DVS Karna (1977)

Ramakrishna Cine Studios
daana veera Soora karNa (1977)

Technical:
35mm
Color
Reels: 25 Reels
Duration: 4 hrs 17 minutes
Censor Date: 12 Jan 1977
Release Date: 14 Jan 1977
Production Cost: 10 lakhs (approx.)

Cast:
N.T.R ... Karna, Krishna, Duryodhana
Dhoolipala ... Sakuni
Prabhakar Reddy ... Dharmaraju
Kaikala Satyakanarayana ... Bheemudu
Nandamuri Harikrishna ... Arjuna
Nandamuri Balakrishna ... Abhimanyu
Prabha ... Bhanumathi
Sarada ... Draupadi
B. Saroja Devi ... Prabhavathi
S. Varalakshmi ... Kunthi
Rajasree ... Satyabhama
Kanchana ... Subhadra
Deepa ... Utthara
Rajanala ... Dronacharya
Malladi ... Dhrutharashtra
Mikkilineni ... Bheeshma
Jaggarao ... Dussanudu
Chalapathi Rao ... Indra, Jarasandha, Athiratha
Gummadi Venkateswara Rao ... Parashurama
Mukkamala Krishnamurthy ... Salya
Jayabhaskar ... Surya, Ekalavya

Halam, Jayamalini ... Dancers
Other cast: Vijayakrishna, Gopalakrishna, V. Venkateshwara Rao, Rajkumar, Shankar Prasad, Bhaskara Sastry, Sujatha, Bezawada Chandrakala, etc.
Dialogues: Kondaveeti Venkatakavi
Photography: Nandamuri Mohana Krishna
Choreography (Dances): Vempati Satyam
Music: Pendyala Nageswara Rao, Saluri Rajeshwara Rao (not credited in titles)
Playback: P. Susheela, S.Janaki, S.P. Balasubrahmanyam, G. Anand, M. Ramesh, V. Ramakrishna, M.Venkat Rao
Lyrics: C. Narayana Reddy, Dasarathi Krishnamacharyulu
Verses: Tirupati Venkatakavulu, Kondaveeti Venkatakavi
Asst. Director: Nandamuri Ramesh
Camera: Kanappa
Chief Controller: Harikrishna
Story, Screenplay, Producer, and Direction: N.T. Rama Rao

Songs:
1.E talli ninu kannadO nEnu nee tallinainaanuraa
Playback: P. Susheela
Lyrics: C. Narayana Reddy
Cast: N.T.R, Chalapathi Rao

2.jayeebhava! digvijayayeebhava!
Playback: S.P. Balasubrahmanyam, G.Anand, etc.
Cast: N.T.R
Lyrics: C. Narayana Reddy

3.jaabili kanTE challanidi
Lyrics: Dasaradhi Krishnamacharyulu
Playback: P.Susheela, S.Janaki

4.chitram! bhaLaarE, vichitram!
Lyrics: C.Narayana Reddy
Playback: P.Susheela, S.P.Balasubrahmanyam
Cast: N.T.R, Prabha

5.telisenulE, priyarasikaa!
Lyrics: C. Narayana Reddy
Playback: S. Janaki, P. Susheela
Cast: N.T.R, Prabha, B. Saroja Devi etc

6.O kurusarwabhaumaa!
Lyrics: C. Narayana Reddy
Playback: P. Susheela, S. Janaki, etc.
Cast: N.T.R, Jayamalini

7.annaa, dEvuDu lEDannaa!
Lyrics: C. Narayana Reddy
Playback: S. Janaki, Chorus
Cast: Sarada, N.T.R, Jaggarao, etc.

8.idiraa, doraa, madira!
Lyrics: C. Narayana Reddy
Playback: S. Janaki, etc.
Cast: Halam, Mukkamala

9.Ela Saantammo mari
Lyrics: C. Narayana Reddy
Playback: V. Ramakrishna
Cast: N.T. Rama Rao, Harikrishna

10.kalaganTinO swaami
Lyrics: Dasarathi
Playback: P.Susheela, Ramesh
Cast: Balakrsihna, Deepa

Verses:
jayati ravi udaya samayE
Background

dhaaruNi raajyasampada madambuna
Cast: Satyanarayana

kuruvRddhul guruvRddhabaandhavulanEkul
Cast: satyanarana

ekkaDa nunDi raaka yiTaku
Playback: V. Ramakrishna
Cast: N.T.R (Krishna)

baavaa, eppuDu vacchiteevu
Playback: V. Ramakrishna
Cast: N.T.R

kauravapaanDavul penagu kaalamu
Playback: S.P. Balasubrahmanyam
Cast: N.T.R (Suyodhuna)

munduga vacchiteevu
Playback: V. Ramakrishna
Cast: N.T.R (Krishna)

aayudhamun dharmipa
Playback: V. Ramakrishna
Cast: N.T.R (Krishna)

nandakumaraa!
Playback: Madhavapeddi Ramesh
Cast: Harikrishna

aalunu biDDa EDupu
Cast: Prabhakar Reddy

oka durmaarguDu
Cast: Satyanarayana

niduravochumTivO lEka bedari palkuchunTivO
Playback: V. Ramakrishna
Cast: N.T.R (Krishna)

kurupati peNutoDal
Playback: V. Ramakrishna
Cast: N.T.R (Krishna)

aalamulOni
Cast: Satyanarayana

paalaDuganga
Playback: Madhavapeddi Ramesh
Cast: Harikrishna

ayinanu pOyiraavalayu hastinaku
Cast: N.T.R (Krishna)

