Hitler (1997 Film)
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''Hitler'' is a 1997 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 drama film directed by
Muthyala Subbaiah Muthyala Subbaiah (born: 15 September 1950) is an Indian film director. He has directed 50 Telugu language, Telugu films. Known for his films with heavy dose of human emotions, he is sometimes referred as ''Sentiment Subbaiah''. Personal life ...
, starring
Chiranjeevi Konidela Chiranjeevi (born Konidela Sivasankara Varaprasad; 22 August 1955) is an Indian actor, philanthropist and former politician known for his work in Telugu cinema. Known as the "Mega Star", he is widely regarded as one of the most succe ...
, Rambha, and
Rajendra Prasad Rajendra Prasad (3 December 1884 – 28 February 1963) was an Indian politician, lawyer, journalist and scholar who served as the first president of India from 1950 to 1962. He joined the Indian National Congress during the Indian independen ...
with music composed by
Koti Koti may refer to: Places * Koti, Armenia * Koti Department, Burkina Faso, and its capital Koti, Burkina Faso * Koti, Hyderabad, India * Koti, Novo Mesto, Slovenia * Koti Island, Mozambique * Koti (princely state), now part of Solan district, Hi ...
. A remake of the 1996
Malayalam Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian languages, Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (union territory), Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of ...
film of the same name, it follows the story of an overprotective brother safeguarding his five sisters from external threats. Prior to signing the film, Chiranjeevi took a year-long hiatus after two consecutive flops, seeking distinctive and meaningful roles. ''Hitler'' provided such an opportunity, and its release on 4 January 1997 marked a successful comeback for him at the box office.


Plot

The film follows Madhava Rao, also known as Madhava, a hot-tempered man who lives in a town with his five sisters—Sarada, Annapurna (Ammu), Lakshmi, Gayatri, and Saraswati. Madhava is highly protective of his sisters and fiercely punishes anyone who mistreats them, earning him the nickname "Hitler" from the local youth. His maternal uncle Aadi Seshu's children, Balachandra (Balu) and Bujji, are close to the family, and marriages between Balu and Ammu, and Madhava and Bujji, are set to take place once Sarada is married. During the search for Sarada's match, a series of misunderstandings occur when Balu, hiding from Madhava, is discovered at the house. Madhava, misunderstanding the situation, becomes enraged and cancels all marital arrangements with Balu and Bujji. Aadi Seshu's derogatory comments about the sisters escalate the conflict, leading to the severing of family ties. Despite the setback, Balu vows to marry Ammu and reconcile with Madhava. Meanwhile, Madhava's strained relationship with his father, whom he blames for his mother's death due to a remarriage orchestrated by Aadi Seshu, deepens. Aadi Seshu, fearing retribution from Madhava and his father, aligns with the Rudraraju brothers, long-time enemies of Madhava. The brothers plot to ruin Sarada's life by having her molested by her professor, Mohana Rao. When Sarada insists on marrying the professor to preserve her dignity, Madhava reluctantly agrees, unaware of the full truth. Distraught over the situation, Ammu leaves home and marries Balu, further alienating Madhava. Aadi Seshu continues to obstruct Balu and Ammu's efforts to return to the family, forcing them to move next door to Madhava. Meanwhile, Madhava’s father, now aware of the full extent of Aadi Seshu’s treachery, attempts to reconcile Bujji and Madhava, but his efforts fail comically. The Rudraraju brothers then attempt to marry Bujji to their youngest brother, Chinna, but she escapes by pretending to be pregnant. The Rudraraju brothers escalate their attacks by falsely accusing Madhava’s other sisters of prostitution. Madhava's father intervenes to protect them, but in the process, he is framed. This leads to a confrontation between Madhava, Aadi Seshu, and Balu. The Rudraraju brothers take advantage of the situation by killing Madhava’s father, who reconciles with his son before dying. To prevent Madhava from becoming a murderer, his father withholds the identity of the killers. Madhava’s half-sisters, now aware of the truth, seek reconciliation, but Madhava pushes them away, leaving them to stay with Ammu. A cold war ensues between Madhava and Balu, with Balu eventually stepping in to reunite the sisters with their brother. Meanwhile, the Rudraraju brothers, disguised as Madhava, attempt to kill Balu, but Madhava rushes to the hospital and is devastated by the rejection from his family. Madhava eventually uncovers the truth about the Rudraraju brothers' involvement and confronts them. During the battle, Aadi Seshu, gravely injured, confesses Madhava’s innocence to the family. Madhava defeats the Rudraraju brothers but chooses to distance himself from his family, feeling burdened by his responsibilities. In the end, just as Madhava is about to leave, he witnesses a man teasing his sisters, prompting him to return and protect them. The film concludes with the message that Madhava, despite his tough exterior, never abandons his family.


