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Mosagallaku Mosagadu (మోసగాళ్ళకు మోసగాడు)

Mosagallaku Mosagadu (మోసగాళ్ళకు మోసగాడు, roughly "a cheat to the cheaters") is a 1971 Telugu-language Western, generally described as the first cowboy film of Telugu cinema and the first proper Western made in India.1 • 2 It was produced by G. Adiseshagiri Rao under the Padmalaya banner, directed by K. S. R. Das, and stars Krishna Ghattamaneni and Vijaya Nirmala.3 Released on 27 August 1971, it became a trend-setter, gave Krishna a cowboy image that helped establish him as a superstar, and was later released internationally in English as Treasure Hunt.1 • 4

Key factDetail
Release27 August 1971, Telugu language, 2 hours 39 minutes, color, 2.39:1 scope1 • 3
Genre standingDescribed as the first Telugu cowboy film and the first proper Western made in India2 • 5
Lead rolesKrishna as Krishna Prasad; Vijaya Nirmala as Radha5
Key crewDirector K. S. R. Das; writer Arudra; music P. Adinarayana Rao; cinematography V. S. R. Swamy3 • 5
BudgetRs 700,000 (Rs 7 lakh) according to Krishna; other accounts give Rs 800,000 (Rs 8 lakh), against a contemporary norm of about Rs 300,000–400,000 (Rs 3–4 lakh)1 • 2
International releaseDubbed in English as Treasure Hunt; accounts differ on the number of countries, from 50 to over 1252 • 4 • 5
4K re-release31 May 2023, on Krishna's 80th birth anniversary, in theaters across the Telugu states2

Spoilers

Story and cast

Arudra set the story in the Bobbili region of the eighteenth century, during the pre-independence era of the British–French wars, and built the plot around the fictional search for a hidden treasure, the Amaraveedu treasure. The setting imagines a Wild West-like lawless culture on the fringes of Telugu dynasties in the late eighteenth or early nineteenth century. The final treasure-hunt sequence follows Mackenna's Gold closely, and IMDb describes the film as a pseudo-Western whose core plot mirrors The Good, the Bad and the Ugly.2 • 6

Krishna plays Krishna Prasad, a well-meaning con man, with Vijaya Nirmala as Radha. The supporting cast includes Nagabhushanam as Nakkajittula Naganna, Gummadi as Kotwal Komarayya, Rao Gopala Rao as a casino owner, Kaikala Satyanarayana, M. Prabhakar Reddy, Mukkamala, Dhulipala, Jyothi Lakshmi as Bijili, and Sakshi Ranga Rao in a drunkard's role.1 • 5 • 2

Origins and production

By 1970 Krishna had acted in more than 40 films since his 1965 debut with Thene Manasulu, and he had just founded his own production banner, Padmalaya Studios, producing Agni Pareeksha the same year. That big-budget venture failed, and Krishna's films were being made on smaller budgets than those of the era's leading stars, N. T. Rama Rao and A. N. R. Wanting a lavish film to raise his stature, he was inspired by the cowboy films running to packed houses in Madras and asked the writer and lyricist Arudra to develop a story using For a Few Dollars More (1965), The Good, the Bad and the Ugly (1966), and Mackenna's Gold (1969) as the basis.2 • 1

Arudra declined to direct the film himself, and Krishna chose K. S. R. Das, who had directed Krishna and Vijaya Nirmala in Takkaridonga Chakkani Chukka (1969) and had presented Vijaya Nirmala in an action role in Rowdy Rani (1970).1 • 2 The Samayam Telugu account adds that the working title Adrushta Rekha was dropped as unsuitable for a cowboy film before Mosagallaku Mosagadu was finalized.4

Budget and shooting. Krishna said the film was made for Rs 700,000 (Rs 7 lakh), though viewers assumed from the visuals that it cost around Rs 2 million (Rs 20 lakh); the Indian Express quotes him giving Rs 800,000 (Rs 8 lakhs), and Samayam Telugu also gives Rs 800,000 (Rs 8 lakh). Contemporary Telugu films typically cost about Rs 300,000–400,000 (Rs 3–4 lakh). The ensemble cast trained in horse riding and in handling guns and pistols; Vijaya Nirmala recalled riding lessons on Madras's Marina beach that left her, Krishna, and Nagabhushanam aching for days. Krishna said the film was shot in 28 days.1 • 2 • 4

