Karunamayudu

"Daya Sagar" redirects here. For the television series, see Dayasagar.

Karunamayudu
Directed by	A. Bhimsingh Fr. Christopher Coelho OFM
Written by	Fr. Christopher Coelho, O.F.M. Modukuri Johnson (dialogues)
Produced by	Vijayachander and Rev. Louis F. Knoll, STBC
Starring	Vijayachander Sreedhar Surapaneni
Cinematography	K. S. Prasad
Edited by	Paul Doraisingh
Music by	Joseph Fernandez B. Gopalam
Distributed by	Radha Chitra
Release date	21 December 1978 (1978-12-21)
Running time	160 minutes
Country	India
Language	Telugu

Karunamayudu (transl. Man of Compassion/The Compassionate One; also commonly known as Ocean of Mercy from its titles in other languages) is a 1978 Indian Telugu-language biographical film written and directed by A. Bhimsingh. It stars Vijayachander as Jesus of Nazareth.^[1] The film won two Nandi Awards, was notable for two song sequences narrating the Birth of Jesus and Entry into Jerusalem, the film was screened at the International Film Festival of India.^[2]

It was followed by Dayamayudu (1987), starring Vijayachander as Saint Paul, which can considered as a sequel to Karunamayudu.^[3] A Hindi television series titled Dayasagar aired on DD National, the national public broadcaster, in the 1990s with Vijayachander reprising the role of Jesus Christ.^[4]

Production

The film was originally set to be called Raraju Kristu (Christ the King, possibly inspired by Cecil B. DeMille's The King of Kings) and gained some funding from the Roman Catholic Church in South India.^[5]

Reception

The film reportedly performed well at the box office in its initial run.^[6]

Role in Evangelism in India

Directed and produced in India, with all-Indian actors, Karunamayudu was seen by many missionaries as one of the most culturally relevant tools for Christian evangelism in India. In India, many of the villagers encounter a story that they are unfamiliar with: the Life of Christ. The gospel is rendered in their cultural context when the film is shown. The film was not considered evangelical upon release, but American evangelicals later promoted the film in India as an evangelical tool.^[7] According to Dayspring International, a ministry founded to propagate the film, Karunamayudu was dubbed into 14 Indian languages by 2012.^[7]

Cast

• Vijayachander as Jesus
• Vennira Aadai Nirmala as Mary Magdalene
• A. Bhimsingh as Judas Iscariot
• Chandra Mohan as Bartimaeus, the Blind man
• Jaggayya as Pontius Pilate
• Surekha as Mary
• Rajasulochana
• Sumalatha
• Mukkamala
• Mikkilineni
• Dhulipala
• Raja Babu
• Padmanabham
• Giri Babu as Apostle John
• Sreedhar
• Tyagaraju
• Mada Venkateswara Rao

Other language titles

• Hindi - Daya Sagar (Ocean of Mercy)
• Tamil - Karunamoorthy^[8] (The Compassionate One)
• Kannada - Dayasagara (Ocean of Mercy)
• Malayalam - Mishihaacharithram (History/Story of the Messiah/Jesus)

Songs

Playback Singers: S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Vani Jayaram, V. Ramakrishna

• "Devudu Ledani Anakunda" (Singer: S. P. Balasubrahmanyam)
• "Kadile Muvvala Sandadilo" (Singer: Vani Jayaram)
• "Kadilindi Karuna Radham" (Singer: S. P. Balasubrahmanyam)
• "Paripoorna Kreestu"
• "Puvvulakanna Punnami Vennelakanna" (Singer: V. Ramakrishna)

Awards

Nandi Awards^[9]

• Third Best Feature Film - Bronze - Vijayachander
• Best Screenplay Writer - Modhukuri Jhonson

References

1. Rajadhyaksha, Ashish; Willemen, Paul (10 July 2014). Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema. Routledge. ISBN 9781135943189 – via Google Books.
2. W. Barnes Tatum Jesus: A Brief History -2009 Page 236 "The auspicious moments"
3. "Some Obscure Paul Films". Bible Films Blog. 4 May 2011.
4. Peter Malone (12 October 2012). Screen Jesus: Portrayals of Christ in Television and Film. Scarecrow Press. p. 222. ISBN 978-0-8108-8390-1.
5. Friesen 2012, p. 123.
6. Friesen 2012, p. 127.
7. Friesen 2012, p. 122.
8. பி.எஸ்.எம் (23 December 1979). "கருணா மூர்த்தி". Kalki. p. 32. Retrieved 13 March 2023.
9. "నంది అవార్డు విజేతల పరంపర (1964–2008)" [A series of Nandi Award Winners (1964–2008)] (PDF). Information & Public Relations of Andhra Pradesh. Retrieved 21 August 2020.(in Telugu)

Bibliography

• Friesen, Dwight H. (2012). "How Karunamayudu (1978) Became an Evangelistic Tool: Implications for Understanding Evangelicals and Media". Exchange. 41 (2): 120–143. doi:10.1163/157254312X638319. ISSN 0166-2740.

External links

• Dayasagar Website
• Karunamayudu at IMDb
• "Dayasagar / Karunamayudu (1978)". Bible Films Blog. 23 June 2006.
• "Dayasagar Scene Guide". Bible Films Blog. 29 June 2006.
• Actor Vijayachander interview explaining history, making of movie 'Karunamayudu'