''Padamati Sandhya Ragam'' (; ) is a 1987 Telugu-language

romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a sub-genre of comedy and Romance novel, romance fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount all obstacles. Ro ...

film written and directed by

Jandhyala Jandhyala Subrahmanya Sastry (14 January 1951 – 19 June 2001), known mononymously as Jandhyala, was an Indian film director, screenwriter, and playwright known for his work in Telugu cinema and Telugu theatre, theatre. Popularly referred to a ...

. The film features

Vijayashanti Moturi Vijaya Shanthi (born 24 June 1966) is an Indian actress, film producer and politician. In a film career spanning 40 years, she has acted in 187 feature films in a variety of roles in various languages predominantly in Telugu language, Te ...

as Sandhya, a young Indian woman, and

Thomas Jane Thomas Jane (born Thomas Elliott III; February 22, 1969) is an American actor. Born and raised in Maryland, Jane's film career started with the Telugu-language romantic comedy '' Padamati Sandhya Ragam'' (1987). His other early films included ...

as Chris, a

White American White Americans (sometimes also called Caucasian Americans) are Americans who identify as white people. In a more official sense, the United States Census Bureau, which collects demographic data on Americans, defines "white" as " person having ...

man, who fall in love after Sandhya's family immigrates to the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

. The film was produced by

Indian Americans Indian Americans are Americans whose ancestry originates wholly or partly from India. The terms Asian Indian and East Indian are used to avoid confusion with Native Americans in the United States, who are also referred to as "Indians" or "Am ...

Gummaluri Sastry and Meer Abdulla, who initiated the project after meeting Jandhyala and musician S. P. Balasubrahmanyam. ''Padamati Sandhya Ragam'' was conceived as an American-Indian co-production, featuring a cast and crew from both countries. The music, composed by S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, includes lyrics by Sadasiva Brahmendra,

Annamacharya Tallapaka Annamacharya () (09 May 1408 – 23 February 1503), also popularly known as Annamayya, was a Telugu musician, composer, and a Hindu saint. He is the earliest known Indian musician to compose songs called '' samkirtanas.'' His devoti ...

, and

Veturi Veturi Sundararama Murthy (29 January 1936 – 22 May 2010), known mononymously by his surname Veturi, was an Indian poet and lyricist who is known for his works in Telugu literature and cinema. Veturi is a recipient of the National Film Award, ...

. Despite its modest budget, the film was shot across various locations in the United States, with additional scenes filmed in India. Upon release, ''Padamati Sandhya Ragam'' was well received by Indian audiences and won the Filmfare Award for Best Telugu Film, as well as the

Nandi Award for Best Story Writer The Nandi Award 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 ...

for Jandhyala. The film has gained retrospective recognition for its portrayal of the Indian diaspora.

Plot

Sandhya arrives in India with her husband Chris to visit their family after her father's death. They are received coldly at the airport by his daughter Anitha, who escorts them to her father's home. As he had no sons, the family is afraid that Tom, a white American, won't be able to conduct the traditional

last rites The last rites, also known as the Commendation of the Dying, are the last prayers and ministrations given to an individual of Christian faith, when possible, shortly before death. The Commendation of the Dying is practiced in liturgical Chri ...

