Dharmasere

This movie explores the plight of a dumb and deaf young woman Tunga (Aarathi) whose mother will die. Her father Govardhanaraya Seetharam tries hard to get her married off. His second wife Ramabai (Sathyabhama) shows no pity towards Tunga. Tunga has a step sister Leela (Sathyapriya). Tunga is fond of pet animals, and her father, to keep her happy, gets her different animals - a deer, dog, monkey, rabbit and so on. Ramabai's elder brother Seena (Musuri Krishnamurthy) is a cunning person, who finds a groom for Leela. Maadhu (Srinath) agrees for the marriage with Leela. His friends Keshava (Shivaram), Jaggu (Jai Jagadish) and Chandru (Chandrashekhar) encourage him to get married.

On the day of the wedding, Aacharya, who helped Maadhu for education, comes to know that bride has an elder sister, who is unmarried. He tells Govardhanaraya that father of the girls is in the Dharmasere (the religious bind) that he can't get his younger daughter married even as the elder daughter is unmarried. Later everyone convinces Maadhu to marry both of them even if it is a symbolic marriage to the elder girl.

While Maadhu and Leela get ready to start their new life, Tunga shows her interest in travelling with them to their place. Srinath agrees showing pity on her. She does all the household chores at Maadhu's place. After some days Leela feels that Tunga is trying to pull Maadhu towards her, she creates circumstances which Maadhu also believes and Throws Tunga from their home and she returns to her home along with her pet animals. Maadhu feels the change in his regular activities and observes the change in the food served by Leela, which tastes very bad.

As fate would have it, Leela fails to beget offspring. Leela along with her mother and uncle Seena travels to distant place to offer prayers to deity. Her uncle and priest betrays mother and daughter without their knowledge and collects as much as money they can. Meanwhile, Tunga feels bad that Maadhu will be struggling alone for his household chores. She moves to Maadhu's home and stays there. Initially Madhu's dislikes her stay, but she refuses to go back. She promptly does all the household work. Maadhu comes to know that, earlier it was Tunga who prepared all the dishes and not Leela. Maadhu turns towards Tunga. Leela comes back from the trip and comes to know that Tunga is conceived and Maadhu is reason for that. Her father takes Tunga back to her place. Leela, feeling betrayed comes back home and stays there.

Seena shows his presence and tries to torture Tunga by killing her pet animals. Scared that he will kill rest of the animals she sets them free and tries to go away from home. She travels in a boat and it sinks. Her father comes and saves her leaving him dead. Maadhu does all the necessities and leaves back with his aunt along with Tunga. Maadhu feels bad that despite doing all the karya for her father, Leela still doesn't forgive him. Tunga begets a child and wants Leela to stay with Maadhu and she wills to stay with her stepmom. Tunga and Maadhu tries to convince Leela, but in vain. Movie ends where Maadhu travels on a boat along with his kid and Tunga.

This movie is a poignant portrayal of young dumb and deaf women of that era, the scorn, humiliation and neglect they faced from the society.

• Aarathi as Tunga, deaf and mute girl
• Srinath as Maadhu
• Sathyapriya as Leela
• Jai Jagadish
• Seetharam
• Sathyabhama
• Musuri Krishnamurthy
• Shivaram
• Chandrashekhar

The music of the film was scored by Upendra Kumar, with lyrics penned by Vijaya Narasimha.[1]

• Dharmasere at IMDb