PELLI PUSTAKAM 1991

Story: Ravi Kondala Rao
Dialogues, Screenplay & Production: Mullapudi Venkata Ramana
Songs: Arudra
Music: KV Mahadevan
Photography: RK Raju
Editing: Anil Malnad
Direction: Bapu
Cast::
Rajendra Prasad,
Divyavani,
Sindhuja,
Gummadi,
Jhansi,
Subhalekha Sudhakar,
Ravi Kondala Rao,
Saakshi Ranga Rao,
Dharmavarapu Subramanyam
Story:
Director Bapu has carved out a niche for himself even in his film making like in his painting works as an ingenious creative mind who is capable of packing up native stories and presenting them with native touch. While doing so he goes into greater details and tries to express what he wanted to a thorough close-up shots that film the screen. You sometimes see just two beautiful eyes on the screen, just bangles, and other occasions an eye peeping through two fingers. Mullapudi Venkata Ramana, a humor writer of excellence, always makes a combination with Bapu and is known as Ramana's word and Bapu's line are made for each other. The two after a considerable gap almost make a comeback with the film "Pelli Pustakam" made for Sri Seetarama films for which Mullapudi Venkata Ramana himself is the director. The technical like is also strong with KV Mahadevan scoring music, RK Raju's camera work and Anil Malnad's editing. Besides Arudra pens lyrics for this film and all the songs are well written and are equally well scored by Mahadevan, which turn out to be one of the basic assets of the film well picturised by Bapu. This film also introduces two girls with incisive looks and talent using them for appropriate roles. Thus the film is an experiment by itself of testing Bapu's hand again giving the best of native touch.

The story in short is almost a rehash of good old film Missamma. For that matter, there is a reference to that film in one of the scenes when a newly married couple Krishna Murthy (Rajendra Prasad) and Satyabhama (Divyavani) agree to pretend unmarried as they go seeking a job in an office whose boss wants only to give just a job to one member in the family. In Missamma, the spinsters pretend married couple while in this film the married couple pretends spinsters. There are also character to character in parallel like Gummadi replacing SV Ranga Rao, Sindhuja replacing Jamuna, Subhalekha Sudhakar replacing a similar role that of A Nageswara Rao. The entire story here is a kind of battle of wits the couple trying to hide their relationship for situation getting created with the danger of exposing them. There are also scenes between husband and wife quarrelling over petty issues particularly when Satyabhama doubts the relationship between her husband and the boss's daughter. The narration moves mainly on humorous course and it is the way the couple fight like two children on silly issues but these are the scenes that are down to earth that takes audiences with them. The company's proprietor (Gummadi) finally comes round and realizes his mistake in the end when the drama taken to heights when Satyabhama was to breakdown. The two expose themselves tell their proprietor their relationship and that is when the proprietor relaxes the rule and even grants more money in appreciation of their truthfulness towards each other. There is a cinematic adjustment as to why they had to compromise with the boss principles is when they narrate the vows of their families at either side needing some money for some urgent medical treatment.

Rajendra Prasad offers a commendable portrayal well supported by new find Divyavani and also Sindhuja playing boss daughter. The artistic creativity of Bapu is also found in one scene when the company comes out with a saree with new designs and the border and design on the saree is nothing but 'Muggu' that women folk draw in front of their houses decorating their front yards. Gummadi gets a fine character after a long time and presents it with ease giving it a characteristic relief. The other artists like Subhalekha Sudhakar also offer good performances.