Bhanumathi rendered the song 'kothi baavaku pellanta', and Bhanumathi and N.T.Rama Rao performed for it on screen. In Telugu 'baava' means a cousin that a girl can marry, and 'baava' also means husband of the girl’s elder sister. The popularity that this song enjoyed is really difficult to gauge.  In those days, many a fun-loving girl of marriageable age, used to tease her 'baava' or the husband of her elder sister by singing this song.  The popularity of this song, even after the passage of  several years, did not come down.  Here is an example.  There has been an attempt to make a movie with comedian Babu Mohan with 'kothi baavaku pellanta'  as its title.  The movie has not been made.  It is a different issue.

Keeping these things aside, there is an issue under scrutiny about the tune of this song. It is like this.  In 1948, with Dilip Kumar and Nargis as hero and heroine, a Hindi movie named Mela is made.  (Making a few modifications to the storyline of this movie, a movie Chiranjeevulu was made in Telugu with N.T.Rama Rao and Jamuna in 1956.) The music director of Mela is Naushad. This movie has a song, rendered by Mukhesh and Samshad Beghum, 'maibhav roothoohe pool' .  This song was used in Jeevitham (1950) made by AVM Studios as 'mana manasu manasu ekamai aanandamai navalokamu chooddama' .  There is a line common to both these songs.  If you can obtain these two songs or at least one of them, listen carefully to the line: 'Oo…thoo sooraj'. Listen to this line in Telugu song as well.  In 'kothi baavaku pellanta', focus on the tune of the line 'Oo… pallaki yekki' .  The tune seems to be inspired by 'maibhav roothoohe pool'.

Let us consider the literary features of this song.  The usage of word 'thuraayi'  keeps the historians puzzling, and makes them think.  The word 'thuraayi'  is not Telugu.  Etymologically 'thurah'  is its root in Hindi, 'thura'  in Marathi, and 'thurra'  in Arabic. Malleeswari is a period film belonging to the times of Sri Krishnadevaraya.  B.N.Reddy took great care about this issue in the choice of making indoor sets, design of costumes, and in picking words in the dialogue and song.  He used to elaborately discuss this issue with dialogue writer and lyricist Devulapalli, music director Saluru Rajeswara Rao, and art director A.K.Sekhar.  During the reign of Sri Krishnadevaraya, the impact of Bahamani Sultanate on our state was quite immense. The use of the word 'thuraayi'  could be to establish the influence of the Bahamani Sultanate on our language. The reason that a phrase like 'kuchula thuraayi pedathaamu'  could receive the stamp of approval from B.N.Reddy need not puzzle us.  The reasons are quite obvious.

Translator: suryaprakash.mothiki@yahoo.com

 కోతిబావకు పెళ్ళంట’ పాటను భానుమతి ఆలపించగా తెరపై భానుమతి,యన్.టి. రామారావు అభినయించారు. ఈ పాట తెరపై పొందిన ప్రజాదరణ అంతా, ఇంతా కాదు. ఆ రోజుల్లో పెళ్ళి కావలసిన  ఆడపిల్లలు తమకు వరస అయిన బావని లేదా అక్కకు కాబోయే భర్తని సరదాగా ఆట పట్టిండానికి ఈ పాటని తెగ పాడేవారు.