Manchi Kutumbam

1968 Indian film

15 March 1968 (1968-03-15)

Running time

151 minutesCountryIndiaLanguageTelugu

Manchi Kutumbam (transl. Good Family) is a 1968 Indian Telugu-language drama film co-written and directed by V. Madhusudhana Rao. The film stars Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Sowcar Janaki, Kanchana, Krishna and Vijaya Nirmala, with music composed by S. P. Kodandapani. It is a remake of the Hindi film Grahasti (1963) itself based on the American film The Remarkable Mr. Pennypacker (1959). Grahasti was earlier remade into Tamil as Motor Sundaram Pillai (1966).^[1]

Plot

The film begins with an industrialist, Venu Gopal Rao, who leads a jollity life with his ideal wife, Shanta, and eight children, and his widowed elder sister, Seetamma, nephew Pandu, who stays with them. He spends five days of the week for work and halts on the weekend for his family. Venu Gopal Rao's elder daughter Kamala spliced Gopi, stipulating by Gopi's father that the couple must live separately until the completion of his son's studies. But once Gopi covertly arrives and spends time with Kamala. Meanwhile, two other college-going daughters, Mala & Nirmala, fall for two handsome men, Mohan & Shankar, respectively; Pandu loves Station Master Bhushanam's daughter, Bala, and the elders fix their alliance. During the engagement, a young lad, Chinna, lands, claiming himself as Venu Gopal Rao's progeny and conveying that he spends five days with them. Venu Gopal Rao accepts it and reveals his second spouse & family. Listening to it, Shanta collapses, and the engagement calls off. Now, everyone accuses Venu Gopal Rao, including his family; one thing led to another. Kamala's father-in-law warns him to drop her, and he does so.

Eventually, Shanta wants to know about her husband's second wife, so she visits their house, where she learns about her death and collapses looking at her photograph. Here, as a flabbergast, she is none other than Shanta's sibling, Sarada. Parallelly, Venu Gopal Rao calls the groom's parents to resolve the conflicts when Kamala's in-laws overtake and discard her as she is pregnant. Here, Venu Gopal Rao loses his cool and starts revealing his past. Indeed, a wise person raises him with two daughters, Shanta & Sarada. Once he forwards the bridal connection of his daughter to Venu, assuming it is Sarada since the two are in love, Venu delightfully accepts. Later, Sarada realizes Shanta admires Venu, so she sacrifices her love and convinces Venu to knit her sister. Soon after, the couple leaves for Rangoon. As it is the period of WW II, during a bombing raid, Venu declares Shanta is dead, so he goes back when Shanta's father discovers his past familiarity with Sarada and performs their wedlock. Now, startlingly, Shanta is alive. Thus, her father makes an oath from Venu on his deathbed that he will fuse with two without divulging whereabouts because one may sacrifice for the other. Due to this, Venu Gopal Rao has had to suffer and maintain secrecy all these years. After he ends the narration, Gopi admits his mistake, and everyone apologizes to Venu Gopal Rao. Finally, the movie ends on a happy note with the families, in-laws, brides, and grooms participating in the wedding processions.

Cast

Akkineni Nageswara Rao as Venu Gopal Rao
Showkar Janaki as Shantha
Kanchana as Sharada
Krishna as Mohan
Vijaya Nirmala as Mala
Chandra Mohan as Shankar
Gummadi as Venu Gopal Rao's father-in-law
Mikkilineni as Principal
Allu Ramalingaiah as Station Master Bhushanam
Chalam as Pandu
Ram Mohan as Gopi
Thyagaraju as Gopi's father
Geetanjali as Bala
Hemalatha as Seetamma
Pushpa Kumari as Gopi's mother
Vijayasree as Vimala
Kanaka Durga as Kamala

Soundtrack

Music was composed by S. P. Kodandapani.^[2] The song "Manase Andhala Brundhavanam" is set to the Carnatic raga Hindolam, and is based on "Maname Muruganin" from Motor Sundaram Pillai.^[3]

Song Title	Lyrics	Singers	length
"Manase Andhala Brundhavanam"	Arudra	P. Susheela	2:35
"Preminchuta Pillala Vantu"	C. Narayana Reddy	Ghantasala, K. J. Yesudas, P. Susheela, S. Janaki	6:51
"Neelo Yemundho"	C. Narayana Reddy	Ghantasala, P. Susheela	3:52
"Yevaruleni Chota"	Arudra	Ghantasala, P. Susheela	4:19
"Thulli Thulli Padutondi"	Arudra	P. Susheela, S. Janaki, Vasantha	3:48
"Tyaga Seelavamma"	C. Narayana Reddy	Ghantasala	2:20
"Nera Nera Nerabandi"	Kosaraju	Pithapuram	2:44
"Ding Dong Ding Dong"	Kosaraju	Geeta Dutt	2:00

Reception

On 17 March 1968, a critic from Visalaandhra gave a positive review, appreciating the way drama was handled in the film.^[1] Veeraiah Chowdhary writing for Andhra Prabha on 7 April 1968 appreciated the performances of the lead cast, in addition to the soundtrack.^[4]

References

^ ^a ^b "సినిమా: మంచి కుటుంబం" [Cinema: Good family]. Visalaandhra (in Telugu). 17 March 1968. Archived from the original on 10 February 2023. Retrieved 5 August 2021.
^ "Manchi Kutumbam (1968)-Song_Booklet". Indiancine.ma. Archived from the original on 19 November 2022. Retrieved 19 November 2022.
^ Mani, Charulatha (19 August 2011). "A Raga's Journey – Hindolam Highlights". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 5 April 2018. Retrieved 13 September 2021.
^ Chowdhary, Veeraiah (7 April 1968). "మంచి కుటుంబం" [Good family]. Andhra Prabha (in Telugu). Archived from the original on 10 February 2023. Retrieved 5 August 2021.