Chinnari Papalu

Chinnari Papalu (transl. Very Young Babies) is a 1968 Indian Telugu-language drama film produced and written by Veeramachaneni Sarojini, and directed by Savitri. The film stars Jaggayya, Sowcar Janaki and Jamuna in the lead roles. It tells the story of a rich man falling in love with a tribal girl, and how the pair face challenges in life when they separate.

Chinnari Papalu
Theatrical release poster
Directed bySavitri
Produced byVeeramachaneni Sarojini
Written byVeeramachaneni Sarojini
StarringJaggayya
Sowcar Janaki
Jamuna
Music byP. Leela
CinematographySingh
Sekhar
Edited byM. S. N. Murthy
Production
company
Sri Matha Pictures
Release date
  • 21 June 1968 (1968-06-21)
CountryIndia
LanguageTelugu

Chinnari Papalu was the inaugural production of Sri Matha Pictures, and Savitri's directorial debut. Its crew consisted largely of women: director Savitri, producer-writer Sarojini, music director P. Leela, art director Mohana and dance choreographer Rajasulochana, but cinematographers Singh and Sekhar, and editor M. S. N. Murthy were exceptions.

Chinnari Papalu was released on 21 June 1968 and despite failing commercially, received critical acclaim and won the Nandi Award for Second Best Feature Film. It was remade by Savitri in Tamil as Kuzhandai Ullam (1969).

Plot

Mahesh, a wealthy man, enters a forest. Over there, he meets a tribal girl named Garika and is smitten by her. After learning of his mother's illness, he leaves the forest, but promises Garika he will marry her upon returning. But his mother fixes his marriage with a woman named Parvathi. Mahesh tells his mother about the promise he made to Garika. When he returns to the forest, he finds the entire hamlet has been washed away due to floods and is informed that Garika died. Distraught, he returns home and marries Parvathi. Unknown to Mahesh, Garika has survived and she gives birth to Mahesh's son Nagaraju. Parvathi gives birth to a daughter named Nandini. Garika comes to the city in search of Mahesh and meets Parvathi, who tells her not to disturb her family life. Garika dies the same day and Nagaraju is put in Mahesh's care, much to Parvathi's dislike. But when Nagaraju battles for his life after saving Nandini, she repents and prays for him. The gardener tells Mahesh that Nagaraju is his son.

Cast

Production

In the 1960s, women of the Telugu film industry used to meet frequently on festive occasions or simply for get-togethers. During one such meeting, director V. Madhusudhan Rao's wife Veeramachaneni Sarojini suggested they make a film with an all-women team. This suggestion was met with instant support from the other members. It was decided to approach actress Savitri to be the director. Sarojini met Savitri and revealed the idea of an all-women production. Savitri was hesitant to accept the offer of turning director, but after consulting her husband Gemini Ganesan who encouraged her to accept Sarojini's offer, she promptly did so, making her directorial debut. Shortly thereafter the production company Sri Matha Pictures was established and its inaugural production Chinnari Papalu was launched. Besides producing, Sarojini also wrote the film's story. Rajasulochana was assigned as the dance choreographer, P. Leela as the music director, and Mohana as the art director. Despite Sarojini's initial desire to make the film an all-women production, some of the crew were men: Mullapudi Venkata Ramana who wrote the dialogues alongside Sarojini, Singh and Sekhar who handled the cinematography,[1] and M. S. N. Murthy who was the editor.[2] Principal photography began on 12 October 1967 at Vauhini Studios. Thpugh Savitri was initially signed on only to direct the film, she soon found herself having to manage its financial matters.[1]

Soundtrack

Release and reception

Chinnari Papalu was released on 21 June 1968.[2] Although the film became a box-office bomb since it failed to recover even one fourth of its investment, it received critical acclaim and won the Nandi Award for Second Best Feature Film in 1968.[3] The film was later remade in Tamil as Kuzhandai Ullam (1969) with Savitri returning as director.[1][4]

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References
  1. Narasimham, M. L. (25 January 2019). "Chinnari Paapalu (1968)". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 1 March 2019. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  2. "Chinnari Papalu". indiancine.ma. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
  3. Narasimham, M. L. (25 January 2019). "When Savitri turned director". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 1 March 2019. Retrieved 8 February 2019.
  4. Jeyaraj, D.B.S. (7 July 2018). ""Nadigaiyar Thilagam" Savitri: Biographical Movie About The Rise and Fall of a "Mahanati" (Great Actress)". DBSJeyaraj.com. Archived from the original on 9 February 2019. Retrieved 1 March 2019.
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