Interesting facts about K Viswanath's directorial film 'Sankarabharanam'

Some films are ahead of time. Director K Viswanath’s 'Sankarabharanam' is one of them. The movie completes 40 years of its release today. The K Viswanath directorial stars J.V. Somayajulu, Manju Bhargavi, and Chandra Mohan in the lead role along with Rajyalakshmi Chendu, Tulasi and Allu Ramalingaiah playing the supporting roles. It was released on February 2, 1980. Let’s take a look at some of the unknown facts related to the film.

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Sankarabharanam is very special in K Viswanath's fruitful career. The 1980 film became a milestone in Viswanath's film career. Whether it was a coincidence or a strange fate, K Viswanath left this world on the day of the release of Sankarabharanam 43 years ago. While Sankarabharanam was released on February 2, 1980, Viswanath passed away on February 2, 2023.

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Viswanath wanted to rope in Krishnam Raju or Shivaji Ganeshan for the lead role. With the intention that a popular actor would not do this role, finally, Viswanath took JV Somayajulu, the elder brother of JV Ramana Murthy, who was already an actor in Telugu films. Before becoming an actor, Somayajulu was a deputy collector.

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Sankarabharanam was jointly bankrolled by Edida Nageswara Rao and Aakasam Sriramulu under the banner of Poornodaya Movie Creations. It was made on a budget of Rs 13.50 lakhs. The shooting of the movie was completed in just 60 days. This movie was mostly shot in Raghudevapuram, Polavaram, Ramachandrapuram, Annavaram, and Somavaram in Andhra Pradesh, Thiruvanmiyur in Chennai, Belur and Halebeedu in Karnataka.

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When the film was released, the plot of the film was very much discussed. The hero is an old man. His name is Sankara Shastri. The female lead character is a Devadasi. The plot line of the film is based on classical music. Generally, it was a boring concept even for the youth back then. It tells the story of a devout and famous classical singer Sankara Shastri, who finds a fan in Tulasi, a prostitute's daughter. She wants to devote herself to his service, but her mother wants her to become a prostitute.

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Sankarabharanam created a sensation when it was released in 1980. The musical film changed the direction of Telugu cinema. Sankarabharanam’s songs changed the face of Telugu cinema. The music and lyrics of this movie are still a feast for the audience. The songs from the movie were a huge hit and are still remembered by viewers. KV Mahadevan's music continues to haunt us even today.

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Let's admit it, great dialogues play a vital role in making great movies. Not just the songs, the dialogues in Sankarabharanam are very engaging to the audience. The film is known for its memorable dialogues. The dialogues in Sankarabharanam are still thought-provoking. There are many from the film that trend into iconic dialogues and remained with movie buffs for decades.

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K Viswanath is credited with breathing life into Telugu cinema. He is a great director who made his mark in the hearts of the audience by breaking stereotypes and making different films. This is a film that displays Viswanath's directorial skills in a great way. Sankarabharanam has given a new experience to movie lovers and is still immortal in the hearts of the audience.

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This is the first Telugu film to receive the Swarna Kamalam Award. S.P. Balasubrahmanyam won the National Award for the first time as the best singer for this film. Vani Jairam and KV Mahadevan received National Awards for Best Singer and Best Music Director respectively. The National Film Archives of India has selected Sankarabharanam, an all-time classic in Telugu, as part of their program to digitize and preserve the great films of our country. In the 53rd IFFI held in Goa - in 2022, the film had been selected in the category of Restored Indian Classics.

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