Kodi Ramakrishna was a breath of fresh air when he arrived in Telugu cinema. At a time when family dramas reeked of melodrama at every breath