Swetha Naagu Explained

Swetha Naagu
Director:Sanjeevi
Producer:CV Reddy
Starring:
Music:Koti
Cinematography:Diwakar
Editing:Lanka Bhaskar
Studio:CV Arts
Runtime:145 minutes (Telugu)
123 minutes (Kannada)
Country:India
Language:Telugu
Kannada

Swetha Naagu is a 2004 Indian devotional horror starring Soundarya, Abbas, and Sarath Babu. The film was shot simultaneously in Telugu and Kannada with the latter version titled Shwetha Naagara. Both versions had a slightly different supporting cast. The Telugu version was partially reshot and dubbed in Tamil as Madhumathi. It is the last film for Soundarya before her death on 17 April 2004.

Cast

!Cast (Telugu)!Cast (Kannada)!Role (Telugu)!Role (Kannada)
Madhumathi
Praveen
Shankar Reddy
Sarpararanya Dhora Sarpa Kaadu Dhorey
Naagini
Ashok Kumar
Madhumathi's guardian
Shridevi Madhumathi's mother
Praveen's father
chief guest
bus conductor
shapeshifting snake dancer (cameo)
Anandtribal man

Telugu and Tamil versions

Kannada version

Production

The film was originally planned to be made simultaneously in Telugu and Tamil.[1] Many resources state that this was Soundarya's 100th milestone film and also her last proper film while still alive; she died two months later in that horrible helicopter crash and the latter had further two posthumous releases in the later part of the year.[2] A white snake from Meghalaya was used in the film. Abbas who garnered acclaim with his debut in the Tamil film, Kadhal Desam was signed to play one of the leads in the film.[3] The film began production in mid-2003.

Reception

Idlebrain gave the film a rating of two-and-three-quarters out of five and wrote that "Swetha Nagu is an average devotional film. And the USP (Unique Selling Point) is Soundarya".[2] A critic from Sify noted that "The first half of the film is interesting, but the film peters out in the second half. However the plus point of the film is Soundarya".[4]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Wonderful white snake. 22 July 2003. The Hindu. https://archive.today/20230926141924/https://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-features/tp-metroplus/wonderful-white-snake/article28443382.ece. 26 September 2023.
  2. Web site: Telugu cinema Review — Swetha Naagu — Soundarya, Abbas — Sanjeevi — CV Reddy. www.idlebrain.com.
  3. News: Abbas receives mafia threat | undefined News — Times of India. The Times of India. 4 July 2003 .
  4. Web site: Review. Sify. 24 February 2004. dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20171013041629/http://www.sify.com/movies/swetha-naagu-review-telugu-pclv06aahhafh.html. 13 October 2017.