot

The film follows Krishna Murthy, also known as Kittu, a renowned

sitar The sitar ( or ; ) is a plucked stringed instrument, originating from the Indian subcontinent, used in Hindustani classical music. The instrument was invented in the 18th century, and arrived at its present form in 19th-century India. Khusrau K ...

player with a penchant for high-stakes betting. Chandrendra Rao Naidu, commonly called Chandram, frequently challenges Kittu under the influence of his elder brother, Hari. Chandram bets Kittu 3

lakh A lakh (; abbreviated L; sometimes written lac) is a unit in the Indian numbering system equal to one hundred thousand (100,000; scientific notation: 105). In the Indian 2, 2, 3 convention of digit grouping, it is written as 1,00,000. F ...

to make three difficult women—Bhavani, Jhansi, and Jogeswari Devi—fall in love with him. Bhavani is a fiercely independent student who hates men and advocates for women's welfare, Jhansi is a fearless police officer disinterested in marriage, and Jogeswari Devi is an ascetic forcibly confined to the lifestyle by the manipulative Bhairavayya for personal gain. Kittu accepts the challenge and sets out on the task. Kittu first approaches Bhavani, pretending to be a social worker and orchestrating a staged encounter where his accomplice, Ahobilam, poses as a goon named Khan Dada. Bhavani falls for Kittu’s act. Next, Kittu targets Jhansi by kidnapping her younger brother, Jakki, with the help of a hired goon and then rescuing him. However, Jakki uncovers the truth and informs Jhansi, leading to Kittu's arrest. Despite this, Jhansi eventually forgives him and develops feelings for him. Finally, Kittu charms Jogeswari Devi, who reciprocates his love. However, Bhavani soon discovers Kittu’s deception and hires a thug, Malli, to attack him. When Malli turns on Bhavani, attempting to assault her, Kittu saves her, earning her forgiveness. Kittu declares his success to Chandram and invites the three women to Golkonda Fort at different times. He persuades Bhavani and Jhansi to carve their names along with his on the tomb walls as proof of their love. However, when it is Jogeswari Devi’s turn, she is attacked by Bhairavayya and Hari, and succumbs to her injuries after expressing her love for Kittu. The miscreants frame Kittu for her murder, and Jhansi is tasked with investigating the case. Misled by evidence, Jhansi believes Kittu to be guilty and pursues him. Kittu, meanwhile, uncovers Hari and Bhairavayya's involvement in the crime and confronts them. Seeking refuge, Kittu hides at Bhavani’s home, where she helps him upon realizing his innocence. During a confrontation, Kittu reveals the truth behind his actions. He discloses that he is married and has a daughter. In a flashback, it is shown that Kittu was married to Swapna, the granddaughter of a wealthy man, Gajapati. Their marriage faced opposition due to class differences, but Swapna left her family to live with Kittu. The couple's happiness was short-lived, as Hari and Chandram, Swapna's cousins, schemed to seize her inheritance. They attacked Swapna, who succumbed to her injuries after giving birth to a mentally unstable daughter. Hari is revealed to be the mastermind behind Chandram's challenge, orchestrating the scheme because Gajapati had bequeathed his entire fortune to Swapna and her child before his death. Hari's intention was to eliminate Kittu by luring him into the dangerous pursuit of these three women, thereby clearing the path for Hari to claim the inheritance. Hari and Bhairavayya abduct Kittu’s daughter in a final attempt to eliminate her and claim the inheritance. In a climactic showdown, Kittu rescues his daughter and defeats the antagonists. The film concludes on a happy note, with Kittu reuniting with Bhavani and Jhansi, who accept him and his daughter.

Cast

as Krishna "Kittu" Moorti *

as Swapna *

as Jhansi * Rambha as Bhavani * Kanchan as Jogeswari Devi * Satyanarayana as Gajapati *

Srihari Srihari (15 August 1964 – 9 October 2013) was an Indian actor who was active mainly in Telugu cinema. He appeared in some Tamil, Kannada and Hindi films as well. He won seven Nandi Awards and one Filmfare Award. Early life Srihari was born ...

as Hari * Rami Reddy as Bhairavayya *

Brahmanandam Kanneganti Brahmanandam (born 1 February 1956) is an Indian actor and comedian known for his work in Telugu cinema. Recognised as one of India's finest and highest-paid comic actors, he holds the Guinness World Record for the most screen cred ...

as Ahobilam/Khan Dada * Sudhakar as Chandram alias Pandem Chandredra Rao * AVS as Chandram's assistant *

Dharmavarapu Subrahmanyam Dharmavarapu Subrahmanyam (20 September 1954 – 7 December 2013) was an Indian actor, comedian and film director who worked in Telugu cinema. He was established as one of the highly paid and top most leading comedians in Telugu film industry. ...