Cast

*
Chiranjeevi Konidela Chiranjeevi (born Konidela Sivasankara Varaprasad; 22 August 1955) is an Indian actor, philanthropist and former politician known for his work in Telugu cinema. Known as the "Mega Star", he is widely regarded as one of the most succe ...
as Madhav Rao / Hitler *
Rajendra Prasad Rajendra Prasad (3 December 1884 – 28 February 1963) was an Indian politician, lawyer, journalist and scholar who served as the first president of India from 1950 to 1962. He joined the Indian National Congress during the Indian independen ...
as Balu / Balachandra * Rambha as Bujji *
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 ...
as Madhava's father * Rami Reddy as Rudraraju *
Prakash Raj Prakash Raj (born Prakash Rai; 26 March 1965) is an Indian actor, film director, producer, television presenter, and politician. Known for his works in Telugu language, Telugu, Tamil language, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, English language, Engl ...
as Chinna * Ponnambalam as Rudraraju's brother *
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 Appala Konda *
Babu Mohan Pally Babu Mohan commonly known as Babu Mohan is an Indian actor and politician formerly from the Bharatiya Janata Party. He prominently works in Telugu films as a comedian and is a former Minister for Labour in Andhra Pradesh. He won Nandi ...
as Jabar * Sudhakar as Kantha Rao *
Ali Ali ibn Abi Talib (; ) was the fourth Rashidun caliph who ruled from until his assassination in 661, as well as the first Shia Imam. He was the cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Born to Abu Talib ibn Abd al-Muttalib an ...
in a Cameo appearance * Kitty as Aadiseshu *
Achyuth Kunapareddy Achyutha Vara Prasad, better known as Achyuth (1960 – 26 December 2002) was an Indian actor who primarily worked in Telugu Telugu cinema, films and television. He acted in over 50 films and 50 television shows. His accolades ...
as Collector * Ananth as Kantha Rao's gang *
Tirupathi Prakash Timmapuram Karanam Ravi Prakash Rao, popularly known as Tirupathi Prakash, is an Indian actor in Telugu cinema. Tirupathi Prakash started his career in the television and film industry as comedy artist and supporting artist. He has acted in m ...
as Kantha Rao's gang *
Uttej Uttej is an Indian actor and screenwriter who works in Telugu films. He won the Nandi Award for Best Male Comedian for the film ''Chandamama'' (2007). Personal life Uttej was born and brought up in Nalgonda district. He is the nephew of no ...
as Kantha Rao's gang * Narayana Rao as Prof. Mohana Rao *
Kallu Chidambaram Kolluru Chidambara Rao (10 October 1945 – 19 October 2015), known professionally as Kallu Chidambaram, was an Indian actor known for his works in Telugu cinema Telugu cinema, also known as Tollywood, is the segment of Cinema of India, I ...
as Barber *Rudra ( Ashwini) as Sarada, first Sister *
Mohini Mohini (Sanskrit: मोहिनी, ') is the Hindu goddess of enchantment. She is the only female avatar of the Hindu god Vishnu. She is portrayed as a ''femme fatale'', an enchantress, who maddens lovers and demons, sometimes leading them ...
as Ammu / Annapurna, Second Sister *Padmasri as Lakshmi, third Sister *Gayatri as Gayatri, fourth Sister *Meena Kumari as Saraswati, fifth sister * Subha as Aadiseshu's wife *Kalpana Rai as Gangamma * Y. Vijaya as Dance Teacher * Master Baladitya as Young Madhav Rao *Baby Shrestha


