# Zamindar (1966 film)

Zamindar (transl. Landlord) is a 1966 Indian Telugu-language action thriller film directed by V. Madhusudhana Rao. It stars Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Krishna Kumari and music composed by T. Chalapathi Rao. It was produced by Tammareddy Krishna Murthy under the Ravindra Art Pictures banner. The film is loosely based on the 1963 English film Charade.

## Plot

During the World War II 6 soldiers Narahari, Raja Rao /Raju, Jogindar, Johnny, Murthy & Kumar were tasked to take ₹2,500,000 (US$30,000) from one camp to another. Halfway there, they all hatch a plan to steal it. So, they hide it and tell that the enemies have looted the money. After the battle, Joginder is initially dismissed from service and entrusted with guarding the treasure. Then, the rest of the people go home when the constabulary arrests Joginder at the Calcutta railway station. Amidst the turmoil, Narahari picks up Joginder's box.
Years have passed, and Narahari enjoys social prestige and lives with his wife, Madam, & daughter, Saroja. There, Seshagiri Rao / Seshu is a loaf radio mechanic nicknamed Zamindar. He adores his elder brother Subba Rao, Narahari's clerk and sister-in-law Lakshmi like his parents. To thwart Seshu's vagrancy, his brother locks him up at home, but daily he absconds with his sister-in-law's aid. Seshu conducts paranormal activities and cryptic conversations via radio communications. Once, Seshu acquaints Saroja in a squabble, who misinterprets him as real Zamindar by his pet name, and they fall in love. Next, Saroja's maternal uncle Hanumanthu, an amateur detective, considers it a fact and introduces Seshu as Zamindar to family members. Though Saroja knows the truth, she asks Seshu to be quiet until their marriage.
Meanwhile, Raju's arrival terrifies Narahari, who torments him for the money. He implores that it is unbeknownst to him displaying Jogindra's box, which holds nothing except some clothes & a pocket watch. Ergo, Raju menacingly grabs half of his property. Plus, he learns about Seshu and breaks it before Narahari by taking Subba Rao in front to clutch Saroja. Whereat, Narahari mortifies & slaps Subba Rao while Seshu enrages and threatens to kill him. Exploiting it, Raju kills Narahari and with the help of people he hired, tris to implicate Seshu. Immediately, Seshu chases after Raju's men, which Saroja sees, and thinks he is a murderer. Subba Rao also sees Seshu leaving through the window and misjudging the context, Subba Rao self-incriminates to shield Seshu.
From there, Seshu gets hatred of all but stands firm. Due to the absence of evidence, Subba Rao is acquitted when Raju seizes him along with Lakshmi. Parallelly, Johnny, Murthy & Kumar assault Narahari's residence for the riches and house arrest them. Here, Raju gangs up on to mingle with him and pretends to be good before Narahari's family. Seshu constantly monitors & surveillance their movements. At that time, Jogindra appears and states that he hoarded the treasure as diamonds in the pocket watch. Thus, one oppresses the other when Seshu ceases them and secures his family & diamonds. At last, startlingly, Seshu turns into an Indian secret agent assigned to solve the case. Finally, the movie ends happily with the marriage of Seshu & Saroja.

## Cast

* Akkineni Nageswara Rao as Seshagiri Rao "Seshu"
* Krishna Kumari as Saroja
* Gummadi as Subbarao
* Nagabhushanam as Raja Rao "Raju"
* Relangi as Hanumanthu
* Mudigonda Lingamurthy as Narahari
* Mikkilineni as Joginder
* Satyanarayana as Johnny
* Nellore Kanta Rao as Murthy
* Ch. Krishnamurthy as Raju's Assistant
* Suryakantham as Madam
* Hemalatha as Lakshmi
* L. Vijayalakshmi as Secretary Viji

## Soundtrack

Music composed by T. Chalapathi Rao.
| S. No. | Song Title | Singers | Lyrics | length |
| 1 | "Ammayi Garu" | Ghantasala, P. Susheela, Vasantha, Jayadev, Ramola | Dasaradhi | 6:22 |
| 2 | "Palakarinchitene" | Ghantasala, P. Susheela | C. Narayana Reddy | 4:37 |
| 3 | "Kastoori Ranga Ranga" | Ghantasala | Kosaraju | 2:23 |
| 4 | "Aa Navvula Kosame" | Ghantasala, P. Susheela | C. Narayana Reddy | 4:09 |
| 5 | "Chukkalu Podiche Vela" | Ghantasala, P. Susheela | Arudra | 4:21 |
| 6 | "Nene Nene Letha" | S. Janaki | Arudra | 4:11 |
| 7 | "Neethone Vuntanu" | P. Susheela | C. Narayana Reddy | 3:12 |