Sirivennela

Sirivennela
Film poster
Directed byK. Viswanath
Written byK. Viswanath
Sainath Thotapalli (dialogues)
Produced byCh. Ramakrishna Reddy
N. Bhaskara Reddy
Ujjuri Chinaveerraju
StarringSuhasini
Sarvadaman Banerjee
Moon Moon Sen
CinematographyM. V. Raghu
Edited byG. G. Krishna Rao
Music byK. V. Mahadevan
Production
company
Geetha Krishna Movie Combines
Release date
  • 5 June 1986 (1986-06-05)
[1]
Running time
181 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageTelugu

Sirivennela[a] (transl. Moonlight) is a 1986 Indian Telugu-language romance film written and directed by K. Viswanath. The film stars Suhasini, Sarvadaman Banerjee and Moon Moon Sen. The music was composed by K. V. Mahadevan.

The film won five Nandi Awards.[2] It was screened at the Asia Pacific Film Festival, the International Film Festival of India, the Moscow Film Festival and the AISFM Film Festival.[3][4] Shot in Jaipur and Kerala, the film has Hariprasad Chaurasia's flute rendering and a cameo by drummer Sivamani. The film was dubbed in Tamil as Raaga Devathai.[5] Lyricist Seetharama Sastry derived his stage name Sirivennela from this film.

Plot

Hari Prasad is a visually impaired, self-taught flutist who resides with his younger sister, Samyuktha, in a scenic, tourist-oriented village near Jaipur. Despite lacking formal training in classical music, he possesses an innate ability to play melodies that captivate listeners. He earns a modest living by performing for visiting tourists. One day, Jyothirmai, a local tour guide, encounters Hari Prasad and recognizes his extraordinary raw talent. She introduces him to the nuances of nature and classical frameworks, mentoring him until he achieves national acclaim as a maestro, earning the title of Pandit Hari Prasad. Over the years, Hari Prasad develops a deep, unspoken admiration for Jyothirmai, secretly dedicating all of his musical albums to her. Concurrently, Subhashini, a mute painter, becomes deeply enamored with Hari Prasad and communicates her unrequited feelings through her artwork.

Recognizing his sister's silent devotion, Subhashini's brother approaches Hari Prasad's uncle with a formal marriage proposal. However, the proposal is halted when Hari Prasad publicly confesses his singular devotion to Jyothirmai. This revelation deeply conflicts Jyothirmai, who had previously worked as a high-class escort for wealthy tourists to survive. Overwhelmed by Hari Prasad's unconditional love and his complete disregard for societal judgments regarding her history, she nevertheless feels that her past would permanently tarnish his public reputation and spiritual purity. To protect him, she fabricates a story, claiming she is already engaged to a physician and therefore cannot accept his proposal. Prioritizing her happiness, a resilient Hari Prasad accepts her decision and takes it upon himself to personally arrange her wedding festivities.

On the day of the scheduled wedding, overwhelmed by her internal conflict and grief, Jyothirmai commits suicide. In her final letter, she requests that her eyes be legally donated to Hari Prasad upon her death. She further desires that her funeral procession be elaborately staged to resemble a joyous bridal procession, explicitly stipulating that her demise must be kept a secret from Hari Prasad so as not to ruin his perception of her happiness.

The villagers and family members comply with her final wishes, acting as though they are bidding farewell to a bride departing for her matrimonial home. Throughout the simulated celebration, Hari Prasad maintains a calm, stoic demeanor. Once the procession concludes, he walks directly to the graveyard to pay his final respects at Jyothirmai's resting place. When a shocked Samyuktha questions how he discovered the truth, Hari Prasad explains that his deep spiritual and auditory connection to Jyothirmai made it impossible to conceal her death from him. The film concludes with Hari Prasad and Subhashini standing together in the graveyard, mourning their shared loss in a poignant, silent solidarity.

Cast

Soundtrack

Sirivennela abounds in classical music composed by K. V. Mahadevan with flute renditions by the renowned flautist Hariprasad Chaurasia. All songs were written by Seetharama Sastry. After the success of the soundtrack, he became popularly known as "Sirivennela" Seetharama Sastry. The music was released through Lahari music label.[1]

Track list[1]
No.TitleSinger(s)Length
1."Vidhaatha Thalapuna"S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, P. Susheela6:53
2."Paatalo Paadalenidi"N. S. Prakash Rao, P. Susheela5:18
3."Chandamaama Raave"S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, P. Susheela, B. Vasantha4:39
4."Merise Thaaraladheroopam"S. P. Balasubrahmanyam3:37
5."Polimera Daatipothunnaa"S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, B. Vasantha1:20
6."Aadhi Bhikshuvu"S. P. Balasubrahmanyam4:11
7."Ee Gaali Ee Nela"S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, P. Susheela6:49
8."Prakruthi Kaanthaku"S. P. Balasubrahmanyam3:39
9."Chinuku Chinuku"S. P. Balasubrahmanyam1:55
10."Flute Music"Hariprasad Chaurasia4:07
Total length:42:28

Awards

Year Nominee / work Award Result
Nandi Awards 1986[2] Sirivennela Sitaramasastri
(for "Vidatha Talapuna")		 Best Lyricist Won
S. P. Balasubrahmanyam
(for "Vidatha Talapuna")		 Best Male Playback Singer Won
Moon Moon Sen Best Supporting Actress Won
Pandurangan Best Audiographer Won
M. V. Raghu Special Jury Award Won

Notes

  1. ↑ Spelt as Siri Vennela on the CBFC certificate.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Sirivennela". indiancine.ma. Archived from the original on 10 January 2022. Retrieved 13 December 2021.
  2. 1 2 "నంది అవార్డు విజేతల పరంపర (1964–2008)" [A series of Nandi Award Winners (1964–2008)] (PDF). Information & Public Relations of Andhra Pradesh. Retrieved 21 August 2020.(in Telugu)
  3. ↑ The films of K. Viswanath — AISFM Blog
  4. ↑ Krishnamoorthy, Suresh (26 January 2012). "If music is the food of love, lyrics are the soul". The Hindu. Chennai, India.
  5. ↑ "Raga Devathai". The Indian Express. 24 July 1987. p. 5.
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