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Archetype of humorist

He was pirouetting on word play, plotting the indomitable spirit of the ordinary folk. Then, through commercial cinema he endured the interest of two generations of filmgoers. P. S. BHAT presents a cameo on the insights of Mullapudi Venkata Ramana

PERSONALITY Venkata Ramana the `child' prodigy PHOTO: RAJU. V

For about four decades, Bapu-Ramana, the director-writer duo redefined the conscience of sensible viewers of Telugu celluloid acrobatics. Ramana, the writer, was in town to peep into the festive fortress of 17th book exhibition. After much persuasion at his 2nd floor stay, he sat for conversing in the warmth of west bound sun. There was chill in his room as pleasant as his reassuring voice reviewing his work that spread over 3,000 pages in eight volumes and 60 films. Reflections on the glass of a room window of the verdant lawn outside punched his pauses gleefully, resurrecting the missing lines.

Humour in his works is discreet but not isolated. His pun always discovers a scintillating word, but never invents an ignoble divide of phrases. It is never didactic but turns user-friendly. His characters are steadfast and stoical with zeal to live with equanimity.

Harmless pleasure

"Every one liked the reviews including the producers and they never complained to the editor," quips Ramana. It is this sheen of harmless pleasure that touches everything he created, the characters and the narratives if Gopalam becomes a winged Romeo, Radha turns a prudent Juliet, Budugu an irreverent Dennis. .

Best known are the tribulations of Apparao, a lender incarnate created by Ramana. "It is modelled on myself and a poet-friend in our gruesome days of poverty," muses the writer. Anyway what does surface on this lighter vein stuff? "Not wit, but wisdom to brave the rough weather." He is not an ordinary card in a pack of elegant writers, but still reigns supreme. "There are many good writers in Telugu," he chuckles in. "I don't embellish humour but make it an element of the characters and story line," he says. To some, his Budugu, the kid, may be too resilient and provoked. "No in our homes, the love and care we bestow on the kids surely make them intelligent and emotive. In fact, he is based on recollections of my own childhood days. He is enamoured by every one," Ramana relishes his popularity.

Guess the villain he liked! "Of course, one is Mutyala Muggu. It is the beginning of a soft villain to change from the crude and bawdy. Then on, for two decades only prototypes of my villain emerged on the screen. I loved creating him. Gopala Rao did the role extremely well."

Passing through archway

Though he has no specific preferences in his mythologicals, `Seetha Kalyanam' is an opus for him. "Bapu directed it brilliantly and I personally feel proud of the script work," says he emphatically.

Of the English humorists, P.G. (Wodehouse) is his favourite for his colonisation of the aristocracy and Bhamidipati in Telugu is liked by him for the spread to the commoners delight'. He also loves Hilaire Belloc.

It is a coincidence that an epigram on the cover of a Belloc reads "...but his books were read." It is no small wonder that in an age of dwindling pleasure from the printed words, Ramana's books are not only read, but re-read.

Another generation is eager to pass through the archway he has so assiduously built.

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