Ammoru
| Ammoru | |
|---|---|
 DVD cover | |
| Directed by | Kodi Ramakrishna |
| Written by | Satyanand (dialogues) |
| Story by | M. S. Arts Unit |
| Produced by | Shyam Prasad Reddy R. B. Choudary (Tamil) |
| Starring | Ramya Krishna Soundarya Suresh Rami Reddy Baby Sunaina Vadivukkarasi Kallu Chidambaram Babu Mohan |
| Cinematography | Vijay C. Kumar |
| Edited by | K. V. Krishna Reddy |
| Music by | K. Chakravarthy Sri Kommineni |
Production company | |
Release date |
|
Running time | 129 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Telugu |
| Budget | ₹1.8 crore |
Ammoru (transl. Goddess) is a 1995 Indian Telugu-language Hindu mythological fantasy film directed by Kodi Ramakrishna. The film is produced by Shyam Prasad Reddy.[1] The film stars Ramya Krishna as Goddess Ammoru and Soundarya as her devotee Bhavani, with Suresh, Rami Reddy, Baby Sunaina, and Vadivukkarasi in key roles. The film's soundtrack was composed by Sri with cinematography by C. Vijay Kumar.[2]
The film is noted for its pioneering use of visual effects, which accounted for a significant portion of its ₹1.8 crore budget. ₹1.2 crore was dedicated solely to the effects, setting a new benchmark for Telugu cinema. The film's producer by Shyam Prasad Reddy dedicated four years to its making.[3]
Released on November 23, 1995, Ammoru was a commercial success and critically acclaimed for its performances, particularly Soundarya’s portrayal of Bhavani. The film became a milestone in the industry and contributed to the rise of Kodi Ramakrishna as a prominent director of fantasy films. The success of Ammoru also played a key role in elevating the careers of its lead actors Soundarya and Ramya Krishna. Ammoru helped establish the trend of mythological fantasy films in Telugu cinema, influencing future productions.[3] The film won two Nandi Awards and was dubbed into Tamil as Amman where it also found success.[4] It was later remade in Bengali as Debi (2005).
Plot
[edit]When the cholera epidemic hunts the village, the people worship Goddess Ammoru to save them. That night, an old woman visits a kind woman's house in that village and asks her to sprinkle a potion along the village's boundary to rid the village of the epidemic. She also promises to stay in the house until the woman returns. The woman leaves but she forgot to provide food to the old woman. As she returns and sees through the window, where she understands that the Goddess has visited her house. She recollects the promise given to her and commits suicide by jumping into a well. The Goddess is now obliged to permanently stay in the house which is later converted into a temple.
Bhavani, an ardent devotee of Goddess Ammoru, informs the police about Ghorakh, who kills a young girl by burying her alive due to his sorcery and gets him arrested. As an act of revenge, Gorakh's sister Leelamma and her family torture Bhavani. In one of their attempts, Bhavani is married to Ghorakh's nephew Surya, a kind-hearted doctor. Surya leaves for the USA on a business trip, leaving his wife unprotected. When Leelamma tries to kill Bhavani, with the help of Leelamma's creditor, Goddess Ammoru descends to earth. She kills Leelamma's creditor and takes the form of a little girl (Papa) to protect her. She tortures Leelamma, her husband, and her daughter in retaliation. Leelamma's servant realizes that Papa is Ammoru and stays loyal to her. As Surya returns to India after his American business, Leelamma alleges that Bhavani is involved in an illicit relationship by framing her with another man in their bedroom. But Papa switches Leelama's daughter in the place of Bhavani. The daughter is married to that man by Ammoru.
Meanwhile, Ghorakh is released from jail due to his Epilepsy condition. But he remains unchanged and decides to take revenge against Bhavani who was responsible for his arrest. First, he tries to kill Bhavani by poisoning her food when she is pregnant. But Goddess Ammoru, who is in the form of the Papa saves her and helps Bhavani give birth to a baby daughter. Ghorakh realizes that some form of virtuous spirit is making his power useless. He finds out that the little girl is goddess Ammoru who is obstructing his evil plans. Ghorakh tricks Bhavani to dismiss Papa. Bhavani states that she must not return unless she puts Pottu on her head and asks her to come. Ghorakh then kills Bhavani's infant daughter and tortures Surya, with the help of an evil spirit, Chanda. Bhavani prays to Goddess Ammoru to save her but the Goddess cannot respond as Bhavani has not fulfilled the condition of her return. At last, Bhavani puts her hand on the Goddess's trident and she bleeds. Ghorakh pulls her in a bid to disrobe her, causing a few drops of Bhavani's blood to spill on the Goddess' forehead which allows her to return. The Goddess arrives in her fiercest form and kills Ghorakh. Surya and Bhavani realize that Papa was Ammoru all along. The Goddess returns Bhavani's baby daughter (whom she saved from Ghorakh) to Bhavani and blesses them.
