filming N. T. Rama Rao was cast as the male lead Prasad; the fact that he and Krishna Murthy bonded during the making of Palletooru (1952), which was Krishna Murthy's cinematic debut as production manager, helped him get Rama Rao's dates for Lakshadhikari. Krishna Murthy initially chose Nagabhushanam to play the character Seethayya, but later replaced him with Gummadi as he felt he could "conceal villainy behind his soft demeanour and mislead the audience." One scene filmed at the swimming pool of the College of Engineering, Guindy had Padma (Krishna Kumari) in a swimsuit, but it was edited out by the Censor Board who declared that "the heroine should not wear a swim suit". The exterior portions of Chandamama Buildings in Vadapalani stood in for the college where Padma and Leela (Girija) study. The end of the song "Mabbulo Yemundi" required that Rama Rao and Krishna Kumari walk holding each other's hands on the seashore. As they were walking, a giant wave swept them away. Krishna Kumari did not know swimming and almost drowned, but Rama Rao held her hand tightly and saved her. Peketi Sivaram created the film's revolver sound effects. Soundtrack The soundtrack was composed by T. Chalapathi Rao. Release and reception Lakshadhikari was released on 27 September 1963. The film performed well at the box office, and became a trendsetter for more suspense-filled films in Telugu. Notes References External links 1960s Telugu-language films 1960s thriller films 1963 films Films directed by V. Madhusudhana Rao Films scored by T. Chalapathi Rao Indian black-and-white films Indian thriller films