Maa Daivam (transl. Our God) is a 1976 Indian Telugu-language drama film, produced by Maniyan and Vidyas Lakshman under the Udayam Productions banner and directed by S. S. Balan. The film stars N. T. Rama Rao and Jayachitra, with music composed by K. V. Mahadevan. It is a remake of the Hindi film Do Aankhen Barah Haath (1957).[1]
| Maa Daivam | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | S. S. Balan |
| Written by | D. V. Narasa Raju (dialogues) |
| Screenplay by | S. S. Balan |
| Story by | G. D. Madgulkar |
| Based on | Do Aankhen Barah Haath (1957) |
| Produced by | Maniyan Vidyas Lakshman |
| Starring | N. T. Rama Rao Jayachitra |
| Cinematography | M. C. Shekar |
| Edited by | M. Umanath |
| Music by | K. V. Mahadevan |
Production company | Udayam Productions |
Release date |
|
Running time | 144 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Telugu |
Plot
editRaju is a jail warden who decides to rehabilitate six notorious prisoners by releasing them on parole. The government approves it on an ultimatum that Raju will be arrested if even one of the prisoners escapes. He takes them to a dilapidated country farm and makes them work hard with kindly guidance as they eventually produce a great harvest. They all come across Saroja, an itinerant seller after they save her from a corrupt businessman Govinda Swamy. As Saroja is homeless, the six prisoners plead with Raju to let the girl stay with them and he agrees.
Naganna, one of the prisoners, coincidentally runs into his long-lost family, he tearfully reunites with them. But they appear homeless, and so Raju allows them also to stay with them, which angers the other prisoners who feel that Raju did not give them freedom, compelling them to try killing him in order to escape. They plan to kill Raju through one of the prisoners, Simhadri, a barber using a trick to cut his neck while shaving, but Simhadri sees Raju's magical eyes and gets hypnotised, thus compelling him to abort the idea of murder. The prisoners who are attempting to escape see a statue of Venkateswara in a temple and because they see Raju's spirit in it, they get hypnotised and eventually return.
The prisoners gradually turn into good people and become attached to Raju, who dreams of marrying Saroja, in his mother's presence. One day, Raju sends the prisoners to the market for selling vegetables cultivated by them. There, Govinda Swamy and his henchmen mix up alcohol in their tea; while they return in a drunken state, they attack Raju and Saroja. Raju is not pleased with their status and commands them to kill him if that is what they want. Hypnotism and conscience again strike the prisoners, causing them to drop their weapons. The next morning, the prisoners fall at Raju's feet and earn the forgiveness of both Raju and Saroja.
Later, Govinda Swamy orders that Raju and prisoners surrender, or else their plantation and home will be destroyed. Raju refuses, so the Govinda Swamy sends his thugs and elephants to destroy everything in sight. However, Raju and his men vigorously battle all the thugs and emerge victorious, while the local police capture the corrupt. Raju, having been praised for transforming the six prisoners into reformed people, frees the prisoners and tearfully sees them off.
Cast
edit- N. T. Rama Rao as Raju
- Jayachitra as Saroja
- Nagabhushanam as Simhadri
- Giri Babu as Govinda Swamy
- M. N. Nambiar as Bhairavudu
- Padmanabham as Sanyassi
- Prabhakar Reddy as Naganna
- Rajanala as Superintendent
- Pandari Bai as Raju's mother
- Thyagaraju as David
- Bheema Raju as Khadar
- K. V. Chalam as Gopala Swamy
- Balakrishna as Veeranna
- Chalapathi Rao as Prisoner No. 108
- Jagga Rao
Soundtrack
editThe soundtrack was composed by K. V. Mahadevan.[2][3]
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Okey Kulam Okey" | Rajasri | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam | 4:25 |
| 2. | "Challani Chirugaali" | C. Narayana Reddy | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, P. Susheela | 4:32 |
| 3. | "Maghamsam Mangalavaaram" | C. Narayana Reddy | Vani Jairam | 3:42 |
| 4. | "Edho Edho" | Aarudhra | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, P. Susheela | 3:45 |
| 5. | "Manishiloni Manasu" | Aarudhra | P. Susheela | 2:40 |
| Total length: | 19:07 | |||
References
edit- ^ Ranga Rao, VAK (23 March 2014). "V Shantsrsm [sic]: silver screen's shining focus". The Hans India. Archived from the original on 16 September 2020. Retrieved 16 September 2020.
- ^ "Maa Dhaivam (1976)-Song_Booklet". Indiancine.ma. Archived from the original on 22 February 2023. Retrieved 30 July 2021.
- ^ "Maa Daivam". Spotify. Archived from the original on 22 February 2023. Retrieved 28 December 2020.
External links
edit- Maa Daivam at IMDb