''Viswa Mohini'' () is a 1940

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

romantic thriller A romantic thriller is a narrative that combines elements of both the romance and thriller genres. The goal of romantic thrillers is to entertain audiences by evoking discomfort through moments of suspense along with heightened feelings of anxi ...

film in the backdrop of Indian

motion picture A film, also known as a movie or motion picture, is a work of visual art that simulates experiences and otherwise communicates ideas, stories, perceptions, emotions, or atmosphere through the use of moving images that are generally, since ...

world, directed by Y. V. Rao. The

ensemble cast In a dramatic production, an ensemble cast is one that comprises many principal actors and performers who are typically assigned roughly equal amounts of screen time.Random House: ensemble acting Linked 2013-07-17 Structure In contrast to the po ...

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 ...

was written by Balijepalli Lakshmikanta Kavi, and was screened at the

Venice Film Festival The Venice Film Festival or Venice International Film Festival (, "International Exhibition of Cinematographic Art of the Venice Biennale") is an annual film festival held in Venice, Italy. It is the world's oldest film festival and one of the ...

. The production design was handled by T. V. S. Sarma, and cinematography was handled by Pandurang Naik. It is the first Indian film to be made about the movie world. The film released in 1940, and turned out to be a mediocre success.

Plot

Mohan Rao, who works for a law firm 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 ...

, cheats his Manager Padmanabham, and becomes the owner of the company through illegal means. Mohan Rao is the son of Padmanabham's business rival Purushothama Rao. He plans his son Mohan Rao's marriage with Hemalatha, the daughter of a wealthy widow Visalakshi who happens to be Puroshothama Rao's neighbour. But Mohan Rao is not interested in this alliance. Pasupathi, a renowned filmmaker and friend of Mohan Rao, lures him to popular actress Viswamohini on the sets of a film shooting. Viswamohini is the daughter of the same Padmanabham whom Mohan Rao cheated. Mohan Rao develops a secret affair with Viswamohini, and expresses his wish to marry her. Padmanabham, is unaware of the fact that Mohan Rao is the son of his arch rival Purushotham. Meanwhile, Pasupathi lures the wealthy Visalakshi into film production and distribution. Visalakshi loses all her wealth in the process. In a twist of fate, Padmanabham is shocked to know through Hemalatha that Mohan Rao is the son of his Purushotham. How Padmanabham deals with the situation, and how he becomes aware of Mohan Rao's criminal deeds, and Pasupathi's ulterior motive forms the rest of the plot.

Cast

* Y. V. Rao *

Pushpavalli Kandala Venkata Pushpavalli Tayaramma (3 January 1926 – 28 April 1991), known mononymously as Pushpavalli, was an Indian actress who predominantly worked in Telugu and Tamil films. She entered the film industry as a child actress with a sma ...

Gohar Mamajiwala Gohar Khayyam Mamajiwala (19 November 1910 – 28 September 1985), also known as Miss Gohar, was an Indian singer, actress, producer and studio co-owner of Ranjit Studios. Early life Gohar was born on 19 November 1910 into a Dawoodi Bohra famil ...

*Lalitha *Bezawada Rajarathnam *T. Suryanarayana *Doraiswamy *Cocanada Rajarathnam *P. Ganga Rathnam *Rangaswamy *Sampurna

Soundtrack

The lyrics for the soundtrack were written by Balijepalli Lakshmikantha Kavi, the songs were choreographed by Srinivasa Kulakarni. *"Melavimpagade Cheliya Veena" *"Bhale Face Beautiful Nee Pose" *"Yee Poo Podarinta"

Release and reception

The film had an unprecedented release in 1940 at 11 centers in

Madras Presidency The Madras Presidency or Madras Province, officially called the Presidency of Fort St. George until 1937, was an administrative subdivision (province) of British India and later the Dominion of India. At its greatest extent, the presidency i ...

, and turned out to be a mediocre success.

References

{{Reflist 1940 films 1940s romantic thriller films 1940s Telugu-language films Films about actors Films about entertainers Films about mass media people Films about mass media owners Films scored by Ogirala Ramachandra Rao Films about modeling Films about filmmaking Indian black-and-white films Films about film directors and producers Films about journalists Indian romantic thriller films Films about screenwriters Indian films based on actual events Films directed by Y. V. Rao