''Bhookailas'' () is a 1940 Telugu film produced by A. V. Meiyappan and directed by

Sundar Rao Nadkarni Sundar Rao Nadkarni was an Indian film actor, editor, cinematographer, producer and director. He was the director of the first hit film for AVM productions Bhookailas in Telugu in the year 1940, and later the record-creating Tamil film '' Harida ...

. The film starred Subbaiah Naidu, R. Nagendra Rao, and Rayaprolu Subramanyam. It was the first hit film after the establishment of

AVM Productions AVM Productions is an Indian film production studio founded by A. V. Meiyappa Chettiar. It is the oldest film studio in India. The filming studios are located in Vadapalani, Chennai. It has produced over 300 films in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, ...

. It was adapted from the famous

Kannada Kannada () is a Dravidian language spoken predominantly in the state of Karnataka in southwestern India, and spoken by a minority of the population in all neighbouring states. It has 44 million native speakers, and is additionally a ...

stage play ''Bhookailasa'' by Sri Sahitya Samrajya Nataka Mandali of

Mysore Mysore ( ), officially Mysuru (), is a city in the southern Indian state of Karnataka. It is the headquarters of Mysore district and Mysore division. As the traditional seat of the Wadiyar dynasty, the city functioned as the capital of the ...

Plot

Demon King

Ravana According to the Mahakavya, Hindu epic, ''Ramayana'', Ravana was a kingJustin W. Henry, ''Ravana's Kingdom: The Ramayana and Sri Lankan History from Below'', Oxford University Press, p.3 of the island of Lanka, in which he is the chief antag ...

( Subbaiah Naidu) decides to invade

Amaravati Amaravati ( , Telugu language, Telugu: ) is the capital city of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is located in Guntur district on the right bank of the Krishna River, southwest of Vijayawada. The city derives its name from the nearby his ...

, the capital of the heavenly kingdom of

Indra Indra (; ) is the Hindu god of weather, considered the king of the Deva (Hinduism), Devas and Svarga in Hinduism. He is associated with the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storms, rains, river flows, and war. volumes Indra is the m ...

. Scared of Ravana's plans, Indra asks Narada ( R. Nagendra Rao) for help. Narada informs Indra that Ravana's strength comes from the worship performed by Kaikasi (Parvathi Bai), Ravana's mother. He suggests that Indra sabotage Ravana's mother's worship of Saikatha Lingam, a sand sculpture representation of Lord Siva (Rayaprolu Subramanyam). Ravana decides to perform penance and bring Lord Siva's Atma Lingam for his mother to worship. Hearing of Ravana's plans from Narada, Goddess Parvathi (Hymavathi), Lord Siva's consort, appeals to Lord Vishnu. When Lord Siva appears to Ravana to grant his wish, Lord Vishnu manipulates Ravana's mind and makes him wish for Goddess Parvathi. As Ravana proceeds home with Goddess Parvathi, Narada meets him midway and tells him that his companion is a fake Parvathi. Dejected by the subterfuge, Ravana returns Goddess Parvathi to Lord Siva. During his return journey, he meets Mandodari (Lakshmi Bai), the young princess of Pathala. Believing she is the real Goddess Parvathi, he marries her. Eventually, he realizes what happened and appeals to Lord Siva for forgiveness by presenting his severed head. Lord Siva presents Ravana with Atma Lingam and warns him that, if the Atma Lingam ever touches the earth, it can never be moved again. Narada instigates Lord Vinayaka to trick Ravana into grounding the Atma Lingam at what later became known as

Gokarna Gokarna may refer to: Places * Gokarna, Karnataka, a town in Karnataka, India * Gokarna, West Bengal, a village in West Bengal, India * Gokarnamatam, a village in Andhra Pradesh, India * Trincomalee, a city in Eastern Province, Sri Lanka also k ...

Kshethram in Karnataka.

Cast

* Subbaiah Naidu as

* R. Nagendra Rao as

Narada Narada (, ), or Narada Muni, is a sage-divinity, famous in Hinduism, Hindu traditions as a travelling musician and storyteller, who carries news and enlightening wisdom. He is one of the Manasputra, mind-created children of Brahma, the creator ...

* Rayaprolu Subramanyam as

Shiva Shiva (; , ), also known as Mahadeva (; , , Help:IPA/Sanskrit, ɐɦaːd̪eːʋɐh and Hara, is one of the Hindu deities, principal deities of Hinduism. He is the God in Hinduism, Supreme Being in Shaivism, one of the major traditions w ...

* Hymavathi as Parvathi * Parvathi Bai as

Kaikasi ''Ramayana'' is one of the two major Sanskrit ancient epics (''Itihasa''s) of Hindu literature. It was composed by sage Valmiki. This is a list of important figures that appear in the epic. A * Agastya: Rishi (sage). Son of sage Pulastya a ...

, mother of Ravana * Kamalabai as Vishnu Maya * M. Satyanarayana as

Mayasura Maya () or Mayāsura () is a figure in Hindu history, described as the king of the Danavas, a race of beings descending from Kashyapa and his wife Danu. He is known for his architectural expertise, credited with creating the Mayasabha (Hall of ...

* Lakshmi Bai as

Mandodari Mandodari (, , lit. "soft-bellied";) was the queen consort of Ravana, the king of Lanka, according to the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. The ''Ramayana'' describes her as beautiful, pious, and righteous. She is extolled as one of the ''Panchakanya'', ...

, daughter of Mayasura * Master Viswam as young

Ganesha Ganesha or Ganesh (, , ), also known as Ganapati, Vinayaka and Pillaiyar, is one of the best-known and most worshipped Deva (Hinduism), deities in the Hindu deities, Hindu pantheon and is the Supreme God in the Ganapatya sect. His depictions ...

Soundtrack

There are about 18 songs and poems in the film.Bhookailas
/ref> Some of the songs are very popular. Lyrics are written by

Balijepalli Lakshmikantham Balijepalli Lakshmikantha Kavi (23 December 1881 – 30 June 1953) was an Indian playwright, novelist, poet, screenwriter, actor and freedom fighter. He is remembered for the magnum opus ''Satya Harischandriyamu'', a play written in 1924, and f ...

. The music score is provided by R. Sudarsanam.

Adaptations

References

External links

* 1940 films Indian black-and-white films 1940s Telugu-language films AVM Productions films Films based on the Ramayana Indian musical drama films 1940s musical drama films Films scored by R. Sudarsanam Films directed by Sundar Rao Nadkarni 1940 drama films {{1940s-Telugu-film-stub