''Swargaseema'' is a 1945

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 In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. The drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular ...

produced and directed by B. N. Reddi and starring

V. Nagayya Vuppaladadiyam Nagayya Sarma (28 March 1904 – 30 December 1973), popularly known as Chittoor Nagayya, was an Indian actor, singer, music composer, and director known for his works in Telugu cinema, Tamil cinema, and Telugu theatre. Nagayya wa ...

, B. Jayamma and

Bhanumathi Bhānumati or Bhanumathi is an Indian name. It may refer to: * Bhanumati (Yadava princess), a Yadava princess in the scripture, Harivamsha * Bhanumati (wife of Duryodhana), wife of Duryodhana, the antagonist of the Indian epic Mahabharata * P. Bh ...

. The film marked the debut of Ghantasala as a

playback singer A playback singer, as they are usually known in South Asian cinema, or ghost singer in Western cinema, is a singer whose performance is pre-recorded for use in films. Playback singers record songs for soundtracks, and the performers lip-sync the ...

and

Marcus Bartley Marcus Bartley (22 April 1917 14 March 1993) was an Anglo-Indian cinematographer known for his works predominantly in Telugu cinema along with a few Hindi, Malayalam, and Tamil films. He was the cinematographer of all time classics like '' Shav ...

as a cinematographer. Released on June 6, 1945, ''Swargaseema'' celebrated a successful run of 200 days in theatres across Telugu-speaking regions as well as in present-day Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka. Bhanumathi's role marked a significant comeback in her career following a hiatus from acting after her marriage. ''Swargaseema'' was among the first Telugu films to be screened at an international film festival, held in

Vietnam Vietnam, officially the Socialist Republic of Vietnam (SRV), is a country at the eastern edge of mainland Southeast Asia, with an area of about and a population of over 100 million, making it the world's List of countries and depende ...

Plot

Murthy (Nagayya) is a publisher happily married to Kalyani (Jayamma) and the father of their children. After watching a street play in his village, he notices the talented Subbalakshmi (Bhanumathi) and advises her father to take her to

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 ...

to pursue a career 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 ...

. Subbalakshmi travels to Madras, where she is offered a lead role and adopts the name Sujatha. Murthy becomes infatuated with Sujatha, leading him to neglect his family. Meanwhile, Kalyani struggles to support their children through small tailoring jobs. Ultimately, Murthy realizes his mistake and returns to his family.

Cast

Cast according to the film titles: *

as Murthy * Jayamma as Kalyani *

as Sujatha * C. H. Narayana Rao as Narin * Lingamurthy as Ganganna * Siva Rao as Sreenivas * Subba Rao, D. K. Seetapathi, Kangaswamy, Doraswamy, Nageswara Rao

Production

Development

''Swargaseema'', produced and directed by B. N. Reddi, was inspired by the American film ''Blood and Sand'' (1941), directed by

Rouben Mamoulian Rouben Zachary Mamoulian (October 8, 1897 – December 4, 1987) was an Armenian-American film and theater director. Mamoulian's oeuvre includes sixteen films (four of which are Musical film, musicals) and seventeen Broadway theatre, Broadw ...

Chakrapani Chakrapani may refer to: * Chakrapani, a name of the Hindu deity Vishnu, the chakra hand d(pani) People with the surname * Aluri Chakrapani Aluru Venkata Subbarao (5 August 1908 – 24 September 1975), popularly known by his pen name Chak ...

adapted the story for the Telugu audience, with the character of the street dancer being inspired by

Rita Hayworth Rita Hayworth (born Margarita Carmen Cansino; October 17, 1918May 14, 1987) was an American actress, dancer, and Pin-up model, pin-up girl. She achieved fame in the 1940s as one of the top stars of the Classical Hollywood cinema, Golden Age of ...

's role in the original film.

Cast and crew

, who had made her film debut at 14 and gained fame as a singer-actress, retired from acting by the age of 18 to focus on her marriage to P. S. Ramakrishna Rao. In 1944, she was persuaded by B. N. Reddi to return to acting for ''Swargaseema'', drawing inspiration from Hayworth's performance in ''Blood and Sand''. The film also marked the debut of Ghantasala as a

and

as a

cinematographer The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the recording of a film, television production, music video or other live-action piece. The cinematographer is the chief of the camera ...

Music

The music for ''Swargaseema'' was composed by

(also the male lead) and

Ogirala Ramachandra Rao Ogirala Ramachandra Rao () (1905–1957) was an Indian actor, music director and multi instrumentalist, predominant in Telugu cinema. Early life and career Ogirala was born on 10 September 1905 at Vijayawada, Andhra Pradesh to Ogirala Janardha ...

, with lyrics penned by Samudrala Raghavacharya and Balantrapu Rajanikantha Rao, who worked under the pseudonym Nalinikath. Bhanumathi contributed to the film’s iconic song "Oho ho paavuramaa" by recalling the Spanish tune "Varde Luna" from ''Blood and Sand'' and humming it to inspire the music composition. The song was praised for its melodious tune and became a significant highlight of the film.

Reception

Released on June 6, 1945, ''Swargaseema'' celebrated a successful run of 200 days in theatres across Telugu-speaking regions as well as in present-day Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Karnataka. The film’s song sequence "Oho ho Paavuramaa," shot with exceptional panache by cinematographer

, was particularly acclaimed. It was noted for its visual appeal, leading actor

Sivaji Ganesan Villupuram. Chinnaiya Manrayar Ganesamoorthy (1 October 1928 – 21 July 2001), better known by his stage name Sivaji Ganesan, was an Indian actor and film producer. He was mainly active in Tamil cinema during the latter half of the 20th centur ...

to watch the film multiple times just to see Bhanumathi's performance. The film’s success marked a significant comeback for Bhanumathi and solidified her legendary status in Indian cinema.

References

{{Reflist

External links

Swargaseema at IMDb.

Swargaseema
on Indiancine.ma
Swargaseema
on YouTube

at Idlebrain 1945 films 1940s Telugu-language films Indian drama films 1945 drama films Indian black-and-white films Films directed by B. N. Reddy Films scored by Ogirala Ramachandra Rao Films scored by Balantrapu Rajanikanta Rao Films scored by V. Nagayya