Patala Bhairavi

Pathala Bhairavi
Theatrical release poster of the Telugu version
Directed by	Kadiri Venkata Reddy
Produced by	B. Nagi Reddy Aluri Chakrapani
Written by	Pingali Nagendrarao
Screenplay by	Kadiri Venkata Reddy Kamalakara Kameswara Rao
Starring	N. T. Rama Rao S. V. Ranga Rao K. Malathi
Music by	Ghantasala
Cinematography	Marcus Bartley
Edited by	C. P. Jambulingam M. S. Money
Production company	Vijaya Vauhini Studios
Release date	15 March 1951 (1951-03-15)
Running time	195 minutes
Language	Telugu Tamil

Pathala Bhairavi (English: The Goddess of the Netherworld) is a 1951 Indian bilingual fantasy film written by Pingali Nagendrarao and directed by Kadiri Venkata Reddy. The film was produced by B. Nagi Reddy and Aluri Chakrapani under the banner Vijaya Vauhini Studios. It was co-written by Kamalakara Kameswara Rao and features N. T. Rama Rao, S. V. Ranga Rao and K. Malathi in the lead roles. Pathala Bhairavi is based on Kasi Majilee Kathalu, written by Madhira Subbanna Deekshitulu, though it was also partially inspired by the story of Aladdin.

The film centres on the lives of two strangers — the son of a gardener named Thota Ramudu who has to amass wealth equal to that of the king of Ujjain to marry his daughter Indumathi, and a sorcerer who has to sacrifice an intelligent and brave young man to Goddess Pathala Bhairavi to gain access to a statuette which can grant any wish. The sorcerer tries to sacrifice Ramudu but gets killed by the latter who wins the statuette and fulfils his goals. When the sorcerer comes back to life and kidnaps Indumathi along with the statuette and all of his wealth, Ramudu fights back for them and kills the sorcerer before marrying Indumathi.

Although principal photography only took eight to nine months, the production phase continued for a whole year starting from 5 February 1950 until 8 February 1951, due to the film being shot simultaneously in Telugu and Tamil. Ghantasala composed the film's music and Marcus Bartley served as the cinematographer. The film was edited by the duo C. P. Jambulingam and M. S. Money, while Madhavapeddi Gokhale and Kaladhar were the film's art directors. The Telugu version was released on 15 March 1951, and the Tamil version on 17 May 1951. Both the versions were released with a final reel length of 5,227 metres (17,149 ft).