Production

Editor Mohan Mohammed Jinnah Abdul Khader, popularly known as Editor Mohan, is an Indian film editor, turned producer, distributor, and screenwriter known for his works in Telugu and Tamil language films. He is the owner of the production companies M. M. Mo ...
who brought the remake rights of the Malayalam film ''Hitler'' (1996) sought to remake the film in Telugu with
Mohan Babu Manchu Bhakthavatsalam Naidu, credited and also known as Mohan Babu, is an Indian actor and film producer known for his works predominantly in Telugu cinema. An alumnus of the Madras Film Institute, Mohan Babu has acted in more than 500 films ...
as the lead. He approached director E. V. V. Satyanarayana to helm the remake but Satyanarayana politely rejected the offer as he was already teaming up with Mohan Babu for '' Adirindi Alludu'' (1996) and ''
Veedevadandi Babu ''Veedevadandi Babu'' is a 1997 Indian Telugu-language comedy film written and directed by E. V. V. Satyanarayana. The film is an official remake of the Tamil film '' Ullathai Allitha'' which itself was heavily inspired by the Hindi film '' An ...
'' (1997)''.'' Subsequently, Chiranjeevi expressed interest in the project after being impressed with the script, agreeing to star in the film. Following the success of ''
Pavitra Bandham ''Pavitra Bandham'' ( ''The Holy Bond'') is a 1996 Indian Telugu-language romantic drama film co-written and directed by Muthyala Subbaiah. It stars Venkatesh and Soundarya, with music composed by M. M. Keeravani. The film was produced by C. ...
'' (1996),
Muthyala Subbaiah Muthyala Subbaiah (born: 15 September 1950) is an Indian film director. He has directed 50 Telugu language, Telugu films. Known for his films with heavy dose of human emotions, he is sometimes referred as ''Sentiment Subbaiah''. Personal life ...
was approached by Mohan to direct the Telugu version of ''Hitler''. Mohan, familiar with Subbaiah’s skill in crafting emotional narratives, believed he was the right choice for the project. Subbaiah, a longtime admirer of Chiranjeevi, suggested the actor for the lead role after watching the original. However, Mohan revealed that Chiranjeevi had already approved the project and endorsed Subbaiah as the director due to his expertise in handling sentiment-driven stories. At the time, Chiranjeevi had been on a year-long hiatus, rejecting scripts that didn't interest him. He wanted unique roles with strong stories, which ''Hitler'' offered. When he agreed to join the project, it became a hot topic in the industry. Fans congratulated Subbaiah but also sent warning letters, stressing that the film had to succeed. Despite the expectations, Subbaiah remained confident in the story's potential. He made several adjustments to the screenplay to better resonate with Telugu audiences, focusing on emotional depth and local sensibilities.
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 ...
was cast as Chiranjeevi's father, lending a unique gravitas to the role. The film balanced intense emotional moments with humour, supported by performances from
Rajendra Prasad Rajendra Prasad (3 December 1884 – 28 February 1963) was an Indian politician, lawyer, journalist and scholar who served as the first president of India from 1950 to 1962. He joined the Indian National Congress during the Indian independen ...
, Sudhakar,
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 ...
, and
Kalpana Rai Kalpana Rai (9 May 1950 – 6 February 2008) was an Indian actress from Andhra Pradesh who predominantly appeared in Telugu films. She acted in more than 430 films. She was born in Kakinada. Personal life Kalpana Rai was born in Kakinada. ...
. The film featured two
pathos Pathos appeals to the emotions and ideals of the audience and elicits feelings that already reside in them. ''Pathos'' is a term most often used in rhetoric (in which it is considered one of the three modes of persuasion, alongside ethos and ...
songs, "O Kaalamaa" and "Kanneellake Kanneellocche", which received widespread appreciation from audiences. Subbaiah personally oversaw the choreography of these songs to maintain the emotional impact.


Soundtrack

Music was composed by
Koti Koti may refer to: Places * Koti, Armenia * Koti Department, Burkina Faso, and its capital Koti, Burkina Faso * Koti, Hyderabad, India * Koti, Novo Mesto, Slovenia * Koti Island, Mozambique * Koti (princely state), now part of Solan district, Hi ...
and was released by
Lahari Music Lahari Recording Company is an Indian music company based in Bangalore Bengaluru, also known as Bangalore (List of renamed places in India#Karnataka, its official name until 1 November 2014), is the Capital city, capital and largest cit ...
Company.


Reception

''Andhra Today'' wrote, "Mega star Chiranjeevi dons a new role (after a year of hybernation) in sentimental drama as the big brother and guardian angel to five sisters. Despite many lacunae in the story and the plot, the movie has appealed to a large audience".


Box office

''Hitler'' was released on January 4, 1997, and emerged as a major commercial success. The film completed a theatrical run of over 100 days in multiple centres. To commemorate this milestone, a grand celebration was organized in
Ongole Ongole (), natively known as Ongolu, is a city in Prakasam district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is the headquarters of Prakasam district. It is known for Ongole cattle, an indigenous breed of oxen. Etymology The name 'Ongole' i ...
, a town of personal significance to Chiranjeevi, as his father had once worked there.


References


External links

* {{Muthyala Subbaiah 1990s action drama films 1990s Telugu-language films 1997 films Films directed by Muthyala Subbaiah Films scored by Koti (composer) Indian action drama films Telugu remakes of Malayalam films