Kamal Kamaal
Kamal Kamaraju had to trim his hair and grow a beard to get the mature look of a man who was capable of overtaking the formidable dalam leader in Virodhi . While he played his part with aplomb, he reveals there was a lot of hard work involved and it couldn't have been possible without actor Sivaji Raja, the stress buster around. Kamal says, “Sivaji Raja would come up with a wise crack every now and then and we would often have gatherings at Srikant's house in Gangavati after the shoot.” He adds that Gangavati was such a hostile terrain that after a point they had to leave their vehicles and walk to the destination. The unit would walk14 kms to the hotel every day for 45 days. Kamal says since a gym wasn't available, the long walks were fun and doubled up as exercise.
Debut of a director
Kranti Madhav is making his debut as a director and producer after struggling in the industry for ten years. But why as a producer? His family has seen his passion and craze for films and has decided to support him. He hails from Hyderabad and has majored in Film Studies from Manipal. After doing a thorough research, he approached Rajendra Prasad with the script and the actor gave his nod. Kranti Madhav believes that entertainment and wit will travel with the actor. It is about a teacher who comes from a village and goes abroad. It deals with his journey and his take on the change in generation without being judgemental. The director adds, “A Titanic has value when it reaches the harbour not because it is gigantic. It is the same with human beings as well. How do we reach a goal? Where are we going? Are we going back to our roots? There are many open-ended questions.”
Long journey
“The long plait you saw in Shankarabharanam wasn't a false one. With a tight plait and a half-sari, sans make-up, I had to just look innocent. Jada tight ga vesukuni, make up lekunda langa vonee lo ala amayakam ga choostu vundevaalam We simply carried out instructions from K.Vishwanath garu,” says ‘ Shankarabharanam' Rajyalakshmi who got the prefix after the release of this classic.
Not that she didn't do better films later on but that particular film became a landmark in her career. After years she acted with the man who directed her in Aadavari Matalaku Ardhaleverule. She recollects NTR watching the preview and complimenting her on her looks and performance and considers his remarks as being an achievement, an Oscar. Having completed 250 films, the actress with beautiful eyes now works for various vernacular films and television serials. Her forthcoming release is Kodi Punju directed by B.V.V. Chowdary.
Framing memories
Brahmanandam has a huge collection of photographs. He intends to assemble these memoirs and give it a name. “Right from childhood to my current movies, I have diligently collected some photos. I now intend to add some prose to it so that it looks like a biography,” avers the actor. He has already selected 250 of them and is planning to call it “Photo Speaks”, this should be ready by the end of this year. I'm working on it after shooting hours”. But does he remember each conversation associated with the picture? He replies instantly, “ naaku bhayankaramaina memory undhi . You can call it a photographic memory and I can recall each conversation with friends that took place when I was in the fifth year of engineering and what transpired between me and Chiranjeevi 30 years back.”
Sambar girl
Rupali, the latest import from Mumbai declares sambhar as the most wonderful discovery of the South Indians. She has an aunt and a few friends living in Hyderabad and whenever she lands in the city she makes it a point to eat it with idlis, rice or whatever. The attractive lady quips, “I can drink sambar like water and can never get tired of it.” Rupali has walked the ramp, done umpteen commercials mostly for the print media and participated in a lot of events. She showed a streak to excel in extra-curricular activities ever since she was a child and her acting career has the full support of her family. About her deglamorised debut role in Neelakanta's Virodhi she says everyone can shine with cosmetics but she's glad she chose to dress in a petticoat and a torn dupatta throughout the film. “I'm actually a glam girl but I looked dirty and beautiful as Rehana,” she adds quite excitedly.
