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Saptapadi (1981 film)
1981 Indian Telugu Language film From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Saptapadi (transl. Seven steps)[1] is a 1981 Indian Telugu-language drama film written and directed by K. Viswanath.[2] The film is not only about the seven steps that one takes during a Hindu wedding that symbolise the act of shedding bachelorhood and entering a more stable married state but also talks about an individual's journey breaking away from the shackles of conservatism to finding a path of understanding, encompassing and enlightenment.
Upon release, the film received widely positive reviews and won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film on National Integration, four state Nandi Awards, and the Filmfare Award for Best Telugu film. The film was featured retrospectively at the AISFM film festival.[3] In 1984, Viswanath directed the Hindi version Jaag Utha Insan.[4]
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Plot
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Saptapadi deals with the transformation of an individual so devoted to the concept of rituals, that it takes an act of God for him to realise the true spirit behind the rituals and true meaning of the prayers. Yajulu is a man of great conviction. According to him, rules and customs that have been passed down through the generations thus standing the test of the time, are there for a reason and hence are immutable; traditions are trademarks of culture and customs, its signature. He does not mind distancing his daughter for his principles.
He is well into his twilight years which give him even more reason to not mend his ways. In his footsteps follows Gaurinadha "Gauri" (son of his son), gearing up to be head priest at the local temple. Yajulu's will prevails over Hema's (daughter of his daughter) wish and Gauri and Hema end up being married. However, Hema is secretly in love with a flutist, who is not of her caste. On the couple's first night, Gauri sees Durga Devi in Hema, and walks out of the room completely shaken. Gauri, an ardent devotee of the Devi, learns that his wife is in love with another man, and is like a mother to him, nothing more, nothing less. This act of God triggers Yajulu's thought process to seriously question, for the first time in his life, the validity of his position on matters that involve caste, creed and religion, justifying the steps that Yajulu takes one a time, from the first one in trying to understand Hema's real interests till the last one when he sees her off with her lover on the boat.
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Cast
- J. V. Somayajulu as Yajulu
- Allu Ramalingayya as Raju
- J. V. Ramana Murthy as Avadhani, Yajulu's son
- Dubbing Janaki as Annapurna, Avadhani's wife
- Ravikanth as Gaurinadha Sastry, Yajulu's grandson
- Bhamidipati Sabita as Hema, Yajulu's granddaughter
- Girish Pradhaan as Haribabu
- Jhansi as Katyayani
- Prameela Rani as Karuna
- Sivaparvathi as Raju's daughter
- Sakshi Ranga Rao as Chayanulu
- Mallikarjuna Rao
Production
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While filming Sankarabharanam, Viswanath wanted to make a film on the institution of marriage and Saptapadi was born out of such an idea.[5] The film's producer Bhimavaram Bucchi Reddy met Viswanath during the music sittings of Sankarabharanam and approached him to make a film for him.[4]
The real-life brothers J. V. Somayajulu and J. V. Ramanamurthy were featured as father and son in this film.[5] Reddy and Viswanath were scouting for actresses around six months and chose Alekhya for the role but since Viswanath did not find her suitable, he eventually chose debutant Sabita and this is the only film she acted in.[6] The debutants Girish, then student of Madras Film Institute, portrayed Haribabu and Ravikanth, is a Telugu lecturer from Amalapuram, did the role of Viswanatha Sastry.[4] Girish's dialogues were dubbed by Viswanath.[4] Kasthuri, who assisted Balu Mahendra in Sankarabharanam was chosen as the film's cinematographer.[5] Ravishankar, who went on to become an actor and voice artist, appeared as a child artist.
As Viswanath wanted a temple on the river banks with stairs going straight from the river to the temple, the set design team found a temple in Amaravathi which was being renovated for an event. In order to shoot there, the wall of the adjoining house and some of the temple walls were taken down in order to show the river.[4] Filming was done in a single schedule of fifty five days while the song "Nemaliki Nerpina" was shot at Tummalapalli Kalakshestram in Vijayawada.[4]
Soundtrack
The film's Soundtrack was composed by K. V. Mahadevan with lyrics by Veturi. The music was completed even before the film was started while the soundtrack was completed four months before the audio launch.[4]
All music is composed by K. V. Mahadevan.
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Awards
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Release
When the film was shown to the film circle, they found it artistic and disliked the climax. Despite this, the producer released this version in theatres.[4] According to Reddy, the film was a decent hit.[4]
References
External links
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