as Bhavani's father *

Nirmalamma Nirmalamma (18 July 1920 – 19 February 2009) was an Indian actress in the Telugu cinema. She appeared in more than 1000 films and was well known for her grandmother roles in several films. She won two Nandi Awards. Early life She was born in ...

as Lakshmi Devi *

Mada Venkateswara Rao Mada Venkateswara Rao (4 June 1935 – 24 October 2015) was an Indian actor from Andhra Pradesh. He acted in more than 600 films. He played notable roles in the films ''Mutyala Muggu'', '' Lambadolla Ramdasu'', and '' Mayadari Malligadu''. He wa ...

as the

Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh The chief minister of Andhra Pradesh is the chief executive of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. In accordance with the Constitution of India, the governor is a state's ''de jure'' head, but '' de facto'' executive authority rests with the ch ...

Narsing Yadav Narsing Yadav (15 May 1963 – 31 December 2020) was an Indian actor known for his comic villain roles. He acted in more than 300 films predominantly in Telugu, in addition to Tamil, Hindi and Kannada languages. He debuted as a small character ...

as Goon * Chidatala Appa Rao as Hotel Manager * Kamalakar as College Student * Ramana Murthy as Constable * Bangalore Padma as Devi's maid

Production

After the success of ''

Allari Mogudu ''Allari Mogudu'' () is a 1992 Indian Telugu-language romantic comedy film directed by K. Raghavendra Rao and produced by K. Krishna Mohan Rao under R K Associates. The film stars Mohan Babu, Meena and Ramya Krishna. It was released on 14 Feb ...

'' (1992) and ''

Allari Priyudu ''Allari Priyudu'' () is a 1993 Indian Telugu-language musical romantic comedy film written and directed by K. Raghavendra Rao. The film stars Rajasekhar, Ramya Krishna and Madhoo. The film was featured at the 25th IFFI Indian panorama mainst ...

'' (1993), director

began work on a new film titled ''Allari Premikudu'', continuing the trend of incorporating "Allari" in the title. This project was the debut production venture of writer

, who partnered with businessman Suresh under their newly established production banner. The initial casting plans featured

Kamal Haasan Parthasarathy Srinivasan (born 7 November 1954), known professionally as Kamal Haasan, is an Indian actor, filmmaker and politician who predominantly works in Tamil cinema. Considered as one of the most accomplished actors of Indian Cinema, Haas ...

in the lead role, alongside Divya Bharati and

Meena Meena () is a tribe from northern and western India which is sometimes considered a sub-group of the Bhil community. It used to be claimed they speak Mina language, a Spurious languages, spurious language. Its name is also transliterated as ' ...

as the heroines. However, the unexpected demise of Divya Bharati and Meena’s scheduling conflicts necessitated a revision in the casting.

and Rambha were selected as replacements. Following changes to the story, a third female lead was required, leading to the casting of newcomer Kanchan. Considering the new plot with three heroines, director Raghavendra Rao decided to replace Kamal Haasan with

Jagapathi Babu Veeramachaneni Jagapathi Chowdary (born 12 February 1962), professionally known as Jagapathi Babu (), is an Indian actor known for his works in Telugu cinema. He has also appeared in Tamil cinema, Tamil, Kannada cinema, Kannada, Malayalam cine ...

, believing his popularity among female audiences would better suit the narrative.

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...

began on 31 December 1993. The inaugural clapboard was given by veteran filmmaker

Dasari Narayana Rao Dasari Narayana Rao (4 May 1942 – 30 May 2017) was an Indian film director, screenwriter, actor, producer, lyricist, and politician, primarily known for his work in Telugu cinema. Over his four decade career, he directed more than 150 feature ...

. At the time, ''Allari Premikudu'' was one of the most expensive productions in Telugu cinema. The film was notable for being Soundarya’s first role as a police officer. In addition to the three lead heroines, actress

played a guest role, further enhancing the film’s star-studded cast.

Music

The music was composed by M. M. Keeravani. The music was released on Akash Audio Company.

Reception

''Allari Premikudu'' was released on May 5, 1994. Despite featuring a prominent cast and showcasing high production values, the film did not achieve commercial success at the box office.

References

External links

* {{K. Raghavendra Rao 1994 films 1994 musical films 1994 romantic comedy-drama films 1990s Indian films 1990s musical comedy-drama films 1990s romantic musical films 1990s Telugu-language films Films directed by K. Raghavendra Rao Films scored by M. M. Keeravani Films shot in Hyderabad, India Indian films about gambling Indian musical comedy-drama films Indian romantic comedy-drama films Indian romantic musical films