Gummuluru Sastry... This is a name that donned a natural actor in
Padamati Sandhya Raagam. It's also the name of a tasteful producer, for the same film. And, it's the name of an individual who wanted to be different - unique in his own way, choosing very off-the-beat careers through for his life. My interaction with him started about 8 years ago, when I first
interviewed
him on February 22 (or 24), 2001, over the phone, for TeluguCinema.Com. I was pleasantly surprised when he mentioned "Trends in Telugu Cinema", a feature that I had started about mid-2000 and stopped after covering decade by decade but only until 1960. He said, "I liked the series that you wrote, but I wonder why you stopped it after the first three episodes! I was expecting better details after that period, because you're younger and know better about films after the 1970s. In fact, that was a time when I stopped having direct interaction with Telugu films, and I'd have loved to read more on films and celebrities of those times!"
I never expected someone to remember the feature so well, some months after it was discontinued. In that phone call, he mentioned he was visiting Hyderabad in March that year, and I said my parents would be glad to host him. He thanked me for the offer, but he said he'd surely visit them though, and took my parents' phone number in India. What more, he actually called them and went to my home for lunch over a weekend! Honestly, I didn't expect that he could spare such time or care for such a visit, but he did. And, I realized that he just wasn't choosing his careers randomly but he was actually a man with distinct personality! Thus, my parents met him much before I met him. We were in touch for a year or so after that, by e-mail, and occasional phone calls after he returned to the USA, but lost touch after that.
It was in late 2005 or early 2006 again that I saw his comments for an article in TeluguCinema.Com. There, he wrote his full name and e-mail address too. And, I e-mailed him to confirm he was the same person, and we were back in touch over the phone. I learnt he was planning to direct a sequel to
Padamati Sandhya Raagam and that the producer and writer would be Meer Abdulla, his co-producer for the original film. He added that they were planning to release the sequel, titled
Maro Sandhya Raagam, to commemorate 20 years of release of
Padamati Sandhya Raagam. Later one day, Sastry
gaaru called me up and asked if I have any contacts in the film industry, so that Meer Abdulla
gaaru can meet with such people during the latter's impending India trip and discuss the practical issues before venturing into film-making in India after a long gap of 20 years.
I gave him contacts of a few people that I thought could help. Later, Meer Abdulla
gaaru called me and talked to me in more detail about the film and their plans, when I told that I was planning to enter the filmdom myself as a lyricist. "Yeah, let's see...", was the curt reply from him, but when Sastry
gaaru spoke to me again, he sounded like Meer Abdulla
gaaru mentioned that I could work as a lyricist for their film. Since then on, I was in touch with Sastry
gaaru and/or Meer Abdulla
gaaru on and off.
Eventually, I moved to New Jersey, and Meer Abdulla
gaaru drove to New Jersey to meet me (and also get some other things done in NJ) on September 14, 2006, only a few days after I went there. While we discussed more about the movie over lunch, he said he's confident that I can write good lyrics for the film. Across lunch too, we talked more about Sree Sastry gaaru than about
Maro Sandhya Raagam or anything else! Such is the association that Meer Abdulla
gaaru shared with Sree Sastry
gaaru, I understood. Soon, he put me in contact with Smt. Padmaja Sonti, who'd provide the music for the particular song they'd record in the USA. He mentioned already that the song
pibarE raamarasam... for
Padamati Sandhya Raagam was the first Telugu film song to be recorded in the USA, and he added that they'd continue the tradition creating more history now - to record an all-NRI Telugu film song in USA; the singers, musicians, composer and lyricist would all be from the USA!
I hadn't met Sree Gummuluru Sastry
gaaru yet, ever, by the time Smt. Padmaja Sonti provided the tune for the song on October 27, 2006. My interaction was more with Meer Abdulla
gaaru all through this time, but I got occasional calls from Sree Sastry
gaaru congratulating me on providing lyrics like they want them.
Quite coincidentally, I ran into Meer Abdulla
gaaru and Gummuluru Sastry
gaaru on February 04, 2007, at the theater in Union City, NJ, when I went there for the premiere of Balakrishna's
Maharadhi. That was the first time I met Sastry
gaaru. I was happy that I finally met him, and we spoke for a while. They dropped me off at my accommodation in Iselin, NJ, and he was so jovial and casual - there was no celebrity air or that he's so highly educated or well-settled in the USA for over 40 years. Same was the case with Meer Abdulla
gaaru, of course, but given that Gummuluru Sastry
gaaru was 69 then and I was 40 years younger, I was so surprised at his warm demeanor.
Finally, on February 17, 2007, my first lyric was
recorded
in Avalon Studio in Washington, D.C. Thus, the first all-NRI-made Telugu film song has made its place secure in the annals of Telugu cinema. Behind this achievement was the commitment of Sree Gummuluru Sastry
gaaru in particular. He was instrumental in staging Telugu dramas in the USA in the past, in recording the first Telugu film song in the USA, in making a Telugu film almost entirely in the USA for the first time, and now recording the first Telugu film song with all NRIs behind it! Trendsetters like him are rare...
Later that night, a party was thrown in the residence of popular classical dance teacher Smt. Lakshmi Bangaru (Production Executive and Choreographer for
Maro Sandhya Raagam). There too, I had a chance to interact with Sree Gummuluru Sastry
gaaru at a closer distance, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. He seemed more dynamic than many other people there, with due respect to all others present. Many a time in that party, I found him singing or humming my lyric, and that was the best compliment I could ever get, I should say - for a learned, elderly person to sing my song happily! In fact, it had particular lines that he liked and repeatedly told others about my insight that incorporated such lines!
"It's not my insight, sir, but my luck to have been associated with tasteful souls like you, Meer Abdulla, or Padmaja Sonti!", I told to myself then. While the credit for rechristening me as "Chakravarthula" for the screen goes to Meer Abdulla
gaaru (as opposed to my choice "Chakravarthy"), "You'll be famous... Chakravarthula, like Jandhyala and Samudrala!" blessed Sree Gummuluru Sastry
gaaru. Sree Sastry
gaaru sounded quite enthusiastic in the party when he said he wanted to act and direct more films in Telugu.
...Unfortunately, fate had other plans. Before
Maro Sandhya Raagam could move beyond its first song recording, Sree Gummuluru Sastry
gaaru passed away. Even until recently, I have known that he was concerned about political scenario in India - Telangana issue, PRP, and other things - and was enthusiastically following the news and online discussion forums, and ...suddenly this! I got the sad news by e-mail from Meer Abdulla
gaaru, and I didn't even know how to react. I just couldn't believe it, since Sree Sastry
gaaru never sounded like he knows he'd die - he always was like, "I have plans for future..." and was really young at heart all the time! I pray the Almighty that his soul should rest in peace, and that his family shall develop the required confidence and courage to move on without him.
By
NaChaKi
