On the railway track near Chengalpattu station a blind man was walking with the clear intention of ending his life. Noticing the youth, a passerby rushed to save him from the fast approaching local train. In his anxiety to reach him fast, he tripped and fell but recovered in time to pull the vision impaired man out from the track. This crucial scene was shot for Vinoda Productions, Chiranjeevulu on N.T. Ramarao playing the blind man Mohan and Gummadi as doctor Krishna. It was not in the script that Dr. Krishna should fall near the track and then get up to save Mohan. As he was running towards NTR, Gummdi had a reeling sensation and fell down. Fortunately, he gathered his wits, rushed towards the hero and pushed him out just seconds before the electric locomotive zoomed past the duo. Gummadi wrote in his memoirs that whenever he thinks of this scene, his spine shivers. All through this, NTR did not know what was happening. Neither did he notice the fast approaching train nor Gummadi’s fall as he was totally immersed in his portrayal of the dejected blind man.
Though Chiranjeevulu was a remake of Wadia Films’ 1948 Hindi hit Mela, for the Telugu version, the trio- producer Dronamvajhala Lakshmi Narayana (D.L.), director Vedantam Raghavaiah and dialogue and lyric writer Malladi Ramakrishna Sastry brought in many changes, adding more drama. In Mela Dilipkumar’s character was also named Mohan but he did not go blind. He and Manju (played by Nargis) were about to wed but an unforeseen incident force Manju to marry an old widower with children; akin to Vinoda’s earlier production Devadasu wherein Parvathi was compelled to marry an old widower. Perhaps to avoid comparisons, while writing the script for Chiranjeevulu ’ Vedantam and Malladi turned the old widower into a young eligible bachelor, Dr. Krishna. Peketi Sivaram who was introduced as an actor by D.L. in Shanti (1952) re-enacted the villainous scoundrel Rathnam, that Jeevan perfected in the original version.
The Story: In a village, Mohan and Sarada are childhood friends and their fathers Ramadas, a sweets vendor and Rayudu, a school teacher respectively decide to perform their marriage. Enter Rathnam, the estranged brother-in-law of Rayudu and from then on a series of incidents follow suit with Sarada marrying Dr. Krishna and Mohan going blind. Dr. Krishna saves Mohan and restores his eye sight. He suspects his wife’s fidelity but by the time he learns the truth the tragedy occurs.
Being a doctor one expected Krishna to give an antidote to the poison consumed by his wife Sarada. Instead the doctor bides his time, lifts her to the car and drives it on that cyclonic night to take her to Mohan, to the garden where Mohan and Sarada met during their childhood, thus allowing her to die in front of Mohan who also succumbs to the shock.
The audience did not mind this melodrama thanks to the deft handling of Vedantam Raghavaiah.
NTR picked up the nuances and subtleties of the character so well that nowhere does he tend to overplay his part despite the drama the role offered. For Jamuna, it was easily one of her career best performances as Sarada. She gives the entire credit to the director. “That was my first film with Vedantam Raghavaiah. It was a treat to watch him enact each and every role both male and female explaining the characters in detail. He also helped me correct my acting. In heavy scenes, I used to frown. He taught me how to act in tragic scenes without moving my eye brows,” wrote Jamuna in her autobiography. Gummadi who till then was playing old man’s characters acted his age (28 years) and came up with a neat portrayal. Popular music director of the time BNR as Ramadasu, CSR (Rayudu), Surabhi Balasaraswathi (Janaki, the heroine’s friend), Mahankali Venkaiah (Vasthad Rangaiah, Janaki’s father), Balakrishna (Rathnam’s friend Sathyam), Chayadevi (Govindamma, Sarada’s concerned step mother) and Suryakantham (Akhilandamma, Dr. Krishna’s sister), and the child actors Master Babji (as chinna Mohan), Padmasri ( chinna Rathnam) and Baby Sasikala ( chinna Sarada) performed well.
V.N. Reddy, then a renowned name in Hindi cinema cranked the camera and R. Hanumantha Rao edited the film shot at Revathy studios, Madras. Ghantasala’s tunes for ‘ Janu Tenugu Kavi ’ Malladi Ramakrishna Sastry’s soulful lyrics contributed much to the success of Chiranjeevulu . Songs such as ‘ Thellavara vache theliyaka naa saamy …’ (P. Leela) ‘ Kanupaapa karavaina kanulenduko …’, ‘ Yendaakaa… yendaaka… yendaakaa… ’(both rendered by Ghantasala and P. Leela) are popular even today.
Trivia: NTR wore contact lenses for the first time to depict a blind man. D.L. had earlier offered Jamuna Buchamma’s role in Kanyasulkam but her father Nippani Srinivasa Rao turned it down as he did not want his daughter to enact a widow’s character. After Chiranjeevulu , D.L. became close confident and advisor to Jamuna’s family. He helmed the wedding celebrations of Jamuna and Ramana Rao.
Released on August 15, 1956, Chiranjeevulu was a box office grosser.
