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Veta
Veta
Soundtrack album by K. Chakravarthy
Released	1986
Recorded	1986
Genre	Feature film soundtrack
Length	22:06
Language	Telugu
Label	Lahari Music
Producer	K. Chakravarthy

Veta
Veta
	Poster
Directed by	A. Kodandarami Reddy
Written by	Paruchuri Brothers
Based on	The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas
Produced by	M. Tirupathi Reddy
Starring	Chiranjeevi ; Jaya Prada ; Sumalatha
Cinematography	V. S. R. Swamy
Edited by	M. Vellaiswamy
Music by	Chakravarthy
Production; company	Samyuktha Movies
Release date	28 May 1985;
Country	India
Language	Telugu

Veta (transl. Hunt) is a 1986 Indian Telugu-language period action film directed by Kondandarami Reddy starring Chiranjeevi, Jaya Prada and Sumalatha. The film was based on Alexandre Dumas' novel The Count of Monte Cristo and was produced by Samyuktha Movies, the same banner behind the blockbuster Khaidi (1983). Veta reunited the successful Khaidi team of director A. Kodandarami Reddy, composer K. Chakravarthy, and the writers Paruchuri brothers. The film released on 28 May 1986 and ended up as a disaster at the box office.^[2]^[3]

Plot

Set in 1939 during the British rule of India, Pratap (Chiranjeevi) is a sailor in love with a wealthy woman (Jaya Prada). However, her cross-cousin Jayaram, who serves in the British army, also desires to marry her. When the ship's captain is poisoned by two crew members, Jayaram uses his influence to falsely accuse Pratap, resulting in his deportation to the secluded Andaman Jail.

Trapped in prison for thirteen years, Pratap eventually escapes, diving into the Andaman Sea where he is rescued by two sailors. Consumed by thoughts of vengeance against those who wronged him, Pratap teams up with Mahendra Bhupathi (Jaggayya), a fellow inmate and former zamindar who also seeks revenge against Jayaram. Mahendra, on his deathbed, reveals the location of a hidden treasure on Malabar Island.

Pratap escapes from prison by substituting himself for Mahendra's dead body in a burial sack. After retrieving the treasure, Pratap reinvents himself as a wealthy zamindar. He finds Mahendra’s daughter, Jyothirmayi (Sumalatha), who is also seeking vengeance, and provides her shelter. With calculated precision, Pratap infiltrates the nobility and systematically destroys those who betrayed him.

Cast

Chiranjeevi as Prathap, a sailor
Jaya Prada as Saroja
Sumalatha as Jyothirmayi
Jaggayya as Mahendra Bhupathi
Ranganath as Benarjee
Nutan Prasad as Chowdappa
Mohan Sharma as Jayaram

Crew

Director: A. Kodandarami Reddy
Writers: Paruchuri Brothers
Producers: Dhananjay Reddy
Music: K. Chakravarthy
Cinematography: V.S.R. Swamy
Editing: Vellaiswamy
Lyrics: Veturi, Sirivennela Seetharama Sastry, Rajasri^[1]
Playback singers: S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, K. J. Yesudas, P. Susheela, S. Janaki^[1]
Choreography: Tara

Production

Veta is a Telugu adaptation of Alexandre Dumas' novel The Count of Monte Cristo, which has been adapted into several films in French and English. The Telugu version, translated in the 1950s, follows a man wrongfully imprisoned due to a conspiracy who seeks revenge against his betrayers.^[4]

During the development phase of Veta, it was reported that Nandamuri Balakrishna had shown interest in the film's story. Despite his initial interest and exploration of various adaptations, Balakrishna was unable to participate in the film. Consequently, the film was produced with Chiranjeevi in the lead role. Subsequently, the film was produced by the head of Samyuktha Movies, Tirupati Reddy, who pitched the story to Chiranjeevi and director A. Kodandarami Reddy. Veta was made with a significant budget of around ₹1 crore. Veta featured Chiranjeevi in new looks, with him working for 60 days on the film. Jaya Prada, his co-star, worked for 38 days.^[4]

Music

The music was composed by K. Chakravarthy and released through Saptaswar music label.^[1] Lyrics were written by Veturi, Sirivennela Seetharama Sastry and Rajasri.^[1]

Track list^[1]
No.	Title	Lyrics	Singer(s)	Length
1.	"O Raani"	Veturi	S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, P. Susheela	4:29
2.	"Singari Eedu"	Veturi	S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, S. Janaki & Chorus	4:22
3.	"O Ledi Koona"	Sirivennela Seetharama Sastry	K. J. Yesudas	4:18
4.	"Oorevitammaa Perevitammaa"	Rajasri	S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, P. Susheela & Chorus	4:35
5.	"Eduru Choosina Jaabili"	Veturi	S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, P. Susheela	4:22
Total length:				22:06

Reception

Veta was released on May 28, 1986, with high hopes because it featured the successful team behind Khaidi (1983), including Chiranjeevi, director A. Kodandarami Reddy, composer K. Chakravarthy, and writers Paruchuri brothers. However, the film was a box office failure and did not live up to the expectations set by its predecessor.^[3]

In 2006, Kodandarami Reddy reflected on why Veta failed compared to Khaidi. He attributed the film's poor performance to high expectations set by the success of Khaidi and the audience's disappointment with the plot, where the heroine marries someone else.^[2] Chiranjeevi also expressed deep disappointment, revealing that he had high hopes for Veta and was emotionally affected by its failure. It took him a long time to recover. Recently, some viewers have re-evaluated Veta and now consider it underrated.^[3]

References

^ ^a ^b ^c ^d ^e ^f "Veta". indiancine.ma. Archived from the original on 10 January 2022. Retrieved 12 December 2021.
^ ^a ^b Sri Atluri (15 March 2006). "Interview with Mega director Kodandarami Reddy". Telugucinema.com.
^ ^a ^b ^c "ఆ సినిమా ఫ్లాప్ అవడంతో దుప్పటి కప్పుకుని వెక్కివెక్కి ఏడ్చిన చిరంజీవి!". ABP Desam (in Telugu). 22 August 2023. Retrieved 28 August 2024. మెగాస్టార్ ఎన్నో ఆశలు పెట్టుకున్న 'వేట' చిత్రం బాక్సాఫీస్ వద్ద డిజాస్టర్ అయింది. 'ఖైదీ' కాంబినేషన్ కావడంతో, అంతకు మించి హిట్ అవుతుందని చిరు హోప్స్ పెట్టుకున్నారు. ఎన్నో అంచనాలతో వచ్చిన సినిమా ఊహించని విధంగా ఫ్లాప్ అవడం ఆయన్ను బాగా కలిచివేసింది. ఆ బాధను తట్టుకోలేక ఇంట్లో దుప్పటి కప్పుకుని వెక్కివెక్కి ఏడ్చినట్లు చిరు ఓ ఇంటర్వూలో స్వయంగా వెల్లడించారు. దాన్నుంచి బయటపడటానికి చాలా రోజులు పట్టిందని చెప్పారు.
^ ^a ^b "Veta Movie: మెగాస్టార్ వేట గురించి ఈ విషయాలు మీకు తెలుసా?". Filmy Focus (in Telugu). 30 May 2022. Retrieved 28 August 2024.