Rudraveena (film)

Rudraveena
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	K. Balachander
Written by	K. Balachander Ganesh Patro
Produced by	Nagendra Babu
Starring	Chiranjeevi Gemini Ganesan Shobana
Cinematography	R. Raghunatha Reddy
Edited by	Ganesh Kumar
Music by	Ilaiyaraaja
Production company	Anjana Productions
Distributed by	Geetha Arts
Release date	4 March 1988 (1988-03-04)
Running time	170 minutes[1]
Country	India
Language	Telugu

Rudraveena (lit. 'Strings of fury'; referring to the instrument of the same name) is a 1988 Indian Telugu-language musical-drama film directed and co-written by K. Balachander. Produced by Nagendra Babu's Anjana Productions, the film stars Chiranjeevi alongside Tamil actor Gemini Ganesan (in his only appearance in Telugu cinema) and Shobana. It also marked the acting debut of Kannada actor and filmmaker Ramesh Aravind in Telugu cinema. P. L. Narayana, Prasad Babu, Sumithra, Devilalitha, and Brahmanandam play supporting roles.

Rudraveena focuses on the ideological conflicts between 'Bilahari' Ganapathi Sastry, a reputed carnatic musician and his younger son Suryanarayana "Suryam" Sastry. Sastry's discrimination towards the people belonging to lower castes is criticised by his son, Suryam, who believes in society's welfare and walks out for good later. The events that led to the change in Sastry's views form the remaining part of the story. Ganesh Patro wrote the film's dialogue and worked on the script with Balachander for two months, though it was tweaked many times during the shoot. Ilaiyaraaja composed the soundtrack and background score. R. Raghunadha Reddy was the director of photography. Ganesh Kumar edited the film and Mohanam was the art director.

Filmed in and around Madras, Kanchipuram, Courtallam, and Srinagar for 70 days, Rudraveena was produced on a budget of ₹80 lakh. Released on 4 March 1988 to critical acclaim, the film was a commercial failure, resulting in a loss of ₹60 lakh. It gained cult status later and is considered one of the best films made by Balachander. The film won three National Film Awards: Best Feature Film on National Integration, Best Music Direction, and Best Male Playback Singer (for S. P. Balasubrahmanyam). It also won four Nandi Awards, including a Special Jury award for Chiranjeevi. Later the same year, Balachander later remade the film into Tamil as Unnal Mudiyum Thambi with Ganesan reprising his role and Kamal Haasan reprising Chiranjeevi's role in the Telugu original.