SreekRshnaa
Cast: P.J.Sharma

tammuni koDukulu sagapaalimmaniri
Playback: V. Ramakrishna
Cast: N.T.R (Krishna)

tanayula vinichedavO
Playback: V. Ramakrishna
Cast: N.T.R (Krishna)

aluguTayE yerungani
Playback: V. Ramakrishna
Cast: N.T.R (Krishna)

santOshambuna sandhi sEyudurE
Playback: V. Ramakrishna
Cast: N.T.R (Krishna)

samaramu sEyarE balamu saalina
Playback: S.P. Balasubrahmanyam
Cast: N.T.R (Suyodhana)

jayati janananda
Playback: V. Ramakrishna
Cast: N.T.R (Krishna)

amchitulayina
Playback: V. Ramakrishna
Cast: N.T.R (Krishna)

E saaTi vahilOna
Playback: V. Ramakrishna
Cast: N.T.R (Krishna)

sootuni chEtikin doraki
Playback: S.P. Balasubrahmanyam
Cast: N.T.R (Karna)

kaamamu chEtagaani
Playback: V. Ramakrishna
Cast: N.T.R (Krishna)

vamdaaru bhaktamandara
Cast: Mikkilineni Radhakrishnamurthy

SreevaikunTha nivaasaaya
Cast: Mikkilineni Radhakrishna murthy

raNamuna
Cast: Kanchana

udayaadri
Playback: S.P. Balasubrahmanyam
Cast: N.T.R (Karna)

paTTapagalimTe
Playback: Madhavapeddi Ramesh
Cast: Harikrishna

E moola daagenO
Playback: V. Ramakrishna
Cast: N.T.R (Krishna)

About the film:
Many films were based on Mahabharata in Telugu, but the difference between all those films and this one is the characterization of Duryodhana. While making the Sree Krishna Pandaveeyam itself, N.T.R projected Duryodhana as 'Suyodhana' with a positive touch to the role. In this film, he projected Duryodhana as a well-educated person who knew dharma and other things much better than anyone. Some people even say that the title of the movie could actually have been maanadhana veera suyOdhana - such is the importance and characterization of Suyodhana in this movie!

This is the first film shot in Ramakrishna Cine Studios in Hyderabad that was started on June 07, 1976 by Tamil superstar MGR. On the same day, he clapped the muhurth shot for this film. Also, this is the 248th film for NTR, 5th film for both Balakrishna and Harikrishna's, and the 3rd film on Ramakrishna Cine Studios banner.

Intially, NTR wanted ANR to play the role of Krishna as he was already playing the roles of Suyodhana and Karna. When NTR asked ANR, ANR said that the Pandavas should appear shorter when shown by his side, and that'd spoil the overall screen presence He said he will do the film Chankya Chandragupta if he was given a choice. NTR's original plan at that time was to make Chanakya Chandragupta with him in the role of Chanakya and Balakrishna in the role of Chandragupta. When ANR offered to do the role of Chanakya, NTR made changes accordingly and did the role of Chandragupta. However, the script of Chankya Chandragupta was not ready yet, and there was news that Krishna was planning the film Kurukshetram with a story line similar to Dana Veera Soora Karna (DVS Karna). Thus, NTR started DVS Karna immediately, with an intent to release the film for Sankranthi at any cost.

After much mulling over and asking around, they finally zeroed in on Kondaveeti Venkatakavi to write the script and dialogues for the film. At that time, he was the Principal of a Sanskrit college. Kondaveeti Venkatakavi (KVK) is an athiest, and he thus rejected the offer. When NTR personally went and requested, he was unable to say no and both NTR and KVK started working on the script. With this film, KVK got lot of name. Especially, the dialogues of the film were a super duper hit. The film's dialogues were released as LP and audiocassettes and were sold like hot cakes! (HMV, the company that released the audio, says that there are considerable sales of the cassettes, and CDs, even now). Particular scenes such as the first meeting of Karna and Suyodhana, Sakuni's encouragement to Suyodhana to go to the raajasUya yaagam, the Mayasabha scene and the subsequent mental upset of Suyodhana, the scene that precedes Draupadi's vastraapaharaNam, and the raayabaaram scene are all famous for their lengthy and complicated dialogues. The dialogues were immensely popular even though they were in chaste bookish Telugu (graanthikamu). Notable is the "positive spin" that the dialogues give to Suyodhana's character without changing the original story any much, particularly in scenes such as vastraapaharaNam and raayabaaram, where he projects himself as the good guy and Pandavas and Krishna as crooked minds. While most mythological and folkloric movies since the 1950s were all in more or less colloquial tongue (vaaDuka bhaasha), this movie from the 1970s used graanthika bhaasha completely. After this film, KVK worked for films like Tandra Paparayudu, Sreemadvirata Parvam, Sreemadvirat Pothuluri Veerabrahmendraswami Charitra etc. He later worked in Eenadu magazine until his death (in charge of news headlines, which were popular in their own way).

