Vetagadu (వేటగాడు)
Vetagadu (వేటగాడు, "The Hunter") is a 1979 Telugu-language action drama film directed by K. Raghavendra Rao, starring N. T. Rama Rao and Sridevi, with a story and dialogues by Jandhyala. It was released on 5 July 1979 and became the highest grossing Telugu film of that year.1 • 2
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | 5 July 1979 (India), Telugu language1 |
| Director / writer | K. Raghavendra Rao; story and dialogues by Jandhyala3 |
| Lead pair | N. T. Rama Rao as Raja and Sridevi as Roja, their first film together as a romantic pair2 • 3 |
| Music | Chakravarthy; playback by S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, P. Susheela, and S. Janaki, with lyrics by Veturi3 |
| Production | Roja Movies; producers M. Arjuna Raju and K. Sivarama Raju3 • 4 |
| Box office | Highest grossing Telugu film of 1979; grossed around 60 million (6 crore) with a distributor share of 30 million (3 crore), and an estimated 34.3 million (3.43 crore) footfalls in India2 |
| Hindi remake | Remade as Nishan, Raghavendra Rao's first Hindi film3 |
Spoilers
Story
Raja and Roja love each other, but Roja's father rejects the relationship because he believes Raja's father cheated him. Raja must prove his father's innocence to win approval and save Roja's royal family.5 A fuller synopsis describes a greedy accountant who murders a wealthy man's wife and deceitfully takes over his property, with fate working against him.6 Rotten Tomatoes summarizes the premise as a man who must earn the approval of his fiancée's father.4
Cast and crew
N. T. Rama Rao and Sridevi head the cast, supported by Rao Gopal Rao as Sivanandam, Kaikala Satyanarayana as Hari, Allu Ramalingaiah as Kanda, Jaggayya as Ananda Bhupati, Kanta Rao as Kalyana Gajapathi, Nagesh as Ponnuswamy, Chalapathi Rao, Pandari Bai, Pushpalatha, and Jayamalini in a special appearance.7 The technical crew included cinematographer K. S. Prakash, editor Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao, and art director Bhaskara Raju.3
Box office and records
The film was a major commercial success. IMDb's trivia notes that it was the highest grossing Telugu film of 1979 and the second highest grossing Telugu film of all time at that point, grossing around 60 million (6 crore) with a share of 30 million (3 crore) and an estimated 34.3 million (3.43 crore) footfalls in India.2 The Government of India's film catalog for 1979–80 reported that Vetagadu had grossed Rs. one crore in 20 weeks and was still showing to packed houses, describing Rama Rao's role as a shining young knight battling obstacles, including a toothless tiger, to win a girl he sees in a forest.8
Career milestone. With this film, NTR's remuneration reached Rs. 1 million (Rs. 10 lakhs), making him the highest paid actor in Telugu cinema.3 It was also the first film in which NTR and Sridevi appeared together as a romantic pair; Sridevi had earlier played his granddaughter in Badi Panthulu (1972).3 The 100 days function was held at Hotel Taj Coromandel in Chennai, with M. G. Ramachandran and Akkineni Nageswara Rao attending as chief guests.3
Legacy
Director K. Raghavendra Rao has repeatedly recalled the film as a career landmark. At NTR's centenary celebrations in 2022, he watched a free screening of Vetagadu at the Pemmasani theater and said that a full house despite heavy rain showed the actor's greatness.9 In 2020 he noted on Twitter that Vetagadu and his later Vajrayudham (1985) had been released on the same date, 5 July, in different years.1 The film is included in Tata Play's Telugu Classics service among celebrated Telugu films of the 1950s to 1990s,10 and it is currently available for streaming on Amazon Prime Video.7
A different Telugu film also titled Vetagadu, directed by Tammareddy Bharadwaja and starring Rajasekhar, Rambha, and Soundarya, was released on 1 January 1995; it is a remake of the Hindi film Baazigar and is unrelated to the 1979 film.11
Release details and discrepancies
Most sources give the theatrical release date as 5 July 1979, including TV9's NTR filmography, FilmiBeat, and Samayam Telugu.12 • 13 • 1 Letterboxd and Digit Binge instead list a November 1979 theatrical date (19 and 18 November respectively).6 • 14 Runtimes also differ across databases: IMDb, Rotten Tomatoes, and Filmaffinity list 161 minutes, while JustWatch and Letterboxd list 152 minutes.2 • 4 • 7
References
- ఒకే రోజున ఎన్టీఆర్, కృష్ణ సినిమాలు, Samayam Telugu (5 July 2020)
- Vetagadu (1979), IMDb
- Vetagadu (1979), Telugu Cinema Prapamcham
- Vetagadu, Rotten Tomatoes
- Vetagadu, aha
- Vetagadu (1979), Letterboxd
- Vetagadu streaming, JustWatch
- Telugu Films, Indian Film Catalogue 1979–80, Directorate of Film Festivals
- K. Raghavendra Rao emotional about NTR after watching Vetagadu, TV9 Telugu (28 June 2022)
- Relive magic of cinema with Tata Play Telugu Classics, Telangana Today (7 April 2023)
- Vetagadu (1995), Moviebuff
- NTR filmography and release dates, TV9 Telugu
- Vetagadu Cast & Crew, FilmiBeat
- Vetagadu Movie (1979), Digit Binge
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 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 3, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026
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