On a scorching afternoon in May 1987, director Sarath was filming a crucial scene for producer Vallabhaneni Lakshmi Dasu’s Kulaala Kurukshetram at K R Vijaya Gardens, near Porur in Chennai. As the title suggests, the movie’s theme revolves round building a casteless society. At the location were actors J V Somayajulu, Kanchana, Naresh, Sivakrishna, ‘Subhalekha’ Sudhakar, Daggubaati Raja, Archana and Chitra with other junior actors. It was a marriage scene. Naresh and Archana were in bridal clothes. The young players in the drama were performing an intercaste marriage. When the newly wed seek the blessings of their parents, they refuse to oblige. Thereupon, they approach the undertaker at the burial ground to bless them.
Explaining the rationale behind such a scene, Sarath disclosed: “There is reason behind seeking the blessings of the undertaker, who is a silent observer of the caste clashes in the village. The undertaker knows that all are equal in the eyes of the God of death, irrespective of their caste and status. To give more strength to the scene, we created a situation for the song and commissioned Jaladi to pen it.”
For the ace lyricist with a penchant for folk songs, it should have been an easy task. But he once said that initially he was under pressure while writing the song. The reason: The producer and director, after explaining the situation for the song, told him that he should make it a hit song. “I was a bit nervous. For, if it were to be a duet to be filmed on the lead pair or a comedy song on the comedy pair, there was scope for the song to turn a hit. But the song was planned to be filmed on an undertaker in a burial ground. Moreover, Sarath was a close friend and I had to give him the best song possible. From the undertaker’s point of view all were equal. For him, there was only one caste, one religion — humanism. As I was struggling for words, Kosaraju Raghavaiah Chowdhary, the trend setter for Telugu film folk songs, and his chilaka (parrot) came to my rescue. After the death of a person, the common remark is chilaka yegiri poyindi , comparing the soul with the bird. I caught hold of the parrot from Kosaraju’s pen and started writing the lyric using his chilaka .”
Goodu gummadaaku meeda silako silakaa / Moodu poddulaadukune silako silakaa/ Tommidi gummaalakaada silako silakaa/ Thongi thongi chooseve silako silakaa.
For some reason he changed --- Tholu thitthi paalu taagi — in the final draft to Goodu vippi paalu taagi — followed by gaali thitthi aatalaadi/ Aaradugula nelameeda silako silakaa/ Yedadugulu nadutthaave silako silakaa/ Goodu gummadaaku ….
And then he says about the bridegroom:
Pustela thaadesaade silako silakaa/ Manase manuvantaade silako silakaa/ Tanuve tanadantaade silako silakaa
In the second stanza, Jaladi has written that it is hope that makes man survive and it is ego that destroys him.
Ahamemo adhika manatadee/ Sukamedo soodamantadee
And, while seeking the pleasures of life, it is one’s ideology and traditions that guide a person.
Matamedo malinamantadee/ Ee kulamemo aa koodu thintadi
Before nature all are equal. This is the essence of all religions.
Lokulame andaramoo silako silakaa/ kaakula mannaarule silako silakaa/ aakali kadupunnade silako silakaa/ Aasalu thintunnade silako silakaa
And to stop the caste war — Marugu neeti budagantaa/ Bathuku gaali vadaganta
The poet concludes, stating the completeness of life with these words:
Nelalu thommidenanta silako silakaa/ Nooramada dooramantaa silako silakaa
The scene
Four friends (played by Naresh, Sivakrishna, ‘Subhalekha’ Sudhakar and Daggubati Raja) return to their village after completing their education in the city. The foursome aim to do away with the caste system that plagues their village and reform the elders (J V Somayajulu, Prabhakara Reddy, Ranganath and Narra Venkateswara Rao) the perpetrators of caste war in the village. In the process, they perform an intercaste marriage of one among them (Sivakrishna) with the daughter (Chitra) of an upper caste couple (Somayajulu and Kanchana). When the elders refuse to recognise the wedding, the young couple seek the blessings of the village undertaker (Velu). Upset at the happenings in the village, the undertaker sings the song.
The philosophical tattva song was set to tune by K V Mahadevan with a captivating rendition by S P Balasubrahmanyam. It was filmed at Bhatlapenumarru village in Krishna District. Jaladi did give one of his best songs to his close friend Sarath. The song still lingers in the minds of discerning Telugu film music lovers.
