Ten minutes for holy cow!
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The man who gave us `Lakshmana Rekha' now turns to a holy pursuit.
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SHORT CUT Gopalkrishna on the sets.
For most people he is known as `Lakshmana Rekha' Gopalakrishna. And for film buffs, he has essayed many roles as a writer, director and producer,
documentary filmmaker and industry leader. His first feature film was Lakshmana Rekha, an offbeat story focusing on the plight of a girl-child, this erstwhile assistant of veterans V. Madhusudana Rao and K. Viswanath might not have dreamt that not only the film's title would stick to his name but also the 14-year-old heroine he had introduced would soon become one of the finest performers in South Indian cinema. And she continues to be so. Jayasudha in all humility even today says she owes it all to N. Gopalakrishna and Lakshmana Rekha. After making half a dozen feature films in Telugu tackling different issues, Gopalakrishna, at the behest of the then Chief Minister N. T. Rama Rao made ten documentaries for A. P. Film Development Corporation on various socio-welfare measures.
"I started my career as an assistant director with NTR starrer, Varasatvam directed by Tapi Chanakya. When I went and met him after he assumed office as Chief Minister, he entrusted me with the job of making
documentaries on women and child welfare and other such projects. It was a rewarding experience," recalls Gopalakrishna. This came in handy for him when he toyed with the idea of making a documentary on cow. "Cow is a symbol of prosperity, according to our Vedas and it is rightly called Kamadhenu. Not many from this generation know about our customs and traditions and tales surrounding the sacred cow.
So I decided to make a documentary and what better title can I find than Kamadhenu?" he smiles.
The ten-minute documentary shows the benefits we can have from cow and its importance in performing various religious rituals including yagnas. "Apart from its religious significance and benefits like milk and milk products, methane, a substitute for petroleum products is derived from cow dung. Electricity can be generated from it. There are many benefits if we rear cows." The documentary ends with a slogan against cow slaughter and leaves a message, `protect the cow and prosper.'
Besides writing the script, producing and directing it he had played the lead role. The director is planning to send the documentary to various film festivals in India and abroad.
M. L. NARASIMHAM
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