Adavi Ramudu (1977 film)

Dharma Raju and his son Nagaraju run a smuggling and illegal transport racket of forest produce. Ramu opposes Raju and raises awareness among the villagers to fight against him. Padma, the daughter of the local forest officer, loves Ramu. One tribal lady Chilakamma also loves Ramu as a brother. Dharma Raju takes the help of one Jaggu to send Ramu away from the forest. The second half of the film reveals that Ramu is, in fact, a forest officer in a secret mission to investigate the case of forest affairs. The story finally leads to the arrest of all criminals. ==Cast==

• N. T. Rama Rao as Ramu • Jayaprada as Padma • Jayasudha as Chilakamma • Nagabhushanam as Dharmaraju • Satyanarayana as Nagaraju • Gummadi as Raja Shekaram • Jaggayya • Raja Babu as Bheemanna • Sridhar as Jaggu • Mallikarjuna Rao • Mada • Pandari Bai • Rama Prabha • Kavitha • Baby Rohini as Gowri • Shivanandakumar as Venkata Reddy ==Soundtrack==

The music was composed by K. V. Mahadevan. Lyrics were written by Veturi. The song "Aaresukoboyi" was recreated for the 2004 Telugu film also titled Adavi Ramudu. ==Production==

Development The success of Rajkumar's Gandhada Gudi (1972), which had a forest backdrop, inspired N. T. Rama Rao to pursue a similar theme for his next project. Due to the remote location, the production team faced logistical challenges. With only three government guesthouses available, they built new accommodations for the 300-member cast and crew, working for 50 days to set up temporary facilities. Supplies had to be transported daily from Mysore, 250 km away. Jayasudha recalled two accidents during filming. In one instance, both she and Jayaprada were thrown from elephants during a scene when the animals were startled by noise from junior artists. They escaped with minor injuries. In another incident, during a chase sequence, a horse cart axle broke, resulting in injuries for both actresses, requiring them to rest for a few days. ==Release==

The film was released on 28 April 1977 to positive reviews. == Reception ==

Adavi Ramudu was a significant box office success, setting multiple records upon its release. It became the first film to collect more than ₹80 lakh in its first 50 days and the first to reach ₹1 crore within 67 days (10 weeks). The film completed a 100-day run in 32 centers, a 175-day run in 16 centers, and a 200-day run in 8 centers. It ran for 302 days at Apsara Theatre in Vijayawada and achieved a full-year (365-day) run in four centers, including Hyderabad, Vizag, Tirupati, and Vijayawada. Adavi Ramudu was the first Indian film to run for a full year in four centres within a single state, breaking the previous record held by Sholay (1975), which ran for a year in three centers in Maharashtra. As of 2008, it still held the record for the longest run in Secunderabad, with 161 days of continuous screenings. == Legacy ==

The film re-brought N. T. Rama Rao into the league of top heroes of the Telugu Film Industry. The success of the film made K. Raghavendra Rao an established director in Telugu Cinema. The title of the film was used for a 2004 film. ==Awards==

• Filmfare Award for Best Film - Telugu - N. V. V. Satyanarayana (1977) • Nandi Award for Best Cinematographer - A. Vincent (1977) ==References==