Reliving the magic of `Maya Bazar'
GUDIPOODI SRIHARI
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It was `Maya Bazar' once again as Abhimanyu stepped on the stage as did Balarama.
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Akkineni Nagaswara Rao being feted as Gummadi looks on.
The Golden Jubilee of one of the landmark Telugu films was celebrated last week in the open air auditorium of Lalita Kala Thoranam in the presence of the very artistes and technicians who created the magic that even now leaves people spellbound. Maya Bazar, which was released on March 27, 1957 to a never-ending applause, narrated a story, which is a take off on some characters in Mahabharata, without getting into the tale of the battle between Pandavas and Kauravas.
The celebrations were jointly organised by the Department of Culture, Film, T.V. and Theatre Development Corporation and Kinnera Art Theatres. The living legends of that era, Akkineni Nageswara Rao who played Abhimanyu in that film, Gummadi Venkateswara Rao, who was Balarama, Mikkilinani, Giribabu and Sita were present on the stage. They were felicitated by Home Minister K. Jana Reddy. Playback singer Madhavapeddi's daughter Nagalakshmi was also felicitated, and she recalled her father's vocal contribution to S.V. Ranga Rao's role of Ghatotkacha. "No modern film with graphics could match this black and white film in creating the thrill of the magical scenes," said ANR.
These movies will live on in people's memory, he said. Jana Reddy hoped that the Golden Jubilee celebrations would inspire the current generation of film makers to make sensible and aesthetic films. Akkineni released a book written by Ravi Kondala Rao converting the film's script into a novel, based on the screenplay by its legendary director K.V. Reddy, C. Narayana Reddy presided over the function. C. Partahsarathi of FDC, Rallabandi Kavita Prasad, director, cultural affairs and Ghantasala Ratnakumar; son of Ghantasala, who scored music for the film also took part in the function and was also felicitated.
Stills from the movie.
Originally written as a script for Surabhi Theatre for a play almost a hundred years ago. The first cinematic Maya Bazar was made in 1936 in Telugu based on this play. Later 16 films were made with the same title in different languages but K.V. Reddy's production stood out. Though there were efforts to convert this film into colour, using latest technology, the idea was dropped as the legatees of the film makers feared that original charm of black and photography of Marcus Bartley would be lost. He simply created magic on screen with his imaginative photography. To really relive the magic, the film Maya Bazar was screened on the large screen for the audience at the venue.
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