Lava Kusa

<p>The film is based on the , the later part of the attributed to . It follows the lives of and , the sons of and . The story begins with the (coronation) of Rama and the brief period of Rama Rajyam. However, after hearing accusations from a washerman about Sita’s chastity, Rama sends her into exile. In the forest, Sita gives birth to Lava and Kusa. As they grow up, the twins eventually visit . The story also covers the performed by Rama and the resulting conflict between him and his sons, which culminates in the of Lava and Kusa. The film concludes with Rama ending his avatar and returning to the divine. Producer A. Sankara Reddy aimed to make a film based on the Hindu epic , with and playing the roles of and . This inspiration came after watching them perform as Rama and Sita in the song “Murisenu Lokamu” from his earlier film (1956). Sankara Reddy approached director , who had plans to remake his 1934 Telugu film , to direct the film under his production banner, Lalitha Sivajyothi Films. The remake, also titled , became the first full-length in . Screenwriter , who had previously worked with Pullayya on , was hired to script the film. Sadasivabrahmam remained faithful to the original screenplay by Vallabhajosyula Ramanamurthy and the dialogues written by . The production costs increased significantly when Sankara Reddy decided to shoot the film in colour. Although production started in 1958, it stalled after one-third of the planned portions were completed due to financial difficulties. After five years, Sunderlal Nahata agreed to fund the project in exchange for distribution rights, while provided studio facilities. By this time, C. Pullayya’s health had deteriorated, and Sankara Reddy initially approached to complete the film. B. N. Reddi suggested that C. Pullayya’s son, , should take over the project. Though initially hesitant, C. S. Rao agreed to complete the film after his father convinced him that the emotional scenes set in Rama’s palace were crucial to the story. was filmed as a bilingual in both and with variations in the cast. In the Telugu version, Anaparthi Nagaraju and Viyyuri Subrahmanyam were cast as and , respectively. For the Tamil version, the roles were portrayed by Baby Uma and Master Murali. Subrahmanyam was selected after the filmmakers saw him perform the role of Kusa in a play in . He was nine years old when production started and 14 by the time the film was released. Unlike Subrahmanyam, Nagaraju had previously acted in a few films. Pullayya offered him the role of Lava after observing his performance, and he was eight years old when filming commenced. was cast as , but during production, he was diagnosed with and gained weight. He was then considered for the role of . insisted that Kantha Rao play Lakshmana, and was cast as Satrughna instead. Other prominent cast members included as , as , and Sando Krishna as . The shooting took place at a big mango orchard near . We used to wake up at 4 am and head to the sets. We would be ready with all our make-up on by 7 am. Both of us used to undergo an hour’s training everyday. We even had to learn (arrow fighting). I still remember how we used to call our trainer, Sharma master. He painstakingly taught us the art of shooting arrows. Nagaraju and Subrahmanyam underwent daily training sessions for an hour to memorize dialogues and practice archery for their roles. Filming usually started at 7:00 AM and continued until 9:00 PM, but the child actors were released an hour earlier to ensure they got enough r- According to the actors, N. T. Rama Rao and Anjali Devi were fully dedicated to their roles. When none of the crowns designed for Rama suited him, Rama Rao used the crown he had worn in , which costed only ₹140 at the time. In one scene, where Nagaraju had to cry, glycerin was used but proved ineffective. Anjali Devi then slapped him to evoke genuine tears, and the scene was successfully filmed. Afterward, she consoled him for 15 minutes. The climax sequences were filmed first, which caused a issue when the child actors appeared older in the scenes filmed later due to the delays in production. In the scene where Rama embraces Lava and Kusa, Pullayya had the child actors stand on small tables to match Rama Rao’s height, showcasing his respect for the character and the limitations of the technology available at the time. Pullayya’s associate, G. V. R. Seshagiri Rao, suggested reshooting a scene where a pregnant Sita runs toward Valmiki, as it appeared awkward. The music of was composed by . The Tamil version has additional music by . achieved significant commercial success, running uninterrupted for 75 weeks, a record in . The film was released in 26 centres and achieved a 100-day run in all of them, a remarkable feat at the time. It went on to have a 150-day run in those centres and a 175-day run in 18 centres. Due to high demand, many film prints had to be relocated to different centres across . Overall, the film ran for 100 days in 62 centres and had a 175-day run in 18 centres, grossing more than ₹1 crore. is regarded as a classic in . In January 2007, M. L. Narasimham of included the film in a list of significant works, alongside (1938), (1939), (1939), (1942), (1950), (1951), (1954), and (1955), citing their influence on society and Telugu cinema. ‘s portrayal of Rama in became iconic, leading him to reprise the role in several other films over the next two decades. During the programme organized by the film society of , actor and writer highlighted as one of the cult films that defined Telugu cinema. He compared it to other landmark films such as (1913), (1932), , (1951), and (1953). In 2011, director adapted the storyline of for his film , which featured Rama Rao’s son, .</p>