As the iconic love story reaches a milestone on September 24, its leading lady Vanisri takes a trip down memory lane, sharing nuggets from the making of the blockbuster
As Telugu audiences are eager to see Naga Chaitanya and Sai Pallavi love story Releasing on 24th September Prema Nagar He Released on this day 50 years ago established ANR and Vanisri as one of the successful duos of Telugu cinema.
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An epitome of glamor and essence, Vanisree enthralled a generation of film buffs with her style and diction. Despite a modest start, she reached the pinnacle of her career playing a role similar to the Telugu heroes of the 70s.
Jab Koduri Kaushalya Devi’s popular novel Prema Nagar Planned for Celluloid, producer D Ramanaidu and director K Prakash Rao looked no further than Vanisree for the female lead. Starring in her first full-length color film, she played the feisty and independent Latha opposite Akkineni Nageswara Rao (ANR), for whom playing the rich and spoiled lover-boy Kalyan was an easy task.
Released on 24 September 1971 under the banner of Suresh Productions, Prema Nagar Lasted for 750 days.
Akkineni Nageswara Rao and Vanshree in Prema Nagar
Vanisree plays Lata, an air hostess who is the sole breadwinner of her family. She meets alcoholic happy-go-lucky Kalyan during one of her flights and later, after quitting her job, gets the job of his secretary. She makes him stop drinking and love blossoms between them, much to Kalyan’s zamindar family. After many misunderstandings and heartbreak, the reconciliation leads to a happy ending.
Speaking to us over the phone from Chennai, Vanishree who played the role perfectly, credits the film’s success to writers Acharya Atreya and Prakash Rao. “They were stalwarts, and were confident of their work; He didn’t have to prove anything to anyone. Whereas for Ramanaidu, who had faced a few flops earlier, as well as for cameraman Venkataratnam and me, it was a challenge; We had to prove ourselves. With the success of the film, we felt like we had done our PhD,” laughs Vanisree. A year later, she resumed her role in the Tamil version. Vasanta Maligai with Shivaji Ganesan
scene to remember
A particularly captivating performance by Vanisri is a scene where she is accused and humiliated for stealing a gold necklace from the landlord’s house. Kalyan shows everyone that the necklace is with him and takes it away. While leading her to the car, he asks, “Lata why did you do that?” A stunned Lata turned to look at him. Vanishree’s genius then comes to the fore – the hurt, pain and disbelief she loves not even believing – it’s all expressed through her eyes. “That’s my favorite scene. I felt Lata’s pain; she could tolerate it when others accuse her but when her boyfriend asks her this question, her heart breaks. I’m at the end of that shot.” kept crying even after it happened. Prakash Rao Garu, a man of few words, came and patted my shoulder,” recalls Vanisri, “when I repeated the scene Vasanta MaligaiThe raw emotion was missing, it was more of a role for the scene to play out well. “
Vanisri was also convinced while playing the veena for sadness.ivaro ravali…’. Vanisree recalls, “I had no idea how to play the veena. As the camera rolled, an artist sat in front of me with another harp and I followed his hand movements for the shot. “
style icon
A diva in her heyday, Vanisree set many trends with her sari-draping styles and hairdos. as an air hostess in Prema NagarHer exaggerated hair bun became the talk of the town. “Esppy, a hairstylist who returned from England, specially brought in for my hairstyling, backcombed my hair and created this voluminous bun that was typical of air hostesses in those days. My mother would get upset seeing my hair getting damaged in the process,” she laughs. She also shares that she became thin during the shoot Vasanta Maligai And looked even more glamorous with better makeup. “I think by then the color techniques had also advanced, so the overall look in the Tamil version improved.”
Vanshree and Sivaji Ganesan turn 50 on September 24, 2021 in ‘Vasant Maligai’, a remake of ‘Prema Nagar’.
While admitting to being a bit overwhelmed by acting with ANR and Sivaji, Vanisree says she felt like a kindergartener in his presence. “Acting with ANR, who had acted in over a hundred films till then, was a learning experience. It was the same with Shivaji, just by interacting with him I would feel encouraged to give my best.”
Vanisree belongs to the generation of heroines after Bhanumati, Anjali Devi, Savitri, Jamuna and Krishna Kumari, who all acted with ANR and NTR. He didn’t mind that his heroes were much older than him, “My role was more important to me; I felt privileged to be cast in front of these stalwarts.” Prema Nagar It was remade in Hindi in 1974 with Rajesh Khanna and Hema Malini. “He considered me and Dilip Kumar but it did not happen. today i am happy Prema Nagar And Vasanta Maligai A milestone for me, ANR, Shivaji and Ramnaidu.”
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