Subsequently, the film was dubbed into Tamil as Thangamalai Thirudan and it was dubbed into Malayalam as Kodanadu Kallan.[3] It 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 ₹74 lakh 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 (ala 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 as 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.
The soundtrack composed by Ilaiyaraaja was an instant chart buster. All songs remain popular to date. Except “Chamaku Cham” all songs written by Veturi. The song "Subalekha" was remixed in Naayak (2013) while the song "Chamak Chamak" was remixed in Inttelligent (2018).[10][11][12]
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.[13]
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.
^Jha, Lata (17 July 2023). "Chiranjeevi's next film set for Independence Day clash". Mint. Retrieved 24 August 2024. Some experimental works at this time include Kondaveeti Donga, the first Telugu film to be released on a 70mm 6-Track Stereophonic sound, .....
^"Kondaveeti Donga". 9 March 1990. Archived from the original on 25 March 2016. Retrieved 30 June 2018 – via IMDb.