as the deceased's closest male relative, but he insists on taking the responsibility and cremates his father-in-law's body as the sun sets. After coming back that night, he tries to talk to Anitha but she scolds him instead, blaming him for disrupting her grandfather's peace. Sandhya intervenes by slapping her and reveals that Anitha is actually their daughter who was taken away by her grandfather when she was five years old. Sandhya then narrates what happened beforehand. 20 years earlier, Sandhya arrives with her family in the United States after her father finds a job there with the help of his younger brother Rama Rao who is already living in the US. Sandhya's father Adinarayana, a staunch traditionalist, is confused by American culture and sticks to his traditions despite Rama Rao's attempts to make him assimilate and everyone else's bemusement. They also meet Seshagiri Rao, an ice cream shop owner who is also Indian, and his son Ganapathi, a gourmand. One day, Ganapathi takes Sandhya to the supermarket but abandons her after hearing of a new ice cream shop, causing her to panic. After nearly getting run over by his car, Sandhya meets Chris. Because of the language barrier, he decides to take her to an Indian family he knows and they end up arriving at Seshagiri Rao's house, where they learn they are neighbours. Later, she meets her other neighbour Ronald, a black drummer. They both get closer to her, to Adinarayana's disapproval. As they fall in love with Sandhya, they get Ganapathi to teach them Telugu, but humorously mangle the language on their first attempts. Both of them quickly improve and end up proposing to her on the same day. After thinking about it, she comes outside the next day with a white sari, signalling her acceptance of Chris to his celebration and Ronald's frustration. Adinarayana tries to arrange her marriage with an Indian doctor named Ravi. Ravi is progressive, however, and encourages her to continue pursuing Chris. Later, Chris and Sandhya secretly meet up and he proposes they elope, to which Sandhya reluctantly agrees. Adinarayana learns about their love and tries to catch them with Ronald's help, so they run away on a motorcycle and then steal an RV when that stops working. After losing them, the couple realise they have no money and manage to satiate their hunger with some milk found in the RV's fridge. Escaping a close call with the police the next morning, they luckily find other Indians who let them stay in their house. Adinarayana consents to their marriage, but the couple gets into an argument on whose customs to follow. After Ronald spots them and tells Rama Rao, he goes to them and ends up resolving the matter by suggesting holding two ceremonies – one at a church and another at a temple. Thus, Chris and Sandhya finally get married. In the present, Sandhya gives a message on how all humans are equal, proceeded by Chris talking about his appreciation of Indian culture. They then offer Anitha the opportunity to go to America and live with them. As Chris and Sandhya leave for the airport the day after, Anitha wistfully sits in her room with the door closed. Right before they depart, she shows up, asks Chris to forgive her, and joins them on the flight.

Cast

as Sandhya (dubbed by

Saritha Saritha is an Indian actress who has acted in more than 150 films and provided voice for many actress for more than 200 films in Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada and Telugu languages. She was one of the popular and critically acclaimed lead actresses ...

) * Tom Jane as Chris ** Benjiman York as Young Chris * Sivamani as Ronald * Gummaluri Sastry as Adinarayana (dubbed by Suthi Veerabhadra Rao) * Meer Abdulla as Rama Rao (dubbed by Jandhyala) * Seshagiri Rao as Seshagiri Rao (dubbed by Potti Prasad) * Vijay as Ganapathi (dubbed by

Subhalekha Sudhakar Suravajhala Sudhakar (born 19 November 1960), known by his stage name Subhalekha Sudhakar, is an Indian actor who worked in Telugu and Tamil language films. Sudhakar's first Telugu film '' Subhalekha'' (1982) gained him wide recognition throug ...

) * Ashajyothy as Sudha (dubbed by

Dubbing Janaki Dasari Janaki, known professionally as Dubbing Janaki, is an Indian actress and voice artist. She has appeared in several films and television shows in various South Indian languages. Early life Janaki was born in Peddapuram, East Godavari ...

) * Sudheshna Reddy as Rama Rao's wife *

Suthi Velu Kurumaddali Lakshmi Narasimha Rao (7 August 1947 – 16 September 2012), better known by his stage name Suthi Velu, was an Indian actor and comedian known for his works in Telugu cinema. He has acted in more than 200 films, and won four state ...

as Natanalayam Manager * Sudha as Lakshmi * Ravi Chitturi as Ravi Additional cast: Johnson, Godman, Elizabeth, Bindu, Jyothy, Baby Rohini, Vijay Kothari, Bhushan Rao, Rama Sastry, Seetha Sastry, Mrunalini.

