Celluloid mahotsavam
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The ongoing Apuroopa Chitra Mahotsavam has crowds swelling with every coming day.
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The rambling open-air stadium of the Lalitha Kala Thoranam is teeming with public from all walks of life. The 44-day festival of prized films Apuroopa Chitra Mahotsavam is on. The timing is perfect - summer holiday season with lots of leisure for families (right from the labourers to the office-going crowd) to spend their evenings watching a good Telugu movie, the best picks under the sky.
It is a surprise to see multitudes - some squatted, some seated in the chairs in the gallery, others standing at the wings - maintain a discipline and silence as the show goes on. The movie festival that took off on April 4 is into its seventh week; crowds swelling with every coming day. The films are all the prestigious Nandi award winners like Alluri Seetarama Raju, Mouna Poratam, Annamayya, Misamma (new) and Nuvve Nuvve - obviously the best in terms of quality. A large screen and a super sharp projector are added attractions.
Quality collection
"We had a tough time trying to pick good prints. We zeroed in on 44 films, right from 1964 when Nandi awards were instituted by the Government of Andhra Pradesh. Together with the State Film Development Corporation we wanted to screen quality films in terms of clarity, colour and picture sharpness," says Arja Srikanth, director of the Dyepartment of Culture, Andhra Pradesh.
His efforts to throw open the aesthetic Lalitha Kala Thoranam to the common man, to transform the venue into a film theatre for which it was originally intended is really paying off.
Value for money
"The late N T Rama Rao who was first a film star and then a chief minister of this state wanted the commoner to watch films without having to pay for it. This venue was designed solely for the purpose. Though a number of cultural events and filmotsavs were hosted here, cinema as such was relegated to the background. We have made it a policy to restore the original spirit on which this premises had taken shape. Prior to this Chitra Mahotsavam (a 44-day fest) we were screening a Telugu film on all weekends," says the committed director.
A live mimicry or magic show with artistes drawn from across the state is being staged in the evenings to keep the public entertained. "Its not until darkness sets in that we can start the movie especially in summer," say the organisers.
A part of the premises has also been turned into a temporaryauditorium to house the once famous Surabhi drama troupe that is here on a year long stage performance of some of their popular plays. "It is a sort of a revival of Surabhi which has faced rough weather with the fall in public patronage. We make sure that the drama venue and the film venue do not disturb each other in terms of acoustics," assures the spokesman of the organising committee. At last Lalitha Kala Thoranam housed in the nerve centre of the metro has turned into a dream come true-for the people and of the people!
RANEE KUMAR
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