July 8, 2006

In spite of being a big fan of it myself, I hate to say that most of Indian cinema these days has become extremely commercial. The movies include surreal feats taken upon by the director to impress the movie-goers who want 3 hours of complete entertainment for the money they are paying. The characters are also portrayed as beyond human – the hero for his intense strength and the heroine for her extreme beauty and physique and directors take persistent measures to point this out to the public. Every part of it is exaggerated, be it the setting, romance, action or even the music – the movie gives a complete package and plays with the viewer’s emotions for the whole 3 hours only to realize that once you walk out of the theater, it is not real. It has nothing to do with your life.

I would have lost all interest in watching Telugu movies if it were not for Shekhar Kammula. From the day the word was out about the release of Godavari, my family has been anticipating its release. Finally, when the day arrived, we got some friends together and drove in the pouring rain to watch the much awaited movie. This movie, of all, deserved the theater experience and we were too anxious to wait for the release of the DVD. The only reason for this enthusiasm was Shekhar Kammula. We had all become huge fans of him after watching his first movie, Anand. Like his earlier movie, Godavari’s release accompanied a full house theater here in Boston. I was equally happy with his second movie and it was completely worth my time and effort.

There are many reasons why Kammula’s Godavari set itself apart from the rest of Tollywood movies. The movie-goers are given a very pleasant experience with amusing dialogue and a realistic setting on the banks of the very familiar Godavari river. The movie is not about grudges and violence between families but it explores the very simple, middle-class, city life of certain people and the issues they face in their lives. It relates well to my own life and some of the scenic shots on the banks of the river or in the city make me very nostalgic. The music in Godavari is also very soothing and captures traditional classical tunes in the songs. The songs have less of a Western feel to them and make Indian music stand out. Overall, it is a very pleasant experience.

The characters are not the typical hero and heroine in Indian cinema. The hero does not have abnormal abilities to tackle 20 men in a fight or to dance really well; he is a simple youth with sincere principles of changing the country. Like every one of us, he also has his shortcomings. Kamilini Mukherjee is also at her best in playing the role of a woman which each parent wants their children to be. She is an independent woman who does not want to rely on her parents to give her money or get her married. She wants to be responsible for her own life and gives herself a vacation to get her thoughts and issues together. She also strongly stands up for what she wants and finds ways to reach them. Essentially, the characters are good at heart and live simple lives based on the usual emotions and feelings of love, jealousy and honesty. To be able to impress such a huge audience without the standard format of Telugu movies says a lot.

As a director, Kammula has done his best at making the movie worth the time and effort for its viewers. He was able to transform a movie with no star value and very little grandeur into a huge success. His characters make us realize the heroes present in each one of us and how a little good that we do goes a long way. The script is very creative and free-slowing just like the Godavari itself; there are no unnecessary or redundant scenes and dialogues. The script is also accompanied by some comedy to make the movie a very lively experience. To top it all, he made the movie to make it appealing to everyone that is watching it. It gives us a feeling of watching old classical movies that were purely entertainers. Godavari reminds us of the long lost meaning of good entertainers that involve little gimmicks to catch people’s attention.

Vasantha Avadhani
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