Pavitra Bandham

Vijay is the son of rich industrialist Viswanath and is heavily westernised, having grown up in the US and has no interest in marriage; his goal is to enjoy his youth as much as possible. Viswanath would like his son to get married and become responsible; his insistence makes Vijay agree to a marriage, but with a unique condition — a kind of test drive. The marriage will be for a single year, initially, and at the end of the year he can choose to continue it, or not, depending on his attitude towards his wife, in that duration, the marriage will be annulled. Radha (Soundarya), Viswanath's personal secretary, is a hardworking young woman struggling to support her family. Viswanath asks Radha to quit her job and marry his son, but she refuses when she hears Vijay's strange condition. However, Radha's family is in dire financial straits, and so she has to reconsider this offer. In return for marrying Vijay, she asks for financial support for her family, which Viswanath readily provides.

Vijay and Radha are married. After the marriage, they become friendly with each other, and Radha goes out of her way to look after Vijay when he meets with an accident. At the end of the year, however, Vijay decides to annul the marriage, as had been agreed upon. Radha leaves Vijay and returns home. After the separation, Vijay starts to feel a longing for the presence of his devoted wife. Soon, though, he realizes her worth and wants her to come back, but she declines. Meanwhile, Radha finds out that she is pregnant. In order to support herself, she gets a job in a new company; to her surprise, when the company's managing director arrives, he turns out to be Vijay. He later confesses to her that he's a changed person and wants her back. But even after repeated persuasion, she disagrees because her faith in him has been shattered. Vijay continues to pursue her and leaves no stone unturned to show her that he cares for her. Later, Radha and her family hold a ceremony for the well-being of her to-be-born child. Viswanath and Vijay attend the ceremony as well, Radha reveals Vijay to be her husband and tells all the guests about the marriage-contract. An argument follows; Vijay and his father walk out, followed by all the guests.

Near the completion of her pregnancy, Radha learns that troublemakers Dileep (Prakash Raj) and Jayaram (Srihari), who had once attempted to kill Vijay, have escaped from prison. They are out looking for Vijay, who had fired them from his father's company for cheating and fraud. Radha gets anxious and tries to reach Vijay as soon as possible. On the way, she learns that the whole thing was a set-up by Vijay's friends to lure her back to her husband. But Dilip and Jayaram have attacked Vijay in reality and brutally stabbed him. Enraged, Radha goes to confront Vijay and as soon as she meets him, she accuses him of this shameless act. As she turns to leave, he staggers, and in a cry of pain, takes out the broken glass that Jayaram stabbed him with from the stomach. Radha, upon seeing his wound runs towards him, slips and falls down, and goes into labor. Vijay, summoning up all his strength, takes Radha to the hospital. On the way, Dileep and Jayaram attempt to kill them, but fail and die in a truck accident. While in the hospital, Vijay is treated for his injuries and Radha delivers a healthy baby boy. After the recovery, they are reconciled.

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• Venkatesh as Vijay
• Soundarya as Radha Vijay
• S. P. Balasubrahmanyam as Viswanath, Vijay's father
• Prakash Raj as Dileep
• Srihari as Jayaram
• Brahmanandam as Brahmam, Vijay's driver
• Sudhakar as Prasad, Vijay's friend
• Subhalekha Sudhakar as Shankar, Radha's brother
• Annapoorna as Radha's mother
• Syelaja as Radha's sister
• Posani Krishna Murali as Radha's brother-in-law
• Suthi Velu as Ramaiyah, Vijay's house help
• Ragini as Padmini "Paddu", Brahmam's wife
• Juttu Narasimham as Brahmam's father-in-law, Paddu's father
• Kallu Chidambaram as Beggar
• Jenny
• Sherri as Anitha, Dileep's sister; Vijay's one-sided lover
• Annuja as Lalitha "Lalli", Prasad's wife; Paddu's sister
• Vani as Seeta, Radha's younger sister
• Kishore Rathi
• Ooma Sharma

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{{Infobox album

| name = Pavithra Bandham

| type = Film

| artist = M. M. Keeravani

| cover =

| alt =

| released = 1996

| recorded =

| venue =

| studio =

| genre = Feature film soundtrack

| length = 25:42

| label = T-Series

| producer =

| prev_title = Jabilamma Pelli

| prev_year = 1996

| next_title = Priyaragalu

| next_year = 1996

}}

Music was composed by M. M. Keeravani. Music was released on T-Series Audio Company.{{Cite web |url=http://www.musicraaga.co.in/2012/09/pavitra-bandham-1996.html |title=MusicRaaga (Old to New): Pavitra Bandham (1996) |access-date=5 February 2013 |archive-date=27 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130127171142/http://www.musicraaga.co.in/2012/09/pavitra-bandham-1996.html |url-status=dead }} The song "Aparupamainadamma" was reused in the film's Tamil and Hindi remakes.

{{track listing

| headline = Track list

| extra_column = Singer(s)

| total_length = 25:42

| title1 = Maayadari Andama

| lyrics1 = Sirivennela Sitaramasastri

| extra1 = S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Sujatha Mohan

| length1 = 3:52

| title2 = Chali Kodatandi

| lyrics2 = Bhuvanachandra

| extra2 = S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Chitra

| length2 = 4:37

| title3 = Paatante Paata Kadu

| lyrics3 = Bhuvanachandra

| extra3 = Suresh Peters, Anuradha Sriram

| length3 = 2:58

| title4 = Isaalakidee

| lyrics4 = Sirivennela Sitaramasastri

| extra4 = S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Asha Bhosle

| length4 = 6:02

| title5 = Oh My Daddy

| lyrics5 = Sirivennela Sitaramasastri

| extra5 = S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Mano, Chitra

| length5 = 4:48

| title6 = Apurupamainadamma Aadajanma

| lyrics6 = Sirivennela Sitaramasastri

| extra6 = K. J. Yesudas

| length6 = 4:45

}}

A critic from Andhra Today opined that "The movie 'Pavithra Bandham' has a good message for the present day youth obsessed by the western culture. The movie sends across a clear message that marriage is a unique relationship".{{cite web | url=http://www.andhratoday.com/movie/pavithra.htm | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19980213002358/http://www.andhratoday.com/movie/pavithra.htm | archive-date=13 February 1998 | title=Reviews }}

;Nandi Awards - 1996{{Cite web|url=http://ipr.ap.nic.in/New_Links/Film.pdf|title=నంది అవార్డు విజేతల పరంపర (1964–2008)|trans-title=A series of Nandi Award Winners (1964–2008)|publisher=Information & Public Relations of Andhra Pradesh|access-date=21 August 2020|archive-date=23 February 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150223135739/http://ipr.ap.nic.in/New_Links/Film.pdf|url-status=live}}(in Telugu)

• Best Feature Film - Gold - C. Venkata Raju
• Best Actress - Soundarya
• Best Supporting Actor - S. P. Balasubrahmanyam

{{reflist}}

• {{IMDb title|1579650}}

{{Muthyala Subbaiah}}

{{Posani Krishna Murali}}

Category:1996 films

Category:1990s Telugu-language films

Category:1990s Indian films

Category:Telugu films remade in other languages

Category:Films scored by M. M. Keeravani

Category:1996 romantic drama films

Category:Indian romantic drama films

Category:Films directed by Muthyala Subbaiah