''Gulabi'' () is a 1995

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 ...

romantic crime film written and directed by debutant

Krishna Vamsi Pasupuleti Venkata Bangarraju (born 28 July 1962), known professionally as Krishna Vamsi, is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and producer known for his work in Telugu cinema. Over a career spanning three decades, he has received three Na ...

. Produced by

Ram Gopal Varma Penmetsa Ram Gopal Varma (born 7 April 1962), often referred to by his initials RGV, is an Indian film director, screenwriter and producer, primarily known for his work in Hindi cinema, Hindi and Telugu cinema, Telugu films.** * * Varma has dir ...

and

Amitabh Bachchan Corporation Limited Amitabh Bachchan Corporation (formerly Amitabh Bachchan Corporation Limited, ABCL), also known as AB Corp, is an Indian entertainment company founded by actor Amitabh Bachchan in 1995. The company was involved in event management, film producti ...

, the film stars J. D. Chakravarthy and

Maheswari Maheswari is an Indian former actress, who appeared predominantly in Telugu and Tamil language films. She was one of the leading actresses in Telugu and Tamil films from 1994 to 2000. She appeared alongside major South Indian stars like Jaga ...

in the lead roles. Music was composed by

Sashi Preetam Sashi Preetam is an Indian film composer and singer who primarily works in Telugu cinema Telugu cinema, also known as Tollywood, is the segment of Cinema of India, Indian cinema dedicated to the production of Film, motion pictures in th ...

and dialogues written by Nadiminti Narsinga Rao. The story was inspired by a real-life incident involving a young girl rescued from a Dubai Sheikh. Upon its release, ''Gulabi'' received positive reviews and became a box-office hit. The film won two

Nandi Awards The Nandi Awards are annual awards presented by the Government of Andhra Pradesh to recognise excellence in Telugu cinema, theatre, and television, as well as lifetime achievements in Indian cinema. The awards are named after the monolithic ...

, including Best First Film of a Director for Krishna Vamsi. It was later dubbed into Tamil as ''Idhayame Idhayame'' and remade in Hindi as '' Aashiq'' (2001).

Plot

''Gulabi'' is an action-packed love story set in the backdrop of human trafficking of young girls to Dubai. It is inspired from a real incident that came in news dailies when police arrested a few Dubai-based businessmen trying to smuggle girls from Hyderabad.

Cast

* J. D. Chakravarthy as Chandrasekhar a.k.a. Chandu *

as Pooja *

Brahmaji Brahmaji (born 25 April 1965) is an Indian who works in Telugu cinema. He is a regular actor in director Krishna Vamsi's films. Brahmaji appeared in an important role in Krishna Vamsi's debut film as a director, '' Gulabi''. He appeared in Kri ...

as Rambabu * Chandra Mohan as Lakshminarayan Murthy, Chandu's father *

Banerjee Banerjee, also known as Bandyopadhyay, is a Bengali Kulin Brahmin surname originating from the Bengal region of the Indian subcontinent. The surname belongs to the Rarhi clan of the Hindu Bengali Brahmin caste. History Notable people N ...

as Inspector Prasad *

Chalapathi Rao Tammareddy Chalapathi Rao (8 May 1944 – 24 December 2022) was an Indian actor and producer known for comedy and villainous roles in Telugu cinema. He acted in different roles in more than 600 films. Personal life and death Rao hailed from B ...

as Pooja's father * Y. Vijaya as Pooja's mother * Jeeva

Production

Development

During the production of ''

Antham ''Antham'' () is a 1992 Indian neo-noir crime film written and directed by Ram Gopal Varma. Shot simultaneously in Telugu and Hindi, it has Nagarjuna, Urmila Matondkar and Danny Denzongpa. The Telugu version was released on 11 September 1992, ...

