Revisiting The Magic Of Mayabazar, 64 Years After its Release

Whenever film viewers discuss about the legacy of Telugu cinema, they will never forget mentioning Mayabazar [1957].

This epic fantasy film is undoubtedly an iconic one in the history of the Telugu film industry.

It stars some of the biggest names from the business such as NTR, Akkineni Nageshwara Rao and Savitri.

Mayabazar was a super-hit dramedy when it was released and remains a classic now!

Today, on the occasion of the 64th release anniversary of Mayabazar, let’s dive deep into the fantasy world of this cinematic extravaganza!

Characters and plot summary

Directed by Kadri Venkata (KV) Reddy, Mayabazar was released on 27th March 1957, in Telugu as well as Tamil.

It is a fictional take on one of the segments of Mahabharata, where Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao, popularly known as N.T. Rama Rao, played the role of Lord Krishna.

Samarla Venkata Ranga Rao, also known as S.V. Ranga Rao, enacted the role of Ghatotkacha; Superstar actress Savitri Ganesan essayed the role of Sasirekha.

While Akkineni Nageswara Rao played the character of Abhimanyu in the Telugu version, actor Gemini Ganesan played the same role in the Tamil adaptation.

The story is an adaptation of the folk tale Sasirekha Parinayam, which itself is based on the epic Mahabharata.

It focuses on the roles of Krishna and Ghatotkacha who try to reunite Arjuna’s son Abhimanyu with his love Sasirekha.

Decades before when the term “multi-starrer” was introduced in Indian cinema, Mayabazar illustrated what the term actually meant for film viewers.

Each and every character in the film had its moment of glory.

Interestingly, no deliberate attempts were made to allocate specific screen-time for every character. They all come organically and were almost perfectly aligned with the film’s screenplay.

A discussion on Mayabazar is incomplete without mentioning about the songs. In particular, two of its most memorable songs Aha Naa Pelliyanta and Vivaha Bhojanambu, that have stood the test of time and are still popular among fans.

Critical reception and legacy

At the times of its release, Mayabazar received nationwide critical acclaim from the audience. Since than, it has remained a successful venture at the Indian box office.

Despite the lack of CGI, the production value and the visual effects are evidently ahead of its time. This makes its presence known as a landmark piece in Indian Cinema.

In 2010, the film was re-released in a remastered colour version.

Whether it is the acting, cinematography, production scale or even the writing – Mayabazar is a pioneer in cinematic history.

Fun Fact: A 2013 poll conducted by CNN-News18 for the IBNLive poll selected Mayabazar as the greatest Indian film of all time. 

Mayabazar is streaming on Amazon Prime Video

NOTE: THE VIEWS AND OPINION EXPRESSED IN THIS ARTICLE ARE THOSE OF THE AUTHOR.
Edited by Nidhi Sahani