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Godavari 50 days function in Dallas - a report by Ramesh Babu
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July 18, 2006

Godavari

Here is an exclusive first-hand report on 'Godavari 50-day celebs' from none other than an idlebrain's Godavari contest winner - Mr. Rameshbabu.

Prologue
Along with the shining sun, on the evening of Sunday, July 9 2006, I reached the venue by 8.10 PM towards the sun set to witness my first filmy-function and to have a one-on-one conversation with Mr. Sekhar Kammula. Surprisingly, this time Sekhar's real-boat is faster than his reel-boat, and left in a hurry without me:). U r right, twist # one - I missed the boat by a whisker. Though the boat sincerely followed IST standards leaving @ 8 PM, an hour behind the schedule (7 PM), I still missed it bcoz I too followed desi time-sense without realizing that the boat is faster than the car this time.

No probs, here z twist # 2: Recollecting a hearsay 'A filmy-function needs a filmy-mind', inspired by Sekhar's movie-mind for a while, took the help of a local boat expert, and like a movie hero with a small boat - headed to chase 'Godavari party-boat'. There u go, no heroines waiting for me, except simple Sekhar, his Sriram (Sumanth w/o make-up & heroines), and fellow 'teluguBiddas'. Well, no more twists please, I jumped off the small boat without dupe, joined the troupe, and no looking back till midnight.

Here is the flow of events that followed an unwritten script with no tollywood censor board around (a board that reportedly caused not only an extra ½ crore production cost for the graphical dog episodes etc, but also weakened hero’s characterization by cutting some significant scenes related to his service-oriented/political aspirations in ‘Godavari’).

The setup
It is more natural than the movie itself. Grapevine lake, located in the heart of Dallas - Fortworth Metroplex (@ 110 Fairway Drive, Grapevine, Texas, USA), a few miles away from Dallas airport, but around 20K miles away from the 'Godavari' river, is surrounded by peaceful shoreline, whispering trees, and gently rolling hills. In it, a two-decked yacht, able to accommodate around 100 people still smaller than the ‘godavari’s desi-combo-boat’, has a kitchen, dining hall etc on the lower deck, and an open bar & grill house on the upper deck. Perfect setting on a perfect evening, isn’t it, more follows!

The Characters
No filmi-big shots that u often witness on TV channels in this kind of stuff, and hence no cinematic/over-praising lengthy speeches and no trophies presentation too. Instead, it is attended by around 75 elite class of people comprising local andhraites of TANTEX (no rush please, it is not the banian brand company, but a local non-profit yet powerful Telugu Association of North Texas), talkative Touring Talkies personnel including a couple of local white IT big shots, along with the only two film-crew members Sekhar & Sumanth, and their NRI friends/fans. If there is one thing that is missing, it z the heroines - Sekhar's 'Sita & Raaji', who are the heart & soul of "Godavari' - aren't around (probably sponsored by none), but guess what, their absence is well-compensated by our very own ‘telugu aadapaduchulu of Texas’ fully clad in desi-style costumes (sarees/salwars).

The Program
After the initial 'hi-hi' kind of shy shake-hands, smiley interactions, casual conversations (which I missed any way), and small sips of drinks (ranging from sprite to scotch – got ur silly question, ‘does Sekhar drink’! U know what, he thinks more than he drinks, if any. Yep, he seems to be a ‘eat/drink/talk/think cinema’ kind of a guy, u know :); the program started with MC – Steven O’Neill (a local IT mind from Microsoft) cracking a couple of jokes on Sekhar & Martin Schmidt(CEO of Magellan IT Inc. - an Indian movie lover who gave his interesting feedback on ‘Anand’ the other day) - followed by cake cutting, and champagne opening by Mr. Sumanth & Sekhar. Yes, there are some speeches, but the shortest of them are from none other than Mr. Sekhar & Sumanth. Then, there are no formalities, no rules, no censor board - just fun followed by food (delicious desi dishes such as pepper chicken, chicken 65, baby corn fry, mixed pakoda, curd rice etc - catered by a local desi hotel, Mayuri Indian Restaurant). And at the climax, unlike the movie as some audience felt, no dragging in the end, instead this real-boat ride is extended by half an hour on public demand.

A kind of family-function, not a filmi-one
In one go, this 'Godavari 50-day celebrations-cum-cruise-cum-champagne party' on the other side of the globe is equally energetic & entertaining as the movie 'Godavari' itself. Commemorating the successful run of 'Godavari' movie on this 'Titanic' land, and acknowledging the 3 ½ month-long dedicated efforts put-up by Sekhar & his crew on the banks of 'Godavari' river - a 3 ½ hour-long beautiful boat ride in the Grapevine lake, with a natural backdrop of sun set followed by full-moon light, is a thoroughly enjoyed journey, a journey that is full of fun & food from start to end with all the characters involved enjoying every moment of it. Being one of the unique of its kind, this function turned out to be a family-stuff rather than just being a filmi-type bcoz the people, the feelings, the moods, and the interactions on this boat ride, like in the movie, are so natural, and it indeed provided pleasant moments a plenty with a group photo at the end. Finally, ‘idlebrain’s godavari contest winners’ are presented with ‘idlebrain-branded’ T-shirts, along with a bonus snapshot with Sekhar & Sumanth.

Like his two telugu movies, ‘Anand & Godavari’, Sekhar too is simple, sensitive and down-to-earth as he was when he left this very same land a few years ago, and he always seems to listen/think as you converse with him the pros & cons of his movies in the context of today’s typical movie-buff. Let us wish this bespectacled, bearded, ‘tall but talk less, think more’ kind of a guy to keep up the tempo he himself created thorough his previous flicks. And finally, u know what, this passionate filmmaker Sekhar humbly says, he hasn’t made a good cinema yet - satisfying the four golden-rules of his own book - longevity, social obligation/message, art, and commerce – and hence let us all wish him to make such a flick sooner than later.

- Rameshbabu
[email protected]

Godavari links
Overseas schedules

 

 

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