- Release Date 05 Nov 1998
- Avg. User Rating
3.75
4 votes - Rank
44
Anthapuram
- Cast Jagapathi Babu, Soundarya, Prakash Raj, Sai Kumar
- BannerAnandi Art Creations
- Editor --
- Cinematography SK Bhupathi
- Music Ilaiyaraaja
- Producer P. Kiran
- Director Krishna Vamsi
- Audio release date NA
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Anthapuram story at a glance
Anthapuram is one path breaking films in Telugu Cinema which redefined the term Faction. It became one of the stellar performances of Soundarya as an actress in a strong role and Jagapathi Babu pulled off a challenging role with tremendous ease in it. Let it be the extremely natural Rayalaseema Backdrop, the rawness or phenomenal music given by Maestro Ilaiyaaraja, Anthapuram remains to be one of the modern classics in Telugu Cinema.
Story Details:
The film begins in the peaceful backdrop of Mauritius where Bhanu (Soundarya) lives happily with her guardian (Babu Mohan). She is a bubbly girl with no serious problems at all in life. Things go smooth when her guardian gets her an alliance Shekhar(Saikumar) and they get married in quite spontaneous circumstances. Their life turns like a dream come true and they get blessed with a son as well. One day, Shekhar comes to know that his family is in trouble back in India. Bhanu gets surprised to know about this because she thinks he doesn’t have a family. But he explains her saying his family belongs to Rayalseema region of Andhra Pradesh and unable to bear the faction and violence in the family, he migrated to Mauritius. He requests Bhanu to come to India along with him to see the tense situation there.
Sekhar and Bhanu arrive in the former’s hometown where his father Narasimha (Prakash Raj) is an influential man. The house is filled with violence, revenge and anger throughout and Bhanu finds it terrifying to stay in the place. Narasimha is a ferocious man with rustic habits and doesn’t find Bhanu to be traditional enough for his son. Narasimha’s wife (Sharada) is an adorable person who takes care of Shekhar and Bhanu quite admirably. She requests them to stay back for few days as her son’s birthday is approaching and that is when Shekhar gets killed brutally by Narasimha’s rivals in the town. Bhanu is distraught with the news and tries to take her son away from this madness, but Narasimha stops her from doing so. He says it is time for Shekhar’s son to avenge his father’s death and if needed Bhanu can leave the town by leaving her son behind. An unnerved Bhanu fights over this and with the help of Narasimha’s family members, she escapes from the house. A petty thief named Dubai Pandiyan (Jagapathi Babu) helps Bhanu in getting to a train which goes to Hyderabad and sadly gives away his life in the midst of violence. Rest of the film is about whether Bhanu survives her father in law’s determination to get his grandson back.
Performances:
Soundarya is the life and soul of the film. Her portrayal as Bhanu earned many accolades and fans all over the state with and she proved that she is one of the finest performers of the age. Let it be sweetness, innocence, adoration, love, anger, aggression, pleading- Soundarya excels in every such emotion with unmistakable ease. Prakash Raj is phenomenal as the feudal family head- Narasimha. His appearance is too rustic to believe and his dialogue delivery is very natural for a local Rayalseema landlord. There were a series of films under similar backdrop which came later but nobody could come close to Prakash Raj’s portrayal in this film. Saikumar has limited screen time but his performance was crucial for the film to be elevated so much. His chemistry with Soundarya works wonders in songs and he makes best use of his dialogue delivery for the film. Jagapathi Babu delivers a classy performance as a thief who wants to migrate to Dubai. His acting when he takes the last puff of a cigarette before he dies became a defining moment in the film. Sharada does a memorable role of the mellowed wife of Narasimha and the scene where she confronts her husband in the climax is breathtaking.
Technical Aspects:
Screenplay and direction add value to the film and Krishna Vamshi excelled in both these aspects. The contrast between Mauritius and violent Rayalaseema region was brilliantly depicted in art direction as well. Bhupathi’s cinematography works wonders not only in scenes but also for songs. Music by Maestro Ilaiyaraaja is fantastic and the song Asalem Gurthukuradhu became an all time hit. S.Janaki received Nandi Award for her great rendition of Sooreedu Puvva in this film.
Cast and Crew:
Bhanu- Soundarya
Shekhar- Saikumar
Narasimha- Prakash Raj
Bhanu’s Guardian- Babu Mohan
Dubai Pandiyan- Jagapathi Babu
Art- Srinivasa Raju
Screenplay- Krishna Vamshi
Cinematography- S.K.Bhupathi
Lyrics- Sirivennela Sitaramasastry
Music- Maestro Ilaiyaraaja
Producer – P.Kiran
Story, Screenplay and Direction- Krishna Vamshi
Banner- Anandi Art Creations
Release Year- 1998
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