Sakshi (1967)

Interesting facts

Sakshi (transl. Witness) is a 1967 Indian Telugu-language drama film written and directed by Bapu. The film stars Krishna, Vijaya Nirmala and Vijaya Lalitha, with Ramana Panthulu, Raja Babu, Chalapathi Rao, Allu Venkateswarlu, Jagga Rao and R. Ranga Rao in supporting roles. It is based on Mullapudi Venkata Ramana's 1959 story of the same name which itself was inspired by the 1952 American film High Noon. In Sakshi, a naïve and bucolic boatman is exploited by society and turns into a hard-hearted person.

Production

Sakshi was a story written by Mullapudi Venkata Ramana and published in the 28 October 1959 issue of Andhra Patrika, a weekly newspaper. The story was inspired by the American film High Noon (1952), retaining the plot element of a man sending a dreaded criminal to prison, and the criminal vowing revenge. For his directorial debut, Ramana's friend Bapu decided to adapt Sakshi.

Krishna was cast as the male lead Kishtayya. R. Ranga Rao was cast as Karanam in his acting debut, and later became known as Sakshi Ranga Rao. Krishna's future wife Vijaya Nirmala was cast as the female lead Chukka, and this was the first film where they acted together. Before the commencement of principal photography, Bapu took lessons on how to deal with close-up, mid-close-up and long shots from Kabir Das.

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