''Rowdy Alludu'' () is a 1991 Indian Telugu-language

action comedy The action comedy is a film genre that applies to action films where humor plays a much more central role. While early films feature stuntwork and humor, academic Cynthia King wrote that the genre only came into its own as a mainstay of the America ...

film directed by K. Raghavendra Rao. The film was produced by

Allu Aravind Allu Aravind (born 10 January 1949) is an Indian film producer, film distributor, and businessman. He is regarded as one of the most successful producers in Cinema of South India, South Indian cinema. He is the founder of Geetha Arts, a majo ...

, Dr. K. Venkateswara Rao and Panja Prasad under the banner, which is named, Sri Sai Ram Arts. It stars

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 ...

in a

dual role A dual role (also known as a double role) refers to one actor playing two roles in a single production. Dual roles (or a larger number of roles for an actor) may be deliberately written into a script, or may instead be a choice made during produc ...

, with Sobhana and

Divya Bharti Divya Bharti (; 25 February 1974 – 5 April 1993) was an Indian actress who predominantly worked in Hindi and Telugu movies. Known for her acting, vivacity and beauty, she was among the highest-paid Indian actresses of her time. She received ...

. The film received positive reviews and was a

box office A box office or ticket office is a place where ticket (admission), tickets are sold to the public for admission to an event. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through a hole in a wall or window, or at a Wicket gate, wicket. ...

success.

Plot

Kalyan is an industrialist, whose conniving enemy Venkat Rayudu and his partners, replace him with his doppelgänger Johnny, an

Mumbai Mumbai ( ; ), also known as Bombay ( ; its official name until 1995), is the capital city of the Indian state of Maharashtra. Mumbai is the financial capital and the most populous city proper of India with an estimated population of 12 ...

-based auto driver. They manage to frame Kalyan for murder, but Johnny realizes Kalyan's innocence and saves him. The duo manages to prove Kalyan's innocence, and also defeat Venkat Rayudu and his partners.

Cast

Production

''Rowdy Alludu'' was conceived as a mass entertainer with a focus on commercial appeal. Initially,

Allu Ramalingaiah Allu Ramalingaiah (1 October 1922 – 31 July 2004) was an Indian character actor, comedian, and producer known for his works in Telugu cinema. In 1990, he was honoured with the Padma Shri for his contribution to Indian cinema. In 1998, he rec ...

raised concerns about using the word "Rowdy" as a prefix in the title, but director K. Raghavendra Rao, lead actor

, and writer Satyanand convinced him to retain the name. For the casting, Divya Bharati, a popular actress at the time, was signed for the role of Rekha, while

Shobana Shobana Chandrakumar Pillai (born 21 March 1970); known mononymously as Shobana, is an Indian actress and Bharatanatyam dancer, who works predominantly in Malayalam films, in addition to Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, English and Kannada films. She is ...

was cast as Sita. The film was notable for being one of the first Telugu films to be shot in

Switzerland Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...

. Due to budget constraints, the production team was limited in size, which required the producer,

, to take on additional roles, including serving as a costume and makeup assistant for Chiranjeevi. Shobana, meanwhile, handled her own makeup. The filming of the song "Chiluka Kshemama" was particularly challenging due to the limited crew. The actors and director improvised choreography based on the natural light and scenic locations during their three-day shoot. Key locations for the song included the

Rhine Falls The Rhine Falls ( / Swiss German: , a singular noun) is a waterfall on the High Rhine in Switzerland. It is the most powerful waterfall in Europe and a popular tourist attraction. The falls are located on the border between the cantons of S ...

, the Interlaken Casino (where

Yash Chopra Yash Raj Chopra (27 September 1932 21 October 2012) was an Indian film director and film producer who worked in Bollywood, Hindi cinema. The founding chairman of the film production and distribution company Yash Raj Films, Chopra was the reci ...

's statue now stands), and

Zurich Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...

Soundtrack

Reception

Reviewing its Tamil dubbed version ''Pokkiri Mappilai'', K. Vijiyan of ''

New Straits Times The ''New Straits Times'' is an English-language newspaper published in Malaysia. It is Malaysia's oldest newspaper still in print (though not the first), having been founded as a local offshoot of Singapore-based ''The Straits Ti ...

'' wrote that "director Raghavendra Rao has concentrated his efforts on pure entertainment with disco songs, sexy dances, beautiful actresses, lots of action and filming in the snow capped mountains of Switzerland".

Box office

''Rowdy Alludu'' was a "Blockbuster" at the box office and completed 100 days in almost every theatre it was shown.

References

External links

* {{K. Raghavendra Rao 1991 films 1990s Telugu-language films Films directed by K. Raghavendra Rao Indian romantic comedy films Films shot in Mumbai Films set in Hyderabad, India Films set in Mumbai Films shot in Hyderabad, India Films shot in Ooty Films shot in Switzerland Films scored by Bappi Lahiri Geetha Arts films 1991 romantic comedy films