| Ankusam | |
| Director: | Kodi Ramakrishna |
| Story: | MS Arts Unit |
| Starring: | Dr. Rajashekar Jeevitha Rami Reddy |
| Producer: | Shyam Prasad Reddy |
| Music: | Satyam |
| Cinematography: | K. S. Hari |
| Editing: | K. A. Marthand |
| Runtime: | 135 minutes |
| Language: | Telugu |
| Country: | India |
Ankusam is 1989 Indian Telugu-language action film directed by Kodi Ramakrishna and produced by Shyam Prasad Reddy. The film stars Dr. Rajashekar and his wife Jeevitha, while Rami Reddy and M. S. Reddy play supporting roles.[1] The film became a box-office blockbuster and was a major breakthrough in Rajasekhar's career.[2] Ravi Raja Pinisetty directed the Hindi and Kannada remakes - Pratibandh and Abhimanyu with Chiranjeevi and V. Ravichandran, respectively, in 1990.[3] The film won three Nandi Awards.
Vijay (Dr. Rajasekhar) is an honest police officer who learns that an assassin named Neelakantam (Rami Reddy) is assigned to kill his former mentor-turned-CM Master Raghuviah (M. S. Reddy) and sets out to thwart Neelakantam's plans.
| Song | Singer(s) | Lyrics |
|---|---|---|
| "Idi Cheragani Prema" | Mallemaala | |
| "Goranta Deepam" | S. Janaki | Mallemaala |
| "Ayyaloo Jaagarata" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam | Mallemaala |
| "Chinnaari Kasigandu" (dwepada) | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam | Mallemaala |
| "Nenu Tappu Cheyaledu" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam | Mallemaala |
The film became successful at box office and provided a major breakthrough in the career of Rajasekhar. Rajasekhar's portrayal of honest and short-tempered police officer received critical acclaim and he went on to be typecast in similar roles throughout his career.[4] The film was dubbed and released in Tamil as Idhuthaanda Police, which also became a huge hit.[5]
Both director and actor again teamed up for Nayakudu, which failed to repeat the success of Ankusam.[6] Ramireddy also became famous as a villain and did similar characters in other films.[7]
Film maker Srinu Vaitla said that, "Two films – RGV's Shiva and Kodi's Ankusam – deeply influenced me and directly or indirectly prompted me to become a director".[8]