While NTR was busy with the DVSK, Krishna was busy with the Kurusketram. While the former was completely made locally in Ramakrishna Cine Studios, Kurukshetram was shot in Mysore, Rajasthan, and other places with huge settings. Only three people who worked for both the films were C. Narayana Reddy, Kaikala Satyanarayana (Duryodhana in Kurukshetram), and Gummadi (Dharmaraju in Kurukshetram).

Most of the verses in the film are taken from paanDavOdyOga vijayam and SreekRshna raayabaram by the famous poet duo Tirupati Venkata Kavulu. Pundareekashayya had got the rights for these while making the film SreekRshnaavataaram in the past. Krishna wanted to use them for Kuruskshetram and gave a blank cheque to Pundareekakshayya, who refused the offer and gave the rights to NTR for free! S.P. Balasubrahmanyam and Peesapati Raghuramayya (who was famous on the stage for the role of Krishna) sang the raayabaram verses intially, but NTR was not satisfied with that. He even though of using the verses that originally rendered by Ghantasala for the film SreekRshnaavataaram. It was Saluri who suggested to use Ramakrishna for the verses. Once the film was released, Ramakrishna got a lot of name.

Padmalaya got the rights of Ghantasala's Bhagavadgeeta audio after his death and used those verses in Kurukshetram, while DVS Karna has "prosaic" Bhagavadgeeta for the most part.

Initially, Saluri Rajeswara Rao was the music director for the film. The songs E talli ninu kannadO and the verses were all set to music by him. While he recorded the songs, rest of them were done by Pendyala Nageshwara Rao. However, the title card shows only Pendyala's name. The film has ten songs and 35 verses. This might be the only film which has so many singing items (Lavakusa, maybe?). This was the last movie for Pendyala.

Sarada, who worked with NTR in the film Jeevita Chakram many years ago then, acted as Draupadi. She had a lot of doubts before agreeing to do the role. Most of all, she was nervous to work with NTR as she was aware of his strictness. On the first day of the shooting, she was so nervous that she took a lot of takes for her part. After the shooting for the day, NTR talked to her and made her more comfortable. After that film, she did many films with him. Actually her re-entry into the films in her second innings was with the NTR's Chandashasanudu. Chalapathi Rao did three roles (Jarasandha, Atiratha, Indra) and also appears in two other getups as disguises of Indra, while Jayabhaskar did a dual role (Surya, Ekalavya) in the film. It was NTR who gave a chance to Dhulippala as Sakuni in the film Sree Krishna Pandaveeyam. For this film also, he was choosen for the same role for a remuneration of Rs. 1116/-!

Balakrishna played the role of Abhimanyu in the film, which got him very good recognition. Hariskrishna did the role of Arjuna. After Thatamma Kala, this was the second and the last film where all the three of them worked together. This was the only film in which you can see NTR's daughters, even for a second, on the screen in the dance scene of jaabili kanTE challanidi. Though the complete song was shot, ANR suggested that the scene should be deleted and NTR took out the song before the censor. However, one can still see his daughters on the screen for a moment.

The film was completed in 43 working days which was record, given that each of the three characters of NTR took at least three hours to put the makeup and two hours to remove it! NTR never used to see the rushes before the release, and thus they edited the film within days, without seeing the rushes. Kannappa, who earlier worked for NTR's Manashulanta Okkate worked for this film too. As there was no time for the work to be checked, one can notice the wire work in a couple of scenes, but the audience never bothered about that! Mayasabha work was not completed by the time of the shooting. So, NTR took close-ups while the paitings were done and long shots once the painting was all completed, in order to save time. However, this detail did not reflect on the screen! Harikrishna and Balakrishna also painted the sets along with the Art Department personnel (Courtesy: YVS Chowdary)

The film was censored on Jan. 12, 1977 and was released on Jan. 14. (The film was released with 30 prints in all, but Gemini was unable to print all 30 prints in the short time given, and thus the film was released in 14 centers on the first day and in 16 centers the next day). The film ran for 100 days in 9 centers and 250 days in Hyderabad Shanti Theatre. The film's cost was less than ten lakhs. It earned more than one crore in the first run itself! Another record of the film was that it was sold for 60 lakhs for the repeat run in 1994 with 30 prints and earned more then one crore in the repeat run too! (The distributors invested ten thousand per area and got a one scope print per district from Gemini Labs).

The film can be claimed to be the one of the lengthiest films in Telugu film industry and even in the Indian film industry on the whole! It's running time is 4 hrs 17 minutes. Out of this, NTR can be seen on the screen for nearly four hours, which is also a record! (Though Raj Kapoor's magnum opus Mera Naam Joker runs for 4 hrs 24 minutes, the film was later trimmed by forty mintues.) A Russian cultural group that visited India at that time saw the film and was wonderstruk with the film, and NTR's ablities that sustained and entertained a lengthy film!