Malliswari (1951 film)

Malliswari
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Bommireddy Narasimha Reddy
Produced by	Bommireddy Narasimha Reddy
Written by	Devulapalli Krishnasastri
Based on	Rayalavari Karunakruthyamu by Buchibabu The Emperor and the Slave Girl by Devan Sharar
Starring	N. T. Rama Rao Bhanumathi Ramakrishna
Music by	S. Rajeswara Rao
Cinematography	Adi M. Irani B. N. Konda Reddy
Edited by	H. R. Narayana Vasu
Production company	Vauhini Studios
Release date	20 December 1951
Running time	175–194 minutes
Country	India
Language	Telugu

Malliswari is a 1951 Indian Telugu-language historical romance film produced and directed by Bommireddy Narasimha Reddy under his banner Vauhini Studios. N. T. Rama Rao and Bhanumathi Ramakrishna star as a couple – Nagaraju and Malliswari – who are separated by Malliswari's greedy mother. Malliswari is sent to the king's palace according to the custom of "Rani Vasam", a tradition during the Vijayanagara Empire wherein young women were fetched to the palace with an offering gold and jewellery to their parents. The rest of the film focuses on the consequences faced by Nagaraju when he, against all rules, surreptitiously enters the palace to meet Malliswari.

Narasimha Reddy wanted to make a film based on Krishnadevaraya's character ever since his visit to Hampi for the filming of his debut Vandemataram (1939). He employed Devulapalli Krishnasastri to write the film's script and took inspiration from Buchibabu's play "Rayalavari Karunakruthyamu" and Devan Sharar's short story "The Emperor and the Slave Girl". He also incorporated into the script a few incidents from his childhood for the pranks between Nagaraju and Malliswari. S. Rajeswara Rao composed the film's music, Adi M. Irani and B. N. Konda Reddy provided the cinematography, H. R. Narayana and Vasu edited the film, and A. K. Shekhar was the film's production designer.

The production phase of Malliswari lasted for two years and the film was released on 20 December 1951. It opened to a tepid response at the box office, but soon saw a growth in ticket sales due to favourable word of mouth. It grossed over ₹0.8 million and was commercially successful. Malliswari was later screened at the 9th International Film Festival of India and the 1952 Peking film festival, making it the first Telugu film to be screened in an international film festival. Narasimha Reddy planned to dub the film into English, but backed out due to budget considerations.