''Chintamani'' is a 1956 Indian Telugu-language drama film produced and directed by P. S. Ramakrishna Rao. It stars P. Bhanumathi, N. T. Rama Rao, and Jamuna, with music composed by Addepalli Rama Rao and T. V. Raju. The film is based on the play of the same name, written by Kallakuri Narayana Rao. It was a flop at the box office.

Plot

The film follows the story of Chintamani, a courtesan who, despite being a devotee of Krishna, is coerced by her greedy mother, Srihari, into luring and robbing the wealth of Bhavani Sankarudu, a Brahmin, and Subbi Setti, a merchant. Bilvamangaludu, the son of Vasudeva Murthy, a gold merchant, lives a happy life with his devoted wife, Radha. Bilvamangaludu becomes infatuated with Chintamani, and although Vasudeva Murthy warns Bilvamangaludu, his son ignores the advice, leading to his father’s illness and eventual death. Bilvamangaludu’s obsession with Chintamani grows, and he disregards his father’s death on a stormy night. Beyond that, he crosses the river with the aid of the carcass of none other than Radha, who died falling from the cliff backing him. He climbs the compound with what he believes is a crupper but is actually a snake. Chintamani, noticing his bloodied clothes, questions Bilvamangaludu, who confesses his actions. She chastises him, and he collapses in repentance, realizing the corpse he carried was Radha’s. Krishna then enlightens Chintamani, and she decides to give away her wealth to the village. After Radha’s funeral, Bilvamangaludu blinds himself as an act of repentance and becomes a devoted follower of Krishna, eventually residing in an ashram. Chintamani also joins the ashram. Krishna decides to grant salvation to both Chintamani and Bilvamangaludu, a decision Rukmini questions. To test their devotion, Krishna presents a challenge that even great saints cannot complete: detecting fragrance. Despite his blindness, Bilvamangaludu recognizes the fragrance of the Lord, regaining his vision in the process. The film concludes with Krishna granting salvation to both Chintamani and Bilvamangaludu.

Cast

* P. Bhanumathi as Chintamani * N. T. Rama Rao as Bilvamangaludu * Jamuna as Radha * S. V. Ranga Rao as Bhavani Sankarudu * Relangi as Subbi Setti * Raghuramaiah as

Lord Krishna Krishna (; Sanskrit: कृष्ण, ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme God in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is wi ...

Rushyendramani Rushyendramani (1 January 1917 – 17 August 2002) was an Indian film actress, playback singer, and dancer from Andhra Pradesh. She had more than 150 films in Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi films from 1935 to 1986. Her notable films ...

as Srihari * Chaya Devi as Mani *Prabhavathi as

Rukmini Rukmini (, ) is a Devi, Hindu goddess and the first queen of Krishna. She is described as the chief of Krishna's wives in Dvārakā. Rukmini is revered as the avatar of Lakshmi and is venerated primarily in Warkari, and Haridasa tradition, and ...

*Leelarani as Chitra *Mikkilineni as Bhagavantham * Dr kamaraju * Addala Narayana Rao * RV Krishna Rao * Boddapati Krishna Rao * Venkata rathnam * Krishna Prasad

Production

''Chintamani'' was produced by P. Bhanumathi under her production company, Bharani Pictures, and directed by her husband, P. S. Ramakrishna Rao. The film starred N. T. Rama Rao in the lead role of Bilvamangaludu, with Bhanumathi playing the title role of Chintamani. Initially,

Akkineni Nageswara Rao Akkineni Nageswara Rao (20 September 1924 – 22 January 2014), known as ANR, was an Indian actor and film producer in Telugu cinema. Over his seven decade career, he became a prominent figures in the industry, and is among most influential ac ...

was considered for the role of Bilvamangaludu. However, Nageswara Rao declined the role, advising the producers to abandon the project, suggesting that Bharani Pictures was not suitable for such a film. Despite this setback, Bhanumathi and Ramakrishna chose to proceed with the project, as the script work had already been completed. The production featured S. V. Ranga Rao as Bhavani Sankarudu and Relangi as Subbi Setti. Since Bhanumathi was playing the role of Chintamani, the filmmakers took precautions to maintain her public image by portraying the character as a devout woman, refraining from any depiction that could be seen as tarnishing her persona. As a result, the character was reimagined as a devoted follower of

rather than a seductive figure. Director Ramakrishna aimed to present the film with a serious and dignified tone, deliberately avoiding light-hearted or comedic treatment. However, despite these efforts, the film did not meet the audience’s expectations. Viewers, who had anticipated a more entertaining narrative, were disappointed by the sombre tone of the film. The film was adapted from the play ''Chintamani'' by Kallakuri Narayana Rao. However, government censorship imposed restrictions on certain scenes, particularly those between Chintamani and Subbi Setti, which were removed during the editing process. In an attempt to add more entertainment, Ramakrishna included comedic scenes between Subbi Setti and his wife, but these too were censored. Consequently, the final version of the film became a serious, devotional story, leading to its satirical rebranding as ''Bhakta Chintamani'' () by the audience. This shift contributed to the film’s failure to meet audience expectations.

Soundtrack

Music composed by Addepalli Rama Rao and T. V. Raju. Lyrics were written by Ravuru.

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 0259252 Films about courtesans in India Films scored by T. V. Raju Films scored by Addepalli Rama Rao Hindu devotional films Indian biographical drama films Indian films based on plays Indian black-and-white films 1956 drama films Films scored by A. M. Rajah