Kondaveeti Donga
Kondaveeti Donga (transl. The thief of Kondaveedu) is an Indian 1990 Telugu-language vigilante action film directed by A. Kodandarami Reddy starring Chiranjeevi, Vijayashanti and Radha in key roles.[1][2] Upon release, the film received positive reviews, and emerged as a Blockbuster at the box office.
| Kondaveeti Donga | |
|---|---|
 Film poster | |
| Directed by | A. Kodandarami Reddy |
| Produced by | T. Trivikrama Rao |
| Written by | Paruchuri Brothers (story and dialogue) |
| Screenplay by | Yandamuri Veerendranath |
| Starring | Chiranjeevi Vijayashanti Sharada Radha Mohan Babu Rao Gopal Rao Amrish Puri |
| Music by | Ilaiyaraaja |
| Cinematography | V. S. R. Swamy |
| Edited by | Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao |
Production company | Prasad Studios |
| Distributed by | Vijayalakshmi Art Movies |
Release date |
|
Running time | 151 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Telugu |
Subsequently, the film was dubbed into Tamil as Thangamalai Thirudan.[3] The technically brilliant film was the first Telugu film to be released on a 70 mm with 6-Track Stereophonic sound.[4] The production design by Bhaskar Raju, with background score, and music by Ilaiyaraaja received positive reviews.[5][6] The film had collected a distributors share of ₹ 7.4 million on its opening weekend.[7][8]
Plot
An orphan Kondaveeti Raja M.A.,L.L.B.,I.A.S. (Chiranjeevi) is raised through the support of people living in the tribal village of Kondaveedu. Upon his return from Hyderabad, he witnesses the failed legal system and the village being engulfed in political corruption, forgery, smuggling, money laundering, drug trafficking, land grabbing and alcohol abuse carried out by the local mafia and landlords (Sarabhoji (Rao Gopal Rao), Narasimham (Mohan Babu) and Khaadra (Amrish Puri)), who impose taxes on farmers. Instead of being in the system and taking the direct route as an administrator himself, he transforms into a Robin Hood for the village and indulges in swashbuckling heists of money and paddy worth several crores from the landlords while being in disguise, much to the frustration of corrupt officials. He funds the tribals into self-sustaining farmers, while providing food, irrigation, healthcare, shelter and education to the poor and transforms the village.
Cast
- Chiranjeevi as Kondaveeti Raja, a man raised by the tribals. He becomes Kondaveeti Donga (like Robin Hood) to fight the evil.
- Vijayashanti as Sri Lekha, an undercover police officer appointed to capture Kondaveeti Donga, who later becomes Raja's love interest.
- Radha Sri Kanya, a home surgeon serving in the tribal area of Kondaveedu. She is the first person to find out the truth about Kondaveeti Donga.
- Rao Gopal Rao as Sarabhoji, landlord
- Mohan Babu as Narasimham, landlord
- Amrish Puri as Khaadra and Yugandhar
- Sarada as Sambhavi
- Kaikala Satyanarayana as Das
- Nagendra Babu
- Brahmanandam
- Allu Rama Lingaiah
- Nirmalamma
- Kallu Chidambaram
- Chalapathi Rao
- Ranganath
- Srividya as Justice Sandya
- Divyavani
- Master Suresh
Soundtrack
The soundtrack composed by Ilaiyaraaja was an instant chart buster. All songs remain popular to date. Except Chamaku Chamaku song all songs written by Veturi. Chamaku Chamaku is written by Sirivennela, the same can be seen in the titles of movie and Sirivennela Tarangaalu book too.
Telugu (original soundtrack)
All music is composed by Ilaiyaraaja.
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Artist(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Kola Kolamma" | Veturi Sundararama Murthy | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, S. Janaki | 4:24 |
| 2. | "Subhalekha Rasukunna" | Veturi Sundararama Murthy | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, K. S. Chitra | 4:32 |
| 3. | "Chamaku Chamaku" | Sirivennela Seetharama Sastry | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, K. S. Chitra | 4:41 |
| 4. | "Tip Top" | Veturi Sundararama Murthy | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, S. Janaki | 4:27 |
| 5. | "Jeevithame" | Veturi Sundararama Murthy | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam | 4:06 |
| 6. | "Sri Anjaneyam" | Veturi Sundararama Murthy | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, S. Janaki | 4:29 |
| 7. | "Devi Sambavi" | Veturi Sundararama Murthy | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, S. Janaki | 1:09 |
Reception
Giddaluri Gopalrao of Zamin Ryot, writing his review on 23 March 1990, gave a positive review for the film. Gopalrao praised the screenplay by Yandamuri and Chiranjeevi's performance however criticized the weak story by Paruchuri brothers.[9]
References
- "Indiaglitz". Indiaglitz. Archived from the original on 29 November 2016. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
- Connolly, Temple (28 August 2012). "Kondaveeti Donga". Archived from the original on 31 May 2016. Retrieved 29 November 2016.
- "Kondaveeti Donga". 12 September 2009. Archived from the original on 5 February 2013. Retrieved 1 March 2013.
- Correspondent, Special. "Chiranjeevi should switch to comedy".
- "Kondaveeti Donga". 9 March 1990. Retrieved 30 June 2018 – via IMDb.
- "TollySites - Kondaveeti Donga". Archived from the original on 15 June 2015. Retrieved 11 April 2014.
- "nonstopcinema.com". Archived from the original on 11 January 2004.
- Staff Reporter. "A multi-faceted actor". Retrieved 29 November 2016.
- Giddaluri, Gopalrao (23 March 1990). "సర్వం తానై నటించిన చిరంజీవి చిత్రం కొండవీటి దొంగ" (PDF). Zamin Ryot (in Telugu). Retrieved 11 August 2020.