A gem of a film thats worth to be in treasure forever
Indeed its a classic, and more so its a cult family film that has enhanced the quality of family films in Telugu. yet, no other film has yet surmounted or toppled this in the family film genre. even 50 years later this film continues to stand out for various reasons. the prime most being the subject in itself. and next being the cast and their performances.
NTR, ANR & SVR come together while Suryakantam, Savitri and Jamuna complement the men superbly. The fluidity with which suryakantam acts and what she depicts is one that stands out forever in Telugu films. If there is a female artist whom I miss the most then its Suryakantam. coz after her there were replicas of little magnitude but none was able to fill in the shoes of Suryakantam and I dare say even 100 years later no one shall be able to. The film itself is titled after GUNDAMMA who is played by none other than Suryakantam.
NTR and ANR were big stars by the time this film released and they owe a lot to their earlier success, and this film made them even bigger. How, they were made greater by this film is by addressing a few social issues. Be it dowry, female oppression or even making a woman realize the values of living. More so, ANR was a given a little weight-age in character over NTR.
Not to forget the side characters of Harinath, Rajanala, Ramana Reddy and a host of others. Acting wise, they have done an exceptional job. The credit to the whole film though must be given to the director Kamalakara Kameswara Rao who extracted such subtle performances from the stalwarts.
A big thanks to the producers Nagireddi and Chakrapani who had great taste in making films on varied subjects and make really good engaging films. They have made some exceptional films and this stands out as one their great projects. Also noteworthy is the cinematography by Marcus Bartley.
A 4/5 for one of the finest films made in Telugu, never got bored of it till date.
