''Sri Rama Paduka Pattabhishekam'' () is a

1932 Events January * January 4 – The British authorities in India arrest and intern Mahatma Gandhi and Vallabhbhai Patel. * January 9 – Sakuradamon Incident (1932), Sakuradamon Incident: Korean nationalist Lee Bong-chang fails in his effort ...

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 Hindu mythological drama film directed by

Sarvottam Badami Sarvottam Badami (1910–2005) was an Indian film director of Hindi, Telugu language, Telugu, and Tamil language, Tamil films. He started his career as a sound recordist for the first talkie in India, ''Alam Ara'' (1931). In 1948 he helped set ...

. It is notable for being the second Telugu talkie film. The film stars renowned stage actor

Yadavalli Suryanarayana Yadavalli Suryanarayana (1888–1939) was an Indian actor and thespian known for his works in Telugu cinema and Telugu theatre. He made his transition from theater to cinema in 1932. He contributed to the Telugu theatre for over three decades. E ...

Lord Rama Rama (; , , ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the seventh and one of the most popular avatars of Vishnu. In Rama-centric Hindu traditions, he is considered the Supreme Being. Also considered as the ideal man (''maryāda'' ...

, alongside C. S. R. Anjaneyulu and

Surabhi Kamalabai Surabhi Kamalabai (1913–1977) was an Indian actress who worked in Telugu theatre and Telugu cinema. She has the distinction of being the first Telugu actress in a Sound film, talkie film with ''Bhakta Prahlada (1932 film), Bhakta Prahlada'' (1 ...

. The film is based on an episode from the ''

Ramayana The ''Ramayana'' (; ), also known as ''Valmiki Ramayana'', as traditionally attributed to Valmiki, is a smriti text (also described as a Sanskrit literature, Sanskrit Indian epic poetry, epic) from ancient India, one of the two important epics ...

'', depicting Lord Rama's fourteen-year exile in the forest and Bharata's symbolic coronation of Rama's

paduka ''Paduka'' () is an ancient form of footwear in India, consisting of a sole with a post and knob which is positioned between the big and second toe. It has been historically worn in South Asia and Southeast Asia. ''Paduka'' exist in a variety o ...

s (footwear) on the throne, symbolizing Rama's rule in his absence. It holds significance as the first Telugu film based on the ''Ramayana'', with Yadavalli Suryanarayana as the first actor to portray Rama and Surabhi Kamalabai as the first actress to play

Sita Sita (; ), also known as Siya, Jānaki and Maithili, is a Hindu goddess and the female protagonist of the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. Sita is the consort of Rama, the avatar of god Vishnu, and is regarded as an avatar of goddess Lakshmi. She is t ...

in Telugu cinema.

Plot

with

and Lakshmana leave the palace at

Ayodhya Ayodhya () is a city situated on the banks of the Sarayu river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ayodhya district as well as the Ayodhya division of Uttar Pradesh, India. Ayodhya became th ...

as directed by their father

Dasaratha Dasharatha (, IAST: Daśaratha; born Nemi) was the king of Kosala, with its capital at Ayodhya, in the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. Dasharatha married Kausalya, Sumitra and Kaikeyi. He was the father of Rama, the protagonist of the epic Ramayana, ...

Kaikeyi Kaikeyi,(Sanskrit: कैकेयी, IAST: Kaikeyī) is a princess of Kekeya and the queen of Kosala in the Hindu epic ''Ramayana''. Kaikeyi is the third queen and favourite consort of King Dasharatha, who ruled Kosala from its capital, A ...

, Bharata's mother and Dasaratha's second wife has asked that as a boon of her husband in order to place Bharata, Rama’s step-brother on the throne. Bharata refuses to sit on the throne and goes to the forest to get Rama back. Rama reminds Bharata of his duty and declines to go back as he intends fulfilling his fourteen years of banishment in the forest. Bharata then insists on taking Rama’s

s (slippers) and returns to Ayodhya. He places Rama's Padukas on the throne, suggesting the rightful king and waits for Rama’s eventual return.

Cast

as Rama * C. S. R. Anjaneyulu *

as Seetha

Production

, a filmmaker from

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 city of the southern States and union territories of India, Indian state of Kar ...

, directed ''Sri Rama Paduka Pattabhishekam'' under contract with

Sagar Movietone Sagar Movietone also Sagar Films, Sagar Film Company and Sagar Productions was an Indian film production company involved in the making of films for Indian cinema. It was launched by Ardeshir Irani with Chimanlal Desai and Dr. Ambalal Patel in 1 ...

, marking the second Telugu

talkie A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades passed befo ...

. The film featured

in the role of

, while

made her acting debut as

, becoming the first actress to portray the role 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 the Telugu language, widely spoken in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Based in Film N ...

Release

''Sri Rama Paduka Pattabhishekam'' premiered on 24 December 1932 at the Kinema Theatre in

Madras Chennai, also known as Madras ( its official name until 1996), is the capital and largest city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost state of India. It is located on the Coromandel Coast of the Bay of Bengal. According to the 2011 Indian ce ...

. The film was later released in

Vijayawada Vijayawada ( ), formerly known by its colonial name Bezawada, is the second largest city and a major commercial hub in the Andhra Pradesh state of India. The city forms an integral part of the Andhra Pradesh Capital Region and is situated on th ...

(then Bezwada) at the Durga Kala Mandir during the

Sankranti Sankranti () refers to the transmigration of the sun from one zodiac to another in Indian astronomy. In ''Saurmana'' ''varsha'' (Hindu Solar year), there are twelve Sankrantis corresponding with twelve months of a year. The Sankrantis can be broa ...

festival in 1933. Due to the limited availability of cinemas at the time, films were often shown by transporting projectors from one village to another, which resulted in only three prints being produced for ''Sri Rama Paduka Pattabhishekam''. A newspaper advertisement for the film's screening at Durga Kala Mandir declared, "A Telugu person’s life is incomplete without watching this film." The advertisement also noted the film's success in Madras, stating that after a week of screenings, the producers in Bangalore requested an extended run through a telegram. The film's success in Madras and Vijayawada was heavily promoted. The success of ''Sri Rama Paduka Pattabhishekam'' helped establish Sarvottam Badami as a prominent director. Following this, he directed ''Galava Rishi'' (Tamil) and '' Sakunthala'' (Telugu) for Sagar Movietone, further enhancing his reputation in the South Indian film industry.

Remakes

The film was remade twice, once in 1945 as '' Paduka Pattabhishekam'' directed by

Kadaru Nagabhushanam Kadaru Nagabhushanam or K. B. Nagabhushanam (1902 – 18 October 1976) was an Indian film director and producer in the 1940s to 1960s, working in Telugu and Tamil cinema. He was the husband of P. Kannamba. They established Rajarajeshwari F ...

, with C. S. R. Anjaneyulu playing the role of Rama this time. The 1965 ''Paduka Pattabhishekam'' was directed by Vasanta Kumara Reddy.

References

External links

* {{Sarvottam Badami 1932 films Indian black-and-white films Films based on the Ramayana Hindu mythological films Indian drama films 1932 drama films Films directed by Sarvottam Badami 1930s Telugu-language films