Subhalekha is one of those very few films which talk about self-respect, individuality and importance of a human being through strong characterization and powerful dialogues. How wonderful it would be if the characters are not only a symbol of individuality but also confront the social evils which prevail in our Society? And brilliant it would be if a film is like an eye-opener for majority of people we encounter in daily life who feels that having a female child is a drawback and try to use their male children as the source of investment in the future? This film gave a pretty new dimension to the image of Hero who is totally de-glamorized and works as a Hotel Waiter. Chiranjeevi as Murthy was shown completely mellowed and at the same time as a powerful individual who believes working for oneself is the utmost way of satisfaction- no matter what work it can be! The actor Sudhakar who is in this film became so famous after this film that his name has become “Subhalekha” Sudhakar even till date! The female lead played by Sumalatha was not a glam girl but a lady with utmost quotient of dignity and looks like as if she is somebody next door!
Story Details:
The film features Murthy (Chiranjeevi) an embodiment for the term- Dignity of Labour! He works as a Hotel Waiter and studies part time and takes pride in what he does. Unlike general people who feel certain jobs are not respectable, Murthy is always cheerful in sustaining himself with his hard earned money. He is also a talented dancer and into arts- along with questioning the Social Evils prevailing in the society. Sujatha (Sumalatha) is a PG degree holder and works as tutor in Commerce. She meets Murthy in certain circumstances and finds him intriguing for his confidence. Sujatha’s parents look for an affluent match of Aadi Seshayya (Satyanarayana)’s son who looks down to a female child. He even demands dowry and additional gifts from Sujatha’s family- who belong to a middle class family. Incidentally, Murthy is also present there for work of serving food to the guests. Things take a serious turn when Sujatha questions the need for dowry and her family and the World turns against her. Murthy comes to her rescue and requests her to stay with him without any hesitation. Sujatha’s sister Lakshmi(Tulasi) is a modern girl who loves Aadi Seshayya’s younger son Murali (Sudhakar) meanwhile. Rest of the story is about whether Aadi Seshayya realizes about Social Evils and what happens to the bonding between Murthy and Sujatha.
Performances:
Chiranjeevi is excellent as the hotel waiter throughout the film with aggressive shades in his character as well. He is fantastic in performing various forms of classical dance in one song. His dialogue delivery, appearance, and histrionics add so much value to the character he played. Sumalatha is mesmerizing as Sujatha- an educated lady who questions the Dowry system on behalf of many unmarried women in India. Her chemistry with Chiranjeevi is such a delight to watch. Satyanarayana is highly believable as the arrogant rich man Aadi Seshayya- a representation of many prejudices people have on women. Sudhakar is excellent as the rebellious son of Aadi Seshayya and Tulasi was appropriate pairing for him. Allu Ramalingaiah, J.V.R.Ramana Murthy, Raallapalli,Sakshi Ranga Rao and Nirmala played some important roles in the film.
Technical Aspects:
The story and screenplay was done by K.Vishwanath himself and it acts like a main foundation for a film like this- which deals with serious topics. Gollapudi Maruthi rao’s dialogues are phenomenal especially n the scene where Sujatha questions the Dowry system in India. Cinematography by Lok Singh is another asset and Music by K.V.Mahadevan suits the mood of the film. Lyrics by Veturi shines perfectly and directorial brilliance of K.Vishwanath is once again proved with this classic. The song “Ragala Pallaki Lo” and the dialogue by Chiranjeevi “Naa Udyogam Poyindhi Andi” became unforgettable to every Telugu person.