For the older lot of movie-goers it was like watching a period film, while for the younger ones it was like seeing their hero Nandamuri Balakrishna in a mythological role with a glamorous Nayanatara in what could possibly be her last appearance on the big screen.
That's the Bapu-directed ‘Sri Rama Rajyam' (SRR) for you, revolving around ‘Lava' and ‘Kusa'. For a wee bit of history, the original ‘Lava Kusa' was directed by C. Pullaiah in 1934, with Sriranjani playing Sita. C. Pullaiah again did it, directing the legendary NTR as Lord Rama and Anjali Devi as Sita in 1963 in a project that took four years to complete.
From 1963, the film had not been made again, till SRR. It came with a lot of expectations and for Balayya fans , it was like seeing the original NTR, thanks to the promos.
SRR that drew full houses when it hit the screens across the globe on Thursday surely had something for everyone. Technology certainly came in handy for making the period film look much more authentic and visually appealing. Techies from EFX, Pixelloid, Makuta and Orange Media worked to get the natural feel. Behind the camera was Raju, using all his imagination and innovation to make the mythological appealing across all age groups.
The cast with ‘Balayya' babu and Nayanatara in the lead had thespian Akkineni Nageswara Rao essaying the role of sage Valmiki. The technicians too attracted attention. Well, that Bapu was the director apart, the very fact that the maestro Ilayaraja was responsible for the excellent ‘aural' appeal with his musical notes, made fans wait eagerly.
Bapu enjoys the distinctive image of being the quintessential clean, family filmmaker and is known for ‘Sundarakanda' (2008), ‘Radha Gopalam' (2005) and ‘Rambantu' (1995), just to name a few and producer Yalamanchali Sai Babu trusted him with a big budget.
