Guna Sundari

Guna Sundari
Guna Sundari
	File:Guna Sundari.jpg Poster
Directed by	K. Kameswara Rao
Produced by	B. N. Reddy; A. Chakrapani
Written by	Thanjai N. Ramaiah Dass
Story by	Pingali Nagendra Rao
Starring	Gemini Ganesan; Savitri
Music by	Ghantasala
Cinematography	Marcus Bartley
Edited by	C. P. Jambulingam ; G. Kalyanasundaram
Production; company	Vijaya Productions
Release date	16 December 1955;
Running time	15370 ft
Country	India
Language	Tamil

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Guna Sundari or Gunasundari is a 1955 Indian Tamil-language film starring Gemini Ganesan and Savitri.^[1]

Plot

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 in order 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 become ill. The native physicians says 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

Male cast

R. Ganesh as prince
M. E. Madhavan as deformed prince
S. V. Ranga Rao as Ugrasenan
M. N. Nambiar as second son-in-law
A. Karunanidhi as Eldest son-in-law
Duraisami
V. M. Ezhumalai
R. Nageswara Rao
C. V. V. Panthulu
R. S. Ramaswamy
E. R. Sahadevan
Balakrishna

Female cast

Savitri as Gunasundari
Lakshmi Prabha as Rupasundari
T. P. Muthulakshmi as Hemasundari
A. Kamala Chandrababu
T. N. Meenakshi
Rushyendramani
Seetha
Rajani
Dhanam
Kumari Thulasi
Baby Sharada
Baby Jaya & Nirmala
Baby Uma & Komala^[2]

Production

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 in the lead roles. The Telugu film was released in 1949.^[3] The film is said to be inspired from Shakespeare's King Lear.^[4]

Sound Track

Music was composed by Ghantasala and lyrics for all songs were penned by Thanjai N. Ramaiah Dass. Playback singers are Ghantasala, A. M. Rajah, S. C. Krishnan, Seerkazhi Govindarajan, P. Leela, Jikki, K. Rani & Kamala.

Box office

This Tamil version Gunasundari was a flop. However, the Telugu version Gunasundari Katha was a success and remained a favourite of producer B. Nagi Reddy.^[3]

References

↑ ^1.0 ^1.1 Film News Anandan (23 October 2004). Sadhanaigal Padaitha Thamizh Thiraipada Varalaru [History of Landmark Tamil Films] (in Tamil). Chennai: Sivakami Publishers.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)
↑ Gunasundari Movie
↑ ^3.0 ^3.1 Gunasundari Katha (1949)
↑ Baskaran, S. Theodore (23 April 2016). "Of monologues and melodrama". The Hindu.

[anandan-1] 1.0 ^1.1 Film News Anandan (23 October 2004). Sadhanaigal Padaitha Thamizh Thiraipada Varalaru [History of Landmark Tamil Films] (in Tamil). Chennai: Sivakami Publishers.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: unrecognized language (link)

[movie-2] Gunasundari Movie

[hindu-3] 3.0 ^3.1 Gunasundari Katha (1949)

[4] Baskaran, S. Theodore (23 April 2016). "Of monologues and melodrama". The Hindu.

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