Cast
[edit]- Ramya Krishnan as Goddess Ammoru
- Soundarya as Bhavani (Voice dubbed by actress Saritha)
- Baby Sunaina as the child servant (Papa) / Ammoru[5]
- Suresh as Surya
- Rami Reddy as Gopalakrishna "Gorakh"
- Vadivukkarasi as Leelamma
- Babu Mohan as Leelamma's husband
- Shruthi as Leelamma's daughter
- Kallu Chidambaram as Chidambaram
Production
[edit]Development
[edit]Shyam Prasad Reddy, who was disappointed with the response of his previous production Aagraham (1991) decided to make a film in Telugu with extensive use of visual effects after watching Terminator 2: Judgment Day (1991). He chose Y. Rama Rao, who worked as an assistant to Kodandarami Reddy, as director. Chinna was cast as a sorcerer, but was later replaced by Rami Reddy.[2][6]
Casting
[edit]Ramya Krishna was cast in the title role of Goddess Ammoru, marking a departure from her usual glamorous roles and showcasing her versatility as an actress. Soundarya, recommended by Babu Mohan, was chosen to play her devotee, Bhavani.[2] Although it was Soundarya's third film, the lengthy production process resulted in its release as her 27th. She dedicated 180 days to the project.[3] The film also featured Suresh as the male lead, Rami Reddy as the antagonist, and Baby Sunaina portraying Ammoru's child avatar.[5]
Filming
[edit]Filming began in July 1992 at Ayinavilli in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh.[7] Initially directed by Y. Rama Rao, he was later replaced by Kodi Ramakrishna, as producer Shyam Prasad Reddy was dissatisfied with the film's outcome. To enhance his understanding of visual effects, Kodi Ramakrishna studied related materials before taking over the project.[8]
Cinematographer Vijay C. Kumar utilized blue matte technology for the graphics shots.[9] The film, despite lacking a major star cast, was shot twice over three years with a budget of ₹1.8 crore, of which ₹1.2 crore was dedicated to visual effects—a groundbreaking investment in Telugu cinema. This bold focus on advanced graphics aimed to deliver a unique cinematic experience.[3]
Music
[edit]Chakravarthy was initially chosen to compose the music, but since he was unwell at that time his son Sri was selected to compose.[2]
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Ammoru Maa Thalli" | Rasaraju | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, K. S. Chitra | |
| 2. | "Challani Maatalli Ammoru" | Mallemaala | K. S. Chithra | |
| 3. | "Dandalu Dandalu" | Mallemaala | K. S. Chithra, Mano, Lalitha Sagari, Madhavapeddi Ramesh | |
| 4. | "Emani Piluvanu Nenu" | Mallemaala | K. S. Chithra, Mano | |
| 5. | "Kapadu Devatha" | Mallemaala | Vandemataram Srinivas | |
| 6. | "Yeduru Tirigi Niluvaleka" | Mallemaala | K. S. Chithra |
Reception
[edit]Ammoru was released on November 23, 1995, and was met with commercial success.[3]
Reviewing the Tamil dubbed version Amman, D. S. Ramanujam of The Hindu wrote, "Soundarya puts her heart and soul into her performance as the hapless girl caught in the vicious circle of her relatives and in the scene where she loses her baby and in the portion trying to save her afflicted husband from Gorak's spell without inviting the help of the Goddess, she sizzles."[10]
Awards and honours
[edit]- Special Jury Award - Shyam Prasad Reddy
- Best Makeup Artist - M. Chandra Rao
- Best Female Dubbing Artist - Saritha
Legacy
[edit]The success of Ammoru helped establish the trend of mythological fantasy films with visual effects in Telugu cinema.[3][12] It elevated the profile of director Kodi Ramakrishna, who gained recognition for his work on fantasy and graphics-heavy films. Following Ammoru, he directed other notable visual effects-based films, including Devi (1999), Deviputrudu (2001) and Anji (2004).[13]
The film proved to be a launchpad for Soundarya, who went on to become a major star in Telugu cinema.[4] Ramya Krishna, known for glamorous roles, received widespread acclaim for her portrayal of Goddess Ammoru, showcasing her versatility and solidifying her reputation for playing divine roles, similar to veteran actress K. R. Vijaya.[3]
References
[edit]- ^ "Ammoru Movie: Showtimes, Review, Trailer, Posters, News & Videos | eTimes". Retrieved 8 August 2019.
- ^ a b c d "Ammoru (1995)". iQlik Movies. 25 June 2014. Archived from the original on 6 September 2019.
- ^ a b c d e f g "సౌందర్య: 3వ సినిమా 27వ సినిమాగా విడుదలైంది.. కారణమిదే". Chitra Jyothy (in Telugu). Andhra Jyothy. 28 November 2021. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
- ^ a b "Nostalgia – Ammoru (1995)". Idlebrain.com. Archived from the original on 22 November 2001. Retrieved 25 June 2010.
- ^ a b Chowdhary, Y. Sunita (13 July 2019). "I will not throw away this success: 'Oh! Baby' actor Sunaina Badam". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 6 September 2019. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
- ^ "Telugu Film Industry Mourns the Death of Visionary Filmmaker Kodi Ramakrishna". News18. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
- ^ "అక్క డ సినిమా తీస్తే హిట్టే!". Eenadu (in Telugu). 7 February 2021. Retrieved 5 December 2024.
- ^ "Interview with Kodi Ramakrishna by Jeevi". Idlebrain.com. 25 December 2001. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
- ^ "Vijay C Kumar - Telugu Cinema interview - Telugu film cinematoghrapher". idlebrain.com. Retrieved 8 August 2019.
- ^ Ramanujam, D. S. (2 February 1996). "Cinema: Amman/Love Birds/Vaikarai Pookal/Paramparai". The Hindu. p. 27. Archived from the original on 21 December 1996.
- ^ "నంది అవార్డు విజేతల పరంపర (1964 - 2008)" [A series of Nandi Award Winners (1964 - 2008)] (PDF). Information & Public Relations of Andhra Pradesh (in Telugu). 13 March 2010. p. 74. Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 February 2015. Retrieved 3 January 2021.
- ^ Gudipoodi Srihari (28 February 2003). "Research - "Telugu Cinema - Past and Present"". Idlebrain.com. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
Some producers and directors are banking on computer graphics. Kodi Ramakrishna's AMMORU is trendsetter. This technical asset made it a resounding success. DEVI also by the same director and a 1999 release was a box office hit.
- ^ "Filmmakers spend extra on visual effects". The Times of India. Retrieved 27 July 2019.