Guna Sundari
| Guna Sundari | |
|---|---|
Poster | |
| Directed by | K. Kameswara Rao |
| Written by | Thanjai N. Ramaiah Dass (dialogues) |
| Story by | Pingali Nagendra Rao |
| Produced by | B. N. Reddy A. Chakrapani |
| Starring | Gemini Ganesan Savitri |
| Cinematography | Marcus Bartley |
| Edited by | C. P. Jambulingam G. Kalyanasundaram |
| Music by | Ghantasala |
Production company | |
Release date |
|
Running time | 15370 ft |
| Country | India |
| Language | Tamil |
Guna Sundari or Gunasundari is a 1955 Indian Tamil-language film starring Gemini Ganesan and Savitri.[1] The film was a remake of the 1949 Telugu film Gunasundari Katha. It was not successful at the box office.[2]
Plot
[edit]Ugra Senan is the king of Dhara Nagaram. He has three daughters, Rupasundari, Hemasundari, and Gunasundari.
Gunasundari is the youngest. Their mother dies when Gunasundari is born. Ugra Senan brings up the three girls with the utmost care. After the girls are grown up, one day during a chat between father and daughters, the two older daughters declare that the father is the most important person in a girl's life. However, Gunasundari differs from them and says that the husband is the most important person in a girl's life. Father Ugra Senan becomes displeased and angry at Gunasundari. He marries off the two older daughters to their cousins. But to teach Gunasundari a lesson, he marries her off to an aged pauper with a physical deformity.
After the wedding, the king learns that the pauper is actually a young prince but suffers from a curse. The king orders Gunasundari and her husband to leave his kingdom. They then live in a hut outside the kingdom.
The king becomes ill. The native physicians say his illness can be cured only with a rare gem called Mahendra Mani. Gunasundari's husband goes in search of the gem and succeeds in finding it. He is turned into a bear due to another curse. His two elder brothers-in-law rob the gem from him and give it to the king who is then cured.
Gunasundari prays to Lord Shiva and Parvati regularly. Shiva and Parvati are pleased with her devotion and bless her and her husband. Relieved of his curses, Gunasundari's husband regains his handsome princely form.
The king learns the truth. He recalls Gunasundari and her husband back to the kingdom and crowns them King and Queen.
Cast
[edit]
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Production
[edit]B. N. Reddy and A. Chakrapani produced the film under the banner Vijaya Productions. The film was made in Telugu with the title Gunasundari Katha[1] with Sriranjani and Kasturi Siva Rao. The Telugu film was released in 1949.[2] The film is said to be inspired by Shakespeare's King Lear.[3]
Soundtrack
[edit]Music was composed by Ghantasala, and lyrics for all songs were penned by Thanjai N. Ramaiah Dass.[citation needed]
Box office
[edit]This Tamil version Gunasundari was a flop. However, the Telugu version Gunasundari Katha was a success and remained a favorite of producer B. Nagi Reddy.[2]
References
[edit]- ^ a b "1955 – குணசுந்தரி – விஜயா புரொடக்சன்ஸ்-குணசுந்தரி கதா(தெ)" [1955 – Guna Sundari – Vijaya Productions-Gunasundari Katha(te)]. Lakshman Sruthi (in Tamil). Archived from the original on 14 September 2016. Retrieved 6 September 2016.
- ^ a b c Narasimham, M. L. (29 September 2012). "Gunasundari Katha (1949)". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 30 September 2022. Retrieved 30 September 2022.
- ^ Baskaran, S. Theodore (23 April 2016). "Of monologues and melodrama". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 2 November 2018. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
External links
[edit]- Guna Sundari at IMDb