Shooting took place largely in Rajasthan, with the unit traveling to the deserts by a specially booked train; only Krishna, Vijaya Nirmala, Jyothi Lakshmi, and Nagabhushanam flew. Locations listed in the film's credits include the Rajasthan deserts, Bikaner forts, the river Sutlej, the Shimla hills, and areas near the Pakistan–China border.1 • 5 • 2

Music and technical credits

P. Adinarayana Rao composed the music, with lyrics by Arudra and Appalacharya. Popular songs include "Korinadi Neraverinadi," "Gurini Sootiga," and "Elaagundi Elaagundi Abbaayaa."5 • 7 V. S. R. Swamy's cinematography was praised for its innovative ideas, and the art direction was by Thota Venkateswara Rao, with editing by Kotagiri Gopalarao.1 • 5

Release and box office

The film released on 27 August 1971 and became a trend-setter. Krishna said it collected Rs 3.2 million (Rs 32 lakhs) in its first release; Samayam Telugu reports a Rs 5 million (Rs 50 lakh) gross, which made Krishna the third Telugu hero after NTR and ANR to reach that figure.2 • 4

International versions. The film was dubbed in Tamil as Mosakkaaranukku Mosakkaaran and in Hindi, and released in a truncated English version as Treasure Hunt. The sources disagree on the details: the Indian Express says it was released in over 80 countries with the Hindi title Gunfighter Johnny; Samayam Telugu says the Hindi title was Khajana and that the English version, titled The Treasure with the songs removed, was the first Telugu film dubbed into English and released in 50 countries; the Telugu Cinema Prapamcham database says it released in 125 countries as Treasure Hunt.2 • 4 • 5

Influence

The film's success opened a Western cycle in Telugu cinema. Krishna himself made about 15 films in the genre, and Hindi actors including Feroz Khan, Mithun Chakraborty, Shatrughan Sinha, and Danny Denzongpa soon took up cowboy roles. Neither NTR nor ANR worked in the genre; Chiranjeevi later made Kodama Simham (1990), and Krishna's son Mahesh Babu made Takkari Donga (2002).2 The Indian Express, reviewing the 2023 re-release, called the film a daring, successful representation of a foreign tradition made with limited resources, crediting Krishna, cinematographer VSR Swamy, composer P. Adi Narayana Rao, writer Arudra, and director K. S. R. Das.2

The 2015 film of the same name

A different Telugu film titled Mosagallaku Mosagadu was released on 22 May 2015, directed by Bose Nelluri and starring Sudheer Babu, Krishna's son-in-law, and Nandini Rai. It is a comic crime thriller about stolen twelfth-century idols, not a remake of the 1971 Western.8 • 9

References

  1. 'Mosagallaku Mosagadu' was made at just Rs 7 lakh: Superstar Krishna, IndiaGlitz
  2. Revisiting Mosagallaku Mosagadu: Superstar Krishna's Western still holds magic, The Indian Express (31 May 2023)
  3. Mosagalaku Mosagaadu (1971), Moviebuff
  4. Mosagallaku Mosagadu is considered the first pan-world Telugu film, Samayam Telugu (29 March 2025)
  5. Mosagallaku Mosagadu (1971), Telugu Cinema Prapamcham
  6. Mosagallaku Mosagadu (1971), IMDb
  7. Mosagallaku Mosagadu (1971) songs, Telugu Lyrics World
  8. 'Mosagallaku Mosagadu' Review: For few laughs..., Greatandhra (23 May 2015)
  9. Mosagallaku Mosagadu (2015), Moviebuff

Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Indian films (individual works) › Telugu films before 2000

Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 21, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026

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Mosagallaku Mosagadu (మోసగాళ్ళకు మోసగాడు)

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