| Adavi Ramudu | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | K. Raghavendra Rao |
| Written by | Story: Satya Chitra Unit Screenplay: K. Raghavendra Rao Dialogues: Jandhyala |
| Produced by | Satyanarayana Suryanarayana |
| Starring | N. T. Rama Rao Jayaprada Jayasudha |
| Cinematography | A. Vincent |
| Edited by | Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao Kotagiri Gopala Rao |
| Music by | K. V. Mahadevan |
Production company | Satya Chitra |
Release date |
|
Running time | 143 mins |
| Country | India |
| Language | Telugu |
Adavi Ramudu (transl. Forest Ramu) is a 1977 IndianTelugu-languageaction film directed byK. Raghavendra Rao, who also wrote the screenplay. The film starsN. T. Rama Rao,Jayaprada andJayasudha, with supporting roles played byNagabhushanam,Satyanarayana,Gummadi andJaggayya.[1] The film was edited byKotagiri Venkateswara Rao, with music composed byK. V. Mahadevan and cinematography byA. Vincent.[1]
Released on 28 April 1977,Adavi Ramudu received positive reviews and became anIndustryHit, running for 366 days in theatres. It won theFilmfare Award for Best Film – Telugu and re-established N. T. Rama Rao as a leading star in Telugu cinema.[2] The film was a major breakthrough for director K. Raghavendra Rao, helping him gain prominence in the industry. It was the highest-grossing Telugu film of the 1970s until the record was surpassed byPremabhisekham in 1981.[3]
Dharma Raju and his son Nagaraju run a smuggling and illegal transport racket of forest produce. Ramu opposes Raju and raises awareness among the villagers to fight against him. Padma, the daughter of the local forest officer, loves Ramu. One tribal lady Chilakamma also loves Ramu as a brother. Dharma Raju takes the help of one Jaggu to send Ramu away from the forest. The second half of the film reveals that Ramu is, in fact, a forest officer in a secret mission to investigate the case of forest affairs. The story finally leads to the arrest of all criminals.
| Adavi Ramudu | |
|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by | |
| Released | 1977 |
| Genre | Filmi |
| Length | 27:24 |
| Producer | K. V. Mahadevan |
The music was composed byK. V. Mahadevan. Lyrics were written byVeturi.[4] The song "Aaresukoboyi" was recreated for the 2004 Telugu film also titledAdavi Ramudu.[5]
| S. No | Song title | Singers | length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Krushi Vunte Manushulu Rushulautaru" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam | 6:07 |
| 2 | "Ammathodu Abbathodu" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam,P. Susheela,S. Janaki | 4:20 |
| 3 | "Aaresukoboyi Paaresukunnanu" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, P. Susheela | 4:17 |
| 4 | "Ennallakennaallaku Ennellu" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, P. Susheela, S. Janaki | 4:36 |
| 5 | "Kuku Kuku Kokilamma" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, P. Susheela | 4:38 |
| 6 | "Choodara Choodara" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, P. Susheela, S. Janaki | 3:29 |
The success ofRajkumar'sGandhada Gudi (1972), which had a forest backdrop, inspiredN. T. Rama Rao to pursue a similar theme for his next project.[1][2] After the failure ofPrema Bandham (1976), producers Nekkanti Veera Venkata Satyanarayana and Arumilli Suryanarayana of Satya Chitra banner approached Rama Rao to collaborate onAdavi Ramudu. They choseK. Raghavendra Rao, who had just started his directorial career and was familiar to Rama Rao from assistingKamalakara Kameswara Rao onPandava Vanavasam (1965). Rama Rao agreed to the project, andJandhyala was brought in to write the script and dialogues.[1]
Jayasudha, who had worked with Raghavendra Rao onRaja (1976), was cast in a significant role, whileJayaprada, a rising star following the success ofSiri Siri Muvva (1976), was chosen as the heroine. Sridhar was selected for another important role opposite Jayasudha. Jayasudha was unaware of playing a secondary role until the last minute, but since she had already agreed to do the film, she just went ahead keeping faith in Raghavendra Rao. Despite receiving positive feedback for her performance, she received letters from fans advising her to avoid second-lead roles in future films.[1]
Although Rama Rao had committed toAdavi Ramudu, he was also filmingDaana Veera Soora Karna (1977) simultaneously and assured the producers that he would provide bulk dates after completing the latter project. The team proceeded with filming, confident in their cast and crew.[1]
The majority of the film was shot in the denseMadumalai forest, except for the opening scene, which was filmed in aMadras studio on 9 January 1977.Adavi Ramudu was the first film for which Rama Rao had given dates for more than a month (35 days) outside Madras. It also marked Rama Rao's first colour film shot inCinemascope, using a special lens imported fromJapan. CinematographerA. Vincent, who had previously worked with Rama Rao onSontha Vooru (1956), returned to collaborate on this film after a long break.[6]
Due to the remote location, the production team faced logistical challenges. With only three government guesthouses available, they built new accommodations for the 300-member cast and crew, working for 50 days to set up temporary facilities. Supplies had to be transported daily fromMysore, 250 km away.[6]
Jayasudha recalled two accidents during filming. In one instance, both she and Jayaprada were thrown from elephants during a scene when the animals were startled by noise from junior artists. They escaped with minor injuries. In another incident, during a chase sequence, a horse cart axle broke, resulting in injuries for both actresses, requiring them to rest for a few days.[6]
The film was released on 28 April 1977 to positive reviews.[7]
Adavi Ramudu was a significant box office success, setting multiple records upon its release. It became the first film to collect more than ₹80lakh in its first 50 days and the first to reach ₹1crore within 67 days (10 weeks).[8]
The film completed a 100-day run in 32 centers, a 175-day run in 16 centers, and a 200-day run in 8 centers. It ran for 302 days at Apsara Theatre in Vijayawada and achieved a full-year (365-day) run in four centers, including Hyderabad, Vizag, Tirupati, and Vijayawada.[3]Adavi Ramudu was the first Indian film to run for a full year in four centres within a single state, breaking the previous record held bySholay (1975), which ran for a year in three centers in Maharashtra.[8]
As of 2008, it still held the record for the longest run inSecunderabad, with 161 days of continuous screenings.[7]
The film re-brought N. T. Rama Rao into the league of top heroes of the Telugu Film Industry. The success of the film made K. Raghavendra Rao an established director in Telugu Cinema. The title of the film was used for a2004 film.
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