Manithan Maravillai

Plot

Subbamma (Sundari Bai) is rich widow who has a daughter Saroja (Jamuna) and son Prabhakar (Raja) and a step daughter lakshmi (Savitri) both girls are beautiful and intelligent. Saroja is teen spoiled by her mothers pampering whereas lakshmi is treated as a maid in her own house. Chithambaranar(S. V. Ranga Rao) who has two sons of marriageable age, is searching for suitable brides. Subbamma is interested in pursuing an alliance with Chithambaranar's for her daughter saroja and sends a word through a middle man. It happens that he used to be good friend of Subbamma's late husband. She wants to over come the obstacle of her elder step daughter Lakshmi by getting married to down-and-out. So she doesn't have to get jeered for neglecting her step daughter. Kuppusamy (K. Sarangapani) is Subbamma's brother and a cousin some how wants Saroja to marry his son Boopathy (T. K. Ramachandran), who happened to be a delinquent and is in a prison.

Meanwhile, Chithambaranar and his sons knew about Subbamma's avarice and her treatment of children and decided to play a game to teach her a lesson. After deciding that Lakshmi will make a suitable match for his first son Panjacharam (Gemini Ganesan) and Saroja for his second son Raja (Akkineni Nageswara Rao). Chithambaram asks his sons to enact a drama to bring Subbamma and her over bearing daughter on track. The first son enters Subbamma's house as Panji, a street worthy servant and wins her heart instantly and even place in her house as a helping hand. The second son Raja with the aid of his cousin Padma (L. Vijayalakshmi), who happens to be Saroja's brother Prabhakar friend. enters as Chithambarm's son woos her and ends up winning her heart. The servant son with his humility and wit wins Lakshmi's heart and asks Subbamma for Lakshmi hand in marriage. Subbamma heads under impression that she will never find more obliging and humble fool who would ever be at her behest. Panji marries Lakshmi.

Mean while, Subbamma is impressed by the second son for Saroja and is making plane for the wedding. However, she receives a letter from Chithambaram that he is no longer interested in the alliance on hearing rumours that Subbamma poisoned her husband to death. Mean while, Saroja wants to marry Raja at all costs Subbamma obliges again after coerced by Panji that a son-in-law in her own house will not raise a voice and that she can relish the company her beloved daughter even after her marriage. After Saroja marriage Prabhakar (Raja) is fascinated by Padma and wants to marry her and Panji accommodates that by convincing Subbamma. It's not long Subbamma and Saroja realises that Raja is drunkard and a thief and Subbamma reverses her stance for Prabhakar's marriage with Padma, which happens though.

Raja intensifies her acting as drunkard and pretends that he's not Chithambaram real son and is a vagabond and a wanted thief. As, subbamma problem are starting Padma's Paternal aunt Kaveri(Lakshmi Prabha) a terror to even between Subbamma and kaveri go out of control after a while. Raja deserts Saroja and then writes a letter to her asking her to accompany him. Saroja realises now, obliges and leaves Subbamma's house against her wishes. Subbamma shattered with all these problems and at such a time. Kuppusamy Son Boopathy (T. K. Ramachandran), just released from prison, torments her even more. Thus, Subbamma in the absence of Prabhakar is confined to the out house of her own house by Padma's boisterous aunt and Kuppusmay's prison educated son. Mean while, Panji also leaves the house with his wife Lakshmi.

It is a sweet turn of Lakshmi when Panji places her in the bungalow of Chithambaram proclaiming her to be the mistress of the house and the daughter-in-law of Chithambaram. She forgets her lifestyle misery but still holds concern for her step mother Subbamma and her sister Saroja. Saroja is introduced as a gardens in the same bungalow by Raja and humiliated by Chithambaram as a servant. Saroja conceit and arrogance break thus making her a well behaved wife. Mean while, Subbamma is transformed into a humble women following all of its tortures in a short span. Lakshmi visits Subbamma and seeing her in a state of despair, evicts Kaveri and Boopathy with the help of Panji and brings Subbamma along to Chithambaram house. In the interim, Saroja leaving Chithambaram's house in insult encounters Lakshmi, who reveals to her that they both are now Chithambaram's daughter-in-law and that Raja being a drunkard and thief and the events that followed were all enacted by his son, now their husbands. Subbamma is happy to see both of them are married into a good family and continues to live on with Chithambaram's family.

Cast

Crew

Reception

The film Gundamma Katha is partially inspired by Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. Gundamma Katha film has received the Filmfare Award for Best Film - Telugu. The film was remade in same year for Tamil as Manithan Maravillai. Gemini Ganesan replace N. T. Rama Rao in Tamil version. The Producer Chakrapani credited with direction of the Tamil version of Gundamma Katha as Manithan Maravillai tasted failure unlike the Stupendous success of the original Telugu version. Gundamma Katha is regarded as the last film of Vijaya Golden Age.

The film Gundamma Katha was a block buster hit and the first to complete 100 days in Hyderabad in 1962, interestingly, Gundamma Katha was N. T. Rama Rao 100th film and Akkineni Nageswara Rao's 99th film. In the same year the film remade in Tamil as Manithan Maravillai which had Gemini Ganesan and Akkineni Nageswara Rao played in lead roles and happened to be Akkineni Nageswara Rao's 100th film. A Sheer coincidence that both NTR and ANR completed their steark of 100th film with two version of the same film.

Soundtrack

Music composed by Ghantasala and lyrics written by Thanjai N. Ramaiahdass and Kannadasan. Playback singers are Seerkazhi Govindarajan, A. L. Raghavan, Ghantasala, K. P. Udayabhanu, P. Suseela & P. Leela