Donga (film)

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Donga
File:Donga film poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byA. Kodandarami Reddy
Produced byT. Trivikram Rao
Written byParuchuri Brothers (dialogues)
Screenplay byA. Kodandarami Reddy
Story byVietnam Veedu Sundaram
StarringChiranjeevi
Radha
Music byChakravarthy
CinematographyV. S. R. Swamy
Edited byKotagiri Venkateswara Rao
Production
company
Release date
  • 14 March 1985 (1985-03-14)
Running time
145 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageTelugu

Donga (transl. Burglar) is a 1985 Indian Telugu-language action film directed by A. Kodandarami Reddy and produced by T. Trivikrama Rao under his banner Vijayalakshmi Art Pictures. The film stars Chiranjeevi and Radha while Rao Gopal Rao, Allu Ramalingaiah and Gollapudi Maruti Rao play the supporting roles with music composed by Chakravarthy.[1][2] Released on 14 March 1985, the film was a commercial success.[3]

Plot[edit]

Phani (Chiranjeevi) commits thefts just to help the poor. He loves Kodandaramayya's daughter Manju Latha (Radha), but he seeks revenge against Kodandaramayya (Rao Gopala Rao) for killing his father. He also wants his sister Malathi (Rajyalakshmi) to marry Rajesh (Raja), son of Anjaneyulu, but he needs Rs.50,000 for her dowry. At the same time, Vishwanatham (Sridhar), an income tax officer, wants his sister Rekha to marry Rajesh. With the help of the police, Phani succeeds in liquidating Kodandaramayya's gang and has his revenge. He also acquires enough money to arrange his sister's marriage with Rajesh.

Cast[edit]

Soundtrack[edit]

Donga
Film score by
Released1985
GenreSoundtrack
Length28:14
LabelAVM Audio
ProducerChakravarthy
Chakravarthy chronology
Chattamtho Poratam
(1985)
Donga
(1985)
Chiranjeevi
(1985)

Music composed by Chakravarthy. Lyrics were written by Veturi Sundararama Murthy. The music released on AVM Audio Company.[4]

Song title Singers length
1 "Golimaar" SP Balu 4:23
2 "Sari Sari" SP Balu, P. Susheela 4:53
3 "Donga Donga" SP Balu, P. Susheela 5:11
4 "Andhama Ala" SP Balu, S. Janaki 4:42
5 "Thappanaka" SP Balu, S. Janaki 4:54
6 "Idhi Pandhem" SP Balu, S. Janaki 4:11

Reception[edit]

Giddaluri Gopalrao reviewing for Zamin Ryot on 22 March 1985, has criticized the film for its poorly-written screenplay and needless action sequences while mentioning that Chiranjeevi was the only sigh of relief.[1]

C. S. V of Andhra Patrika writing his review on 29 March 1985, appreciated the performances of the lead cast and Chakravathy's music.[2]

Legacy[edit]

  • The film's musical number Golimar ( transl. Shoot the bullet) has choreography and elements heavily inspired from the music video for Michael Jackson's song "Thriller."[5] The sequence which is often referred as "Indian Thriller", became a viral video;[6]
  • A further parody of the scene by Mike Sutton (Buffalax) titled "Indian Thriller with English lyrics" added subtitles to the video phonetically approximating the original lyrics as English sentences; resulting in "Golimar" being misinterpreted as "Girly man", and producing such lines as "Nippley man I met, he ate my motorboat!", "I'll eat wasabi on my dude", and "You'll be pumping Ovaltine."[6] He has also produced similar spoofs with other songs, including "Benny Lava", a similar edit of a number from the Tamil film Pennin Manathai Thottu.[6]

See also[edit]

References[edit]

  1. 1.0 1.1 Gopal Rao, Giddaluri (22 March 1985). ""చెత్త ది గ్రేట్" చిత్రం దొంగ" (PDF). Zamin Ryot (in తెలుగు). p. 9. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
  2. 2.0 2.1 V., C. S. (29 March 1985). "చిత్ర సమీక్ష: దొంగ" [Film review: Donga]. Andhra Patrika (in తెలుగు). p. 8. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
  3. 3.0 3.1 "Karthi's Chiranjeevi connection". Deccan Chronicle. 17 November 2019. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
  4. "Donga (Songs)". Cineradham.
  5. "4 Reasons Why You Should Watch Chiranjeevi's Desi Thriller Again. And Again. And Again". NDTV.com. Retrieved 7 September 2020.
  6. 6.0 6.1 6.2 "Buffalax Mines Twisted Translations for YouTube Yuks". Wired. 6 November 2007. Archived from the original on 4 December 2013. Retrieved 26 March 2008.
  7. Grandy, Eric. "Skrillex and M83's Bigger-Than-Key-Arena Electro, and Other Thoughts on Bumbershoot Monday". Seattle Weekly. Archived from the original on 23 January 2015. Retrieved 5 May 2016.

External links[edit]

Template:Thriller (album)

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