''Sudigundalu'' () is a 1968 Indian
Telugu-language
philosophical film, produced by Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Adurthi Subba Rao under the Chakravarthy Chitra banner and directed by
Adurthi Subba Rao
Adurthi Subba Rao (16 December 1912 – 1 October 1975) was an Indian film director, screenwriter, producer, and editor, primarily recognized for his contributions to Telugu cinema, with a few works in Hindi and Tamil cinema. In an era dominate ...
. It stars
Akkineni Nageswara Rao, and has music composed by
K. V. Mahadevan. It was released on 28 June 1968. The film won the
National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Telugu,
The
Nandi Award for Best Feature Film
This is the list of winners of the Nandi Award for Best Feature Films since 1964.
Best Feature Film - Gold
Second Best Feature Film - Silver
Third Best Feature Film - Bronze
References
See also
* Cinema of Andhra Pradesh
{{DEFAULTSORT:Na ...
, and the
Filmfare Award for Best Film – Telugu.
It marked the debut of Nageswara Rao's son
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 ...
as child artist in a cameo. The cult classic film was screened at the Tashkent Film Festival, and the
International Film Festival of India
The International Film Festival of India (IFFI), founded in 1952, is an annual film festival currently held in Goa, on the western coast of India. The festival aims at providing a common platform for the cinemas of the world to project the excel ...
.
Plot
Justice Chandra Shekaram is a noble & generous judge who shelters the families afflicted by his judgment. They mold into a conjugal family and rear Chandra Shekaram's motherless infant, Raja, under a shower of affection. Years later, Raja is a lovely, intelligent boy whom everyone adores. On his birthday, Raja attends the school but shockingly does not return, which panics everyone who makes the severe quest. The following day, as a flabbergasted, the police find his dead body. The incident generates mayhem in the society. After a profound inquiry, the police unearth two youngster minors, Vikram Kumar & Sandhya Rani, the progeny of influential figures in high society, as homicides who killed Raja.
Vikram is the son of Panakala Rao, a politician who campaigns for the welfare of the poor, while Sandhya is the daughter of a millionaire Koteswara Rao. Vikram and Sandhya are in a relationship. Vikram has a stepmother Pankajam who is around the same age as him, and they do not get along.
In court, when the judgment is about to be given for the case, Chandra Sekharam appears and volunteers to argue in defense of the culprits, which shocks everyone. By doing so, he unearths the true motive and declares that they have done these acts in sheer madness. Vikram and Sandhya once attended a school play in which Raja and Sandhya's younger brother participated and her brother was jealous of Raja who earned the prize. Vikram, in an effort to appease Sandhya and her brother, said that he will kill Raja. Vikram stole crime novels that Pankajam reads, read them himself, and then planned to commit the murder the same way by taking Raja to a swimming pool and drowning him. Vikram reveals in court that he killed Raja for fun and felt the tendency to kill others due to mixed feelings and mental instability, including Pankajam.
After cross-examining Panakala Rao, Koteswara Rao, and their respective wives, Chandra Sekharam brings out the fact that the youngsters have grown up to become irresponsible and choose the wrong path due to their upbringing. Vikram's parents never cared enough to teach their son about morality while Sandhya's parents take advantage of their wealth power and allow her to get used to vices though she is still a minor.
At last, Chandra Shekaram affirms that parents should play a key role in raising their heirs as eligible citizens with morality; his words reform culpable & ashamed parents after soul-searching, and the jury changes its edict. After fighting the case in vain, the movie ends tragically, with Chandra Shekaram breathing his last in the court hall.
Cast
Background
Adurthi Subba Rao
Adurthi Subba Rao (16 December 1912 – 1 October 1975) was an Indian film director, screenwriter, producer, and editor, primarily recognized for his contributions to Telugu cinema, with a few works in Hindi and Tamil cinema. In an era dominate ...
, who has directed many commercially successful films, made this film with the intention of making artistic and informative films. He also shared the production duties of the film with actor Nageswara Rao.
The 1959 American movie
Compulsion (1959 film) is the inspiration for the script of the movie. American convicted criminals,
Leopold and Loeb and their trial form the plot of the film Compulsion.
Soundtrack
Music composed by
K. V. Mahadevan. The music released on Audio Company.
Awards
;
National Film Awards
The National Film Awards are awards for artistic and technical merit given for "Excellence within the Cinema of India, Indian film industry". Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India ...
*
National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Telugu
;
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 ...
[(in Telugu)]
*
Nandi Award for Best Feature Film - Gold -
Adurthi Subba Rao
Adurthi Subba Rao (16 December 1912 – 1 October 1975) was an Indian film director, screenwriter, producer, and editor, primarily recognized for his contributions to Telugu cinema, with a few works in Hindi and Tamil cinema. In an era dominate ...
and
Akkineni Nageswara Rao
;
Filmfare Awards South
The Filmfare Awards South are annual awards that honour artistic and technical excellence in the Telugu cinema, Tamil cinema, Malayalam cinema and Kannada cinema. They are presented by ''Filmfare'' magazine of The Times Group. When it was intr ...
*
Filmfare Award for Best Film – Telugu
References
{{Filmfare Best Telugu Film
1960s crime thriller films
1968 drama films
1968 films
Best Telugu Feature Film National Film Award winners
Films about adultery in India
Films about corruption in India
Films about social issues in India
Films directed by Adurthi Subba Rao
Films scored by K. V. Mahadevan
Indian black-and-white films
Indian courtroom films
Indian crime thriller films
Indian drama films
Indian legal films
1960s Telugu-language films
1960s Indian films