Prasthanam, a little gem that went unnoticed.

Honestly, the movie wasn’t even on my radar. I just heard from the trade thats its “good”. But I really got curious with so many telugu celebs on Twitter raving about it. I made an attempt to watch it but couldn’t as it was not around in cinemas. Thankfully, the director Deva Katta himself got in touch and arranged a show for Bunny & me. I am thankful to Deva for that because I would have missed one of the best Telugu films in recent times. This shows that the Telugu film industry which is notoriously popular for its racy, commercial films can also generate classics like this, something we can proudly showcase to rest of the world.

The writing, be it screenplay or dialogs were top-notch. Seeing grey characters play lead roles in Telugu cinema is a rarity. Despite its relaxed pace, at no point did I lose interest in the movie.  Seeing the realistic screenplay, I wondered how an ‘outsider’ like Deva was able to depict the political scene so accurately. The dialogues are hands-down the best in recent times. While the music was alright, Mahesh Shankar’s background score made up for it. Along with Deva Katta, another behind-the-scenes star of the film was cinematographer Shyam Dutt. The film was like visual poetry. The input of all the technicians involved in the film, was pretty evident on-screen.

This is my first Sai Kumar film and I feel we’ve missed a great actor along the way. He’s a talent powerhouse & should have got bigger roles in mainstream Telugu Cinema. Hope that happens post Prasthanam. This film is Sharwanand’s quantum leap as an actor. This is his best work till-date. I appreciate producer Ravi Vallabhaneni for producing this film. I was happy in a way that I dint produce this classic. Had I did that, out of anxiety if it would click commercially, I would have attempted to “basterdize” the film with a comedy track, twist or action episodes. I appreciate the Producer for sticking to his director’s vision. Supposedly, he was offered two scripts to produce. One a love story with comedy & the second was Prasthanam. And he chose this film. Bravo!

But I am equally sad, that my company Geetha Films dint distribute this film. In that case, we would have planned an elaborate marketing campaign, given better theatres and ensured the movie gets watched by a wider audience. I just  wish the movie lasted longer in theatres as the word-of-mouth started picking up, but the movie wasn’t running in cinemas. I am happy that the Telugu audience are responding well to newer kinds of cinema. The boxoffice success of Shambo Shiva Shambo, Leader, Yem Maya Chesavo and Prasthanam are a testament to that. As an industry, I feel slowly yet steadily we’re pushing our limits creatively. There’s still a lot left to be achieved, a movie like this is a step in the right direction.

Please appreciate the filmmakers and their efforts. Dont watch pirated copies of the movie. Download/watch it from www.RajShri.com if you want to see it. Else, I am sure the DVD will be out soon. Its worth the wait!

Also read :  “My Take on Leader & why it works for me.” (Published on 20th February 2010)