'' (1992), actor

Nagarjuna Nāgārjuna (Sanskrit: नागार्जुन, ''Nāgārjuna''; ) was an Indian monk and Mahayana, Mahāyāna Buddhist Philosophy, philosopher of the Madhyamaka (Centrism, Middle Way) school. He is widely considered one of the most importa ...

expressed interest in collaborating with

and encouraged him to develop a compelling storyline. While searching for ideas, Vamsi came across a news article about a 14-year-old girl sold to a 70-year-old Dubai Sheikh and her eventual rescue by an air hostess. Inspired by this, he envisioned a film with a dramatic climax centered on the incident. The narrative combined action, violence, and emotional depth, aiming to align with Nagarjuna’s screen persona and to achieve an impact similar to ''Siva'' (1989), while reflecting Vamsi’s style. However, the ambitious scope of the story required a substantial budget, which posed challenges. To address these constraints, Vamsi revised the script, reworking the narrative into a smaller-scale production. The revised story retained the original climax but introduced a love story backdrop with elements of action and emotion, making it more feasible within a limited budget. After working as an assistant to

on films like ''Siva'' and ''

Gaayam ''Gaayam'' () is a 1993 Indian Telugu-language political crime thriller film, based on the 1980s Vijayawada Gang Warfare. Directed by Ram Gopal Varma, and story co-written by himself and Mani Ratnam, it stars Jagapathi Babu, Revathi, Urmila M ...

'', Krishna Vamsi was initially assigned as the director for ''

Anaganaga Oka Roju ''Anaganaga Oka Roju'' () is a 1995 Indian Telugu-language comedy thriller film produced and directed by Ram Gopal Varma. Starring J. D. Chakravarthy and Urmila in the lead roles, the film features Raghuvaran, Brahmanandam, and Kota Srinivasa ...

''. However, due to creative differences and escalating production costs, Krishna Vamsi stepped away from the project, and Ram Gopal Varma took over its direction. Subsequently, Krishna Vamsi redirected his focus to developing ''Gulabi''. When Ram Gopal Varma returned to

Hyderabad Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...

after working on ''Rangeela'' in

Bombay Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian States and union territories of India, state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial centre, financial capital and the list of cities i ...

, he expressed interest in ''Gulabi''. He agreed to produce the film under one condition: the budget must remain within ₹75

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 ...

. Varma assured Krishna Vamsi of complete creative freedom, promising not to interfere with the filmmaking process and stating that he would only watch the final film after its release. At the same time, producer

D. Suresh Babu Daggubati Suresh Babu (born 24 December 1958) is an Indian film producer, studio owner and film distributor who serves as the managing director of Suresh Productions. He is the elder brother of popular telugu actor Venkatesh and father of an ...

also showed interest in the project but requested a detailed evaluation of the script before moving forward. Ultimately, Vamsi chose to collaborate with Ram Gopal Varma, valuing the creative autonomy and support offered under his production.

Casting

The cast for ''Gulabi'' was chosen to align with the film's modest budget. J. D. Chakravarthy, a frequent collaborator of Krishna Vamsi, was cast as the male lead, despite his then-unestablished status. Krishna Vamsi originally wanted Tabu for the female lead in ''Gulabi'', but due to scheduling conflicts,

was cast instead. Vamsi appreciated Maheswari's sophistication and expressive eyes, which ultimately led to her casting. Other cast members included Jeeva, who was brought back to the industry after some gap,

in a rare soft role as the heroine’s father, and Chandra Mohan, the only senior actor in the cast.

Post-production

Krishna Vamsi collaborated with music composer

, who was relatively inexperienced at the time. Together, they worked extensively on the film's soundtrack, recording its first song, "Ye Rojaithe Choosano Ninnu," at the newly established Ramanaidu Recording Theatres. This marked the studio's first song recording since its inception. Post-production, actor Nagarjuna, impressed by Krishna Vamsi's handling of key scenes in ''Gulabi'', cast Krishna Vamsi as the director for his subsequent film ''Ninne Pelladatha'' (1996).

Music

The music was composed by

. The soundtrack contains five songs and was very popular upon its release with "Ee Velalo Neevu" becoming a classic hit.

Awards

;

(in

) * Best First Film of a Director -

* Best Audiographer - P. Madhusudhana Rao

References

External links

* {{Pasupuleti Krishna Vamsi 1995 films 1990s Telugu-language films Films directed by Krishna Vamsi Films about prostitution in India Indian romantic thriller films Films about human trafficking in India Telugu films remade in other languages 1995 directorial debut films 1990s romantic thriller films