Production

Development

Meer Abdulla came to the United States as an international student and aspired to be a filmmaker. He met Gummuluri Sastry, an engineer already living in the US and they started working together in

theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors to present experiences of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place, often a Stage (theatre), stage. The performe ...

with Sastry directing the plays and Abdulla playing the lead role. As the leader of a Telugu association, Sastry had the opportunity to invite the crew of the Telugu films ''

Sankarabharanam Sankarabharanam may refer to: * ''Sankarabharanam'' (1980 film), an Indian Telugu-language musical drama film * ''Sankarabharanam'' (2015 film), an Indian Telugu-language crime comedy film * Sankarabharanam (raga), a rāga in Carnatic music ...

'' (1980) and '' Ananda Bhairavi'' (1983) to tour US. This ended up giving Sastry and Abdulla the chance to meet Jandhyala and S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, leading to the idea of the film being conceived and developed. After a variety of other names were suggested for the film, Balasubrahmanyam's suggestion ''Padamati Sandhya Ragam'' received approval from everyone and became the final title. Jandhyala gave to Balasubrahmanyam as a token of gratitude.

Casting

Balasubrahmanyam also proposed that Sivamani play Ronald. Finding an actor for Chris' role proved difficult. Instead of using an established actor, a long campaign involving multiple talent agents was initiated. However, the initial actor chosen dropped out under uncertain circumstances, with Abdulla claiming that he had left after getting a last-minute offer from Hollywood in 2006 but then stating that he did not know the reason in 2010.

, 17 years old at the time, was an acting student in Maryland and was persuaded by his acting coach to take up the role. He was the final choice for the role and ''Padamati Sandhya Ragam'' was his film debut. Because the production ran out of money to pay him, he was given the RV that was used to make the film.

Filming

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 ...

for the film commenced on 3 August 1986. The American portion was filmed first, with most of the scenes being shot in the residences and shops of Sastry's and Abdulla's friends and neighbours in the

Washington metropolitan area The Washington metropolitan area, also referred to as the National Capital Region, Greater Washington, or locally as the DMV (short for Washington, D.C., District of Columbia, Maryland, and Virginia), is the metropolitan area comprising Washing ...

. The other segments were shot all across the country. Filming lasted two months.

Reception and analysis

The Washington Post ''The Washington Post'', locally known as ''The'' ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'' or ''WP'', is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C., the national capital. It is the most widely circulated newspaper in the Washington m ...

'' stated the film "attracted rave reviews in India" in a 1989 article. In retrospect, it has been identified as one of a number of films made by Telugu Americans in the 1980s that explored life in the country. Jahnavi Reddy of ''

The News Minute ''The News Minute'' is an Indian digital news platform based in Bangalore, Karnataka. It was founded by Vignesh Vellore who is also the current CEO in 2014. Apart from Karnataka, it also has bureaus in the states of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, ...

'' analysed ''Padamati Sandhya Ragam'' as being a precursor to Indian films about international romance that have been released after the country's liberalisation and mass migration to the United States began.

Soundtrack

S. P. Balasubrahmanyam composed the music of the film. One song from the film, "Life is Shabby", gained renewed attention in the late 2010s due to its odd English lyrics and use of rap, which is significantly different from S. P. Balasubrahmanyam's usual style.

Awards

– 1987 –

* Filmfare Award for Best Film – Telugu – 1987 – G. Subba Rao

Notes

References

External links

* {{Filmfare Best Telugu Film 1986 films 1986 romantic comedy films Asian-American romance films Films about immigration to the United States Films directed by Jandhyala Films scored by S. P. Balasubrahmanyam Films set in St. Louis Films shot in India Films shot in New York City Films about women in the Indian diaspora Films shot in Pennsylvania Films shot in Washington, D.C. Indian films set in New York City Indian romantic comedy films Films about Indian Americans 1980s American films 1987 romantic drama films 1987 independent films 1987 films Films about interracial romance