Padana Telugu Paata – America Ammayi

• Excellent Film by Singitham Srinivasa Rao
• Anne Chaymotty became popular in India with the role in America Ammayi
• Devulapalli, Cinare, Arudra and Gopi Lyrics added flavour to the Film
• Mahadevan Music is admirable
• Balu Mahendra’s Cinematography Wonderful
• Excellent tone by Susheela, SPB, Janaki, Vanijayaram, Anand, Vasantham, and M. Ramesh

పాడనా తెనుగు పాట ..

పరవశనై– మీ ఎదుట మీ పాట

పాడనా తెనుగు పాట

కోవెల గంటల గణ గణలో గోదావరి తరగల గలగలలో

మావుల పూవుల మోపులపైనా

మసలే గాలుల గుస గుసలో

మంచి ముత్యాల పేట మధురామృతాల తేట  

ఒక పాట ||పాడనా||

త్యాగయ క్షేత్రయ రామ దాసులు

తనివి తీర వినిపించినది

నాడు నాడులా కదిలించెది  వాడ వాడలా కనిపించెది

చక్కెర మాటల మూట చిక్కని తేనెల వూట 

ఒక పాట ||పాడనా||

వళ్ళంత వయ్యారి కోక కళ్ళకు కాటుక రేఖ

మెళ్ళో తాళి కాళ్ళకు పారాణి మెరిసే కుంకుమ బొట్టు

ఘల్లు ఘల్లున కడియాలందెలు  అల్ల నల్లన నడయాడెటి

తెలుగు తల్లి పెట్టని కొట తెనుగును నాటె ప్రతి చోట 

ఒక పాట ||పాడనా||

Chaste Telugu Song …

“The song, written by Devulapalli and sung by Susheela, started reverberating in the Telugu Land since 1976 and each and every Telugu lover recalling their memories with ‘America Ammayi’ film.” The film was a sensational hit, and all songs were regularly played by All India Radio then. Singitham Srinivasa Rao known for his experimental and progressive approach, this film is an early example of his work tackling social and family drama with an unconventional theme.

The core story revolves around an Indian youth marrying an American woman (Neena) and the initial rejection by his traditional parents, followed by her journey to embrace Indian culture (language, dance, attire) to win them over. This highlighted the clash and eventual harmony between Eastern and Western values. The film is often cited as one of the earlier significant family/social dramas directed by Singitham.

Real-life French dancer …

The choice of Annick Chaymotti a real-life French dancer, who was a student of Kuchipudi Guru Vempati Chinna Satyam, was unique and central to the film’s credibility, especially the dance sequences. She later received the Padma Shri for promoting arts. The film’s musical sequences, especially the song “Ananda Tandavamade Shivudu” (with lyrics by C. Narayana Reddy), are iconic. The heroine’s performance of Bharatanatyam, choreographed by Vempati Chinna Satyam, at the Nataraja Temple in Chidambaram is a famous and culturally significant scene. The film benefited from the visuals captured by one of Indian cinema’s finest cinematographers. The film stood as best with the music composition of G K Venkatesh.

Fascinating of Indian Culture …

Fascinated by India’s culture, traditions and dance forms, French dancer Annick Chaymotti came to this country in the early 1970s, learned Bharatanatyam and acted in a Telugu movie titled America Ammayi (1976) directed by veteran filmmaker Singeetham Srinivasa Rao, and produced by N Krishnam Raju of Navata Arts. Chaymotti changed her name to Devayani and later made New Delhi her home.

She was approached for the role by director Singeetham Srinivasa Rao after he saw her debut arangetram dance performance in Madras (Chennai).  Since she was trained only in Bharatanatyam, Devayani learnt Kuchipudi from the eminent Vempati Chinna Satyam (who sadly passed away just a few weeks ago). Vempati Chinna Satyam was one of the dance directors for the film, she says her dance in Ananda Tandavamade was composed by Sree Satyanarayana.

Anne Chaymotty started learning Bharatanatyam first in France through Amala Devi (of Ram Gopal’s troupe) and fellow French woman Malavika (originally Christine Clien) who learned the dance in India. Sridhar, Annickchaymotty (Devayani), Ranganath, Deepa, Gummadi Venkateswara Rao, Pandaribai, Rajababu, Ramaprabha, Kantharao, Sarathbabu, Arja Janardhan Rao, K.K. Sharma, Sathibabu, Vanga Apparao, Y. Apparao, Chalapathi Rao, K.S.N. Murthy, Pramod Kumar, Girija, Girija Rani and Vijayabala acted in different roles. The film completed a 100-day run at Vijaya Talkies in Vijayawada.

Vidyasagar Chaturvedula

Principal Correspondent, Prime Post

Vidya Sagar Chaturvedula is a passionate film enthusiast whose four-decade career spans multiple sectors, including media and industry. Fluent in Telugu, Hindi, and English, he has a deep appreciation for cinema, particularly films in those three languages. His passion goes beyond simple viewing; he enjoys analyzing directional skill, the emotional depth of actors’ performances, and the profound meaning embedded in dialogue. Mr. Sagar is known for his ability to clearly articulate and narrate his insightful film analyses after watching a movie.