// Workers AI · dad joke modeWhat did Ammoru say to his date? "You're ammo-azing
| Ammoru | |
|---|---|
 DVD cover | |
| Directed by | Kodi Ramakrishna |
| Written by | Satyanand (dialogues) |
| Story by | M. S. Arts Unit |
| Based on | Gramadevata, Durga |
| 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. Mother Goddess) is a 1995 Indian Telugu language Hindu mythological-fantasy film directed by Kodi Ramakrishna. The film was produced by Shyam Prasad Reddy,[1] and stars Ramya Krishna in the titular role as Ammoru, with Soundarya as her devotee Bhavani. Actors Suresh, Rami Reddy, Baby Sunaina, and Vadivukkarasi played key roles. The film's soundtrack was composed by Sri and cinematography was helmed by Vijay C. Kumar.[2]
Ammoru is noted for its pioneering use of visual effects in South India cinema. The film set a new benchmark in Telugu cinema upon its release.[3] It was both a critically acclaimed and commercially successful film. The success of Ammoru played a key role in elevating the careers of actresses Soundarya and Ramya Krishna.[3]
The film won two Nandi Awards and was dubbed into Tamil as Amman, which was also successful.[4] It was later remade in Gujarati as "Dashe Dishaye Dasha Ma" (2000), and in Bengali as Debi (2005).
Plot
[edit]When an epidemic torments a village, the priests suggest people to conduct a fair and worship the goddess Ammoru. On the festival night, an old lady visits the premises and asks the women there for prasadam, only one kind-natured young woman offers it. Later that night, the old lady visits the house of the said young woman with a potion made of neem leaves and instructs her to sprinkle it in front of all the houses in the village to end the epidemic. The old lady promises to stay and see the house until she returns. The woman leaves with the potion but half way through remembers that she did not provide food to the guest and returns to do so. When she returns and accidentally sees through the window, she finds the old lady sitting inside the house majestically as the goddess herself. Realizing that old lady is the goddess and remembering the promise she made, the young woman hoping to keep the goddess there forever to protect the village and its people, commits suicide by jumping into a well. The goddess, now obliged to stay there permanently, turns into an idol, around which a temple gets built.
Later, Bhavani, an ardent devotee of the goddess, informs the police about Ghorakh, a sorcerer who kills a young girl by burying her alive, and gets him arrested. As an act of revenge, Ghorakh'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. When Surya visits the US on a business trip leaving behind his wife, Leelamma tries to kill her with the help of Leelamma's creditor. The Goddess then descends again, she klls Leelamma's creditor and takes the form of a young girl (Papa) and takes job as a servant in Bhavani's house to protect her. There she tortures Leelamma, her husband, and their daughter in retaliation. Leelamma's elder male servant, Chidambaram, realizes that Papa is the goddess and stays loyal to her. When Surya returns to India after his American business, Leelamma alleges that Bhavani is involved in an illicit affair by framing her with another man in their bedroom. But Papa switches Leelama's daughter in the place of Bhavani. The daughter is married off to that man.
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 her by poisoning the food when she is pregnant. But the goddess, in the form of Papa, saves and helps Bhavani give birth to a baby daughter. Ghorakh realizes that some cosmic power is making his power futile. He finds out that the young girl is the goddess who is obstructing his evil plans. Ghorakh then tricks Bhavani to dismiss Papa. Bhavani states that she must not return unless she puts Bottu(బొట్టు) on the goddess forehead 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 the goddess to save her, but the goddess cannot respond as Bhavani has not fulfilled the condition of her return. At last, in the temple Bhavani puts her hand on the goddess's Trishula and bleeds. Ghorakh pulls her in a bid to disrobe her, causing a few drops of Bhavani's blood to spill on the goddess' forehead forming a bottu which allows her to return. The goddess arrives in her fiercest form and kills Ghorakh. Surya and Bhavani realize that Papa was the goddess all along. The goddess returns Bhavani's baby daughter (whom she saved from Ghorakh) to Bhavani and blesses them.
Cast
[edit]- Ramya Krishnan as the goddess Ammoru
- Soundarya as Bhavani (Voice dubbed by actress Saritha)
- Baby Sunaina as the young girl (Papa) / Ammoru.[5]
- Suresh as Surya
- Rami Reddy as Gopalakrishna "Ghorakh"
- Vadivukkarasi as Leelamma
- Babu Mohan as Leelamma's husband
- Shruthi as Leelamma's daughter
- Kallu Chidambaram as Chidambaram, Leelamma's servant
Production
[edit]Development and Casting
[edit]Shyam Prasad Reddy 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, an assistant of Kodandarami Reddy, as director. Chinna was cast as the antagonist sorcerer, but was later replaced by Rami Reddy.[2][6] Ramya Krishna was cast in the title role of the Goddess Ammoru, marking a departure from her usual glamorous roles. Soundarya was selected to portray her devotee, after she was recommended by Babu Mohan.[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, and Baby Sunaina as Ammoru's child avatar.[5]
Filming
[edit]Filming began in July 1992 at Ayinavilli in East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh.[7] Initially the film was 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 up the project.[8] Cinematography was handled by Vijay C. Kumar, who said he utilized blue matte technology for the graphics.[9] Despite lacking a major star cast, the film was shot twice over three years with a budget of ₹1.8 crore, of which ₹1.2 crore was dedicated to visual effects, a heavy investment in Telugu cinema at the time.[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 became a commercial successful film.[3]
Reviewing the Tamil 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 - Soundarya
- Best Makeup Artist - M. Chandra Rao
- Best Female Dubbing Artist - Saritha
Legacy
[edit]The success of Ammoru established the trend of mythological fantasy films with visual effects in Telugu cinema.[3][12] It elevated the profile of director Kodi Ramakrishna who gained reputation for directing fantasy and graphics-heavy films. After 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 was praised for her versatility in playing both glamorous and divine roles, she received widespread acclaim for her portrayal of the Goddess, similar to the veteran actress K. R. Vijaya.[3]
References
[edit]- ↑ "Ammoru Movie: Showtimes, Review, Trailer, Posters, News & Videos | eTimes". Retrieved 8 August 2019.
- 1 2 3 4 "Ammoru (1995)". iQlik Movies. 25 June 2014. Archived from the original on 6 September 2019.
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "సౌందర్య: 3వ సినిమా 27వ సినిమాగా విడుదలైంది.. కారణమిదే". Chitra Jyothy (in Telugu). Andhra Jyothy. 28 November 2021. Retrieved 3 December 2024.
- 1 2 "Nostalgia – Ammoru (1995)". Idlebrain.com. Archived from the original on 22 November 2001. Retrieved 25 June 2010.
- 1 2 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.