When a Goddess takes on evil
M. L. NARASIMHAM
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The film is a socio-mythological that crunches a message for society.
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BEATIFIC SMILE Bhanupriya dons the greasepaint to take on the evildoers.
The location is a house near Ramanaidu Cine Village in Nanakramguda. Kodi Ramakrishna is shooting for Devathalu produced by G. Srinivasa Reddy. Hopping and skipping across the cables, the trolley tracks, the reflectors one gets into the house which in fact is a set created with authenticity by art director Nagu. The director is seen talking to his cinematographer Sri Venkat. Venkat's assistants are busy making the lighting arrangements. Someone from the camera unit shoutsfor switching on the baby light. Instead of the expected small light a huge light glows. The light is focused on the entrance.
The action starts. A young woman tries to get into the house praying to the Goddess to save her. She is chased by a man who looks rough. His assistant too follows them. This particular block is shot a few times to get the right effect, the fear and trauma on the girl's face at the same time showing the man who chases her and his emotions. The girl is the film's heroine `Kutty' Radhika, a popular Kannada and Tamil actor who is taking a shot into Telugu cinema. The rough looking man Madhu of Chakravakam serial fame. The assistant is comedian Prahlada Raju, a regular in Kodi Ramakrishna films. "Madhu plays a toddy-tapper and Prahalada Raju, his assistant. Madhu tries to seduce the heroine and she is saved by the Goddess (played by Bhanupriya). In the next sequence, we show the assistant's volte face and the crowd thrashingMadhu for his heinous attempt," the director says. Successful at making socio-mythological films, Ramakrishna feels that a filmmaker needs creative satisfaction first.
"More than anything else we need job satisfaction. The public should feel that we have made a good film. Today, the audience is in a much better position to judge a film. We have to keep pace with them and captivate them for two and half hours without an iota of boredom. Keeping this in mind, we wrote a script, based on a real life event. It is based on a legend surrounding a temple, the story of a Goddess among humans. In a nutshell, the theme borders on the belief that God is everywhere and in human beings too. The central idea is to inculcate Bhakthi bhava. I strongly believe the story will appeal to young and old alike." In the next block, Bhanupriya enters the scene. The last time she played a devotional character it was in the movie Annamayya. "Though I have done an occasional mythological role, Devathalu offers a wide scope as I am shown in different guises. An ordinary woman dons the avatar of a Goddess to annihilate evil. The role is interestingly conceived and I am surrounded by my sisters. I have done a few films with the director earlier, but this one is special for me and it is a wonderful character I enjoyed playing," she smiles. "Lookout for the song filmed on me at a Shiva temple on the outskirts of Hyderabad," she concludes before facing the camera. Ghantadi Krishna composed the music and we are told that the climax song which is on a high pitch emotional note is sung by the composer himself. Jonnavithula Ramalingeswara Rao wrote the lyrics. It is interesting to note that Kodi Ramakrishna choreographed the songs. Rishi plays the hero.
Producer Srinivasa Reddy hopes to laugh all the way to the bank as the director's previous films in the genre - Ammoru, Devi and Devullu were super hits. He plans to bring the films to the theatres this summer.
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