Keelu Gurram
Keelu Gurram (transl. Magical horse) is a 1949 Indian Telugu-language swashbuckler film produced and directed by Raja Saheb of Mirzapuram under the Sobhanachala Pictures banner. It stars Akkineni Nageswara Rao and Anjali Devi, with music composed by Ghantasala. The film marks the debut of Ghantasala as a composer who would later become a noted composer and playback singer .
| Keelu Gurram | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Raja Saheb of Mirzapur |
| Written by | Tapi Dharma Rao (story / script / songs) Sadasivabrahmam (uncredited) |
| Screenplay by | Ch Narayana Murthy |
| Produced by | Raja Saheb of Mirzapur |
| Starring | Akkineni Nageswara Rao Anjali Devi |
| Cinematography | D. L. Narayana |
| Edited by | R. M. Venu Gopal |
| Music by | Ghantasala |
Production company | Sobhanachala Pictures |
Release date |
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Running time | 172 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Telugu |
Fascinated by the commercial success of folklore films, Raja of Mirzapuram asked his writers to come up with a similar subject. Tapi Dharma Rao assisted by the noted story-teller Sadasivabrahmam (uncredited) wrote the story of the film which is inspired by Kasi Majili Kathalu. Chitrapu Narayanamurthy, who had earlier directed all of Raja’s productions wrote the screenplay. Narayanamurthy also ghost directed most of the scenes for the Raja.
The film released on 19 February 1949. Keelu Gurram was a big hit and celebrated a 148-day run at Maruthi Talkies in Vijayawada and hundred-day run at 10 other centres. It was also the first Telugu film dubbed into Tamil. After Balaraju (1948), Keelugurram established Nageswara Rao as the much sought-after hero.