5th January 2004

Hi Idlebrainers, I wish you all a very Happy and prosperous New Year 2004. Most of the IBDB (Idlebrain Discussion Board) members knew me by my nickname ONLYTRUTH, for others let me introduce myself. I am working in Hyderabad as a software engineer for a MNC. Like most of you, I am also very interested in movies and movie related things. I am Fan of Nandamuri Balakrishna since my childhood days. Nice meeting all of you through an open letter that shares my experiences in the grand successful event called "IB on Wheels". To my best of knowledge no magazine/ newspaper /T.V.channel /website designed and executed this type of event. Idlebrain.com did it first time. First of all let me tell you how my participation in this tour happened. I was only the "NON-IB" person participated in the tour. I was asked by Idlebrain management to take part in this innovative concept "IB on Wheels" the gr8 Andhrawala tour'. Even though there is lot of physical stress involved in traveling HYD - GNTR - TPT- GNTR- HYD and executing the event in less than 48 hrs, I agreed to participate for 2 reasons

1. As a hard-core movie lover, I wanted to analyze "talk of the state" Jr NTR's craze and "pulse of masses" through first hand experience. This is the best chance to do it since my route map covers half of the coastal districts and few towns in Rayalaseema.

2. Since 2001, I used the free services of www.idlebrain.com for getting first hand and reliable information about Tollywood. I thought my participation in this tour would be a little gratitude towards Idlebrain. Coming to the actual tour, IB -On wheels started with lot of HUNGAMA and fanfare from GUNTUR on DEC31st, 2003 evening.(photo)

Both the tour vehicles became cynosure of all eyes. AP film industry and people of Andhra have seen different campaigns but "IB on Wheels" was different from all. The curiosity in the eyes of the passers by has proved that "IB on Wheels" has achieved its purpose. JrNTR's impeccable craze amongst masses and children added to the variety in the concept of the tour, made the tour a pleasant for all the participants as well as movie lovers. Whenever a school bus crossed our vehicle, the children inside the bus overwhelmed after seeing the "the great Andhrawala tour" vehicle. We heard children cheering and screaming "Singamalai..." Singamalai..." andhrawala..." And also 100s of masses and fans ran behind our vehicle in many instances. Other centers of attraction were the pamphlets, custom-made Andhrawala-Idlebrain photo cards, calendars, stickers. photos of Jr. NTR's and Andhrawala distributed in various centers and theatres across the state.

In many places at Nellore, Tirupathi and Naidupeta a little bit of stampede happened wherever "IB on Wheels" stopped and distributed freebies of andhrawala. In Nellore and Tirupathi police asked "IB on Wheels" to move away from the theaters to avoid stampede. Sometimes We (IB-Team) enjoyed a kind of celebrity status. Even in that head banging situation (pressure from FANS and politicians for tickets, movie pre-release arrangements), all exhibitors and distributors welcomed "IB on Wheels" with good respect. In Guntur main theatre, management did not entertain even "female Ex. minister's KINS" who came for tickets for NEXT DAY. At the same time "IB on Wheels" got due respect.

In Nellore, after reading this distributed pamphlet few FANS asked, who the writer of the pamphlet was.. One of my teammates pointed towards me. Then few hardcore fans came to me started caressing on my cheeks and face with admiration :). They even asked us to get down from the vehicle and address the huge crowds gathered there. In many places 100s of Fans gathered around our vehicle and they did not allow us to move forward without distributing more pamphlets/ stickers/photos of JrNTR's. Do you all remember our childhood days, in which we have waited before the gates of the theatres to get the tickets for the release movie of our respective favorite stars? Probably We have forgotten all those days due to our busy day 2 day life of head scratching programming logics / University assignments. All those funny situations reappeared before my eyes after watching all that HUNGAMA at the theatres. All of we are out of these hungama's probably from 10 or more years. Reading/listening in media is different from experiencing it. Isn't it?

Do u know where we have celebrated New Year moments this time? We were in a village called TANGUTURU (Prakasam dist) where Andhrawala midnight show was about to start in few minutes after 12:00 Jan 1st 2004. Its first time in my life, watching a release movie, before its actual release, in C class center that too at MIDNIGHT. Fans celebrated NEWYEAR 2004 by cutting the cake in theatre premises and show started at 12:15 AM JAN 1st 2004.

There was an interesting incident happened in Tirupathi. We stopped our vehicle inside the main theatre complex. Video grapher and pamphlet distributors doing their work and 100s of FANS gathered around our vehicle. A 10-year-old very poor guy (probably a child labourer, he doesn't even have clothes covered his body properly) started pleading for a sticker of JrNTR's, which he has seen, pasted on our vehicle. We said NO, since we are out of stock of those stickers by that time. He kept on pleading us for 20 more minutes and we kept on saying NO. Later he offered us an amount of 2(two) rupees :) and started again. What we can do without having those stickers at all? We said " NO baba. We don't have any stickers". Then He disappeared into crowds and came back 10 minutes later. Now he offered 10 rupees and started showing the amount in his hand and literally his eyes became wet and he was about to cry and pleading us for that sticker. I would have given him a sticker if at all there were stock. The disappointment and frustration in the face of that poor boy still haunting me. This kind of many incidents happened.

Over all, if the result of the movie also supported us, we would have done this event much more grand success than now. Many industry people already appreciated this novel event.

Finally I would like to thank Jeevi and idlebrain.com for inviting me and providing comfortable arrangements through out the tour. I specially thank Mr. Krishna (Becbeckon of IBDB) and other IB-Team members for taking care of everything about me. I wish Idlebrain all the best, for their future mutual-promotional campaigns.