The sweetness of love, to a point of no-return

N T Rama Rao, done with his numerous mythological roles, morphed into an action hero in social flicks, action thrillers and family dramas for the better part of a decade, prior to his ascension as the chief minister in 1983.

That was the phase which was the launching pad for many of his southern heroine costars like Sridevi and Jayaprada, who later became national icons, scoring many a hit in Hindi film industry.

‘Tiruguleni Manishi’, one of the last of his films, had a highlight to be noted as it was the only film in which NTR shared screen space with Chiranjeevi, then a yet-to-be major name. Rati Agnihotri, a few months away from her major blockbuster ‘Ek Duuje Ke Liye’ in Hindi was his lady love, sailing on a successful stint from Tamil cine industry.

One of the unique aspects of NTR’s films was the unorthodox sway and energy he used to bring to his dance movements, a contrast to the rhythmic manner, which his counterpart ANR employed. This has over the years been successfully exploited by dance choreographers, who blend it into their acrobatic steps for younger heroes, who have followed the thespian.

K V Mahadevan, in a refreshing departure from his slightly screechy background scores, attempts a lilting metallic intro to this song. As a coy Rati runs away from the hero after a purported lip lock, the number begins with a gentle pace… “Madhuram Madhuram Pranayam Madhuram, Madhuram Madhuram viraham Madhuram, Sarasam Madhuram virasam Madhuram…” to end up as “Anni Madhuram akhilam Madhuram maname Madhuram preme Madhuram…”

The otherwise uncontrollable hero, with the standard white pant and printed shirt combo firmly in place, is strangely reticent for the better part of the song as the scenes move away from a lawn to another, a resort sort of a backdrop also forming part of it.

With the unwritten rule of duet songs being a compilation of pretty pictures, the cinematographer has a field day with long shots of the heroine moving in closer into the frame, with multi-hued flowers engrossing audience attention simultaneously. Mahadevan has an all-new style to his song, the metallic plating a constant companion to the melodious voices of SPB and Suseela.

The standout, other than the ones mentioned also is the professionally appropriate onscreen interaction between the duet-crooning duo, the age gap glaringly evident. No issues with the fans however, who unflinchingly stood by the titan, through and through in this final phase of his career too. Even if it means, enduring the awkward, calisthenics-heavy moves of the heavily built hero as the heroine desperately tries to make it work.