Padamati Sandhya Ragam
Padamati Sandhya Ragam (Telugu: Paḍamaṭi Sandhyārāgaṁ; transl. Evening Raga of the West) is a 1987 Telugu-language romantic comedy film written and directed by Jandhyala. It stars Vijayashanti as Sandhya, a young Indian woman, and Thomas Jane as Chris, a white American man who fall in love after Sandhya's family immigrates to the US from India. Indian drummer Sivamani plays a major role as Ronald, a black American drummer who also falls in love with her.
| Padamati Sandhya Ragam | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Jandhyala |
| Written by | Jandhyala |
| Produced by | Gummaluri Sastry Meer Abdulla |
| Starring | Vijayashanti Thomas Jane Sivamani |
| Cinematography | P. Diwakar |
| Edited by | Gautham Raju |
| Music by | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam |
Production company | Pravasandhra Chitra |
Release date |
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Running time | 142 minutes |
| Countries | India United States |
| Language | Telugu |
| Budget | ₹25 lakh (US$200,000) |
The producers, Indian Americans Gummaluri Sastry and Meer Abdulla started developing the film after meeting Indian filmmaker Jandhyala and musician S. P. Balasubrahmanyam. It was designed as an American-Indian co-production, with residents of both countries represented in the cast and crew. The music was composed by Balasubrahmanyam with lyrics by Sadasiva Brahmendra, Annamacharya, and Veturi. Despite its low budget, shooting took place across the United States and some scenes were shot in India as well.
Padamati Sandhya Ragam was well received by the Indian audience. It won the Filmfare Award for Best Telugu Film and Nandi Award for Best Story Writer for Jandhyala. It has since gained some retrospective attention for its representation of the Indian diaspora.