I have seen over 10,000 movies in over 25 languages. This movie is in my list of top 10 comedy movies anywhere. I never tire of watching it - again and again. However, the movie will be entirely lost on someone who is not a native of Andhra Pradesh, its culture, and most importantly the language.
A genre creating, mold breaking movie with superb direction supported by excellent acting. When this movie came out, most of the actors were relative unknowns. Comedy equaled slapstick routines and overacting previously typically segued from the rest of the plot line. In Srivariki Premalekha, comedy was situational and intricately woven into the plot line. There were only a handful of movies that previously could have qualified for this. Misamma, Gundamma Katha are two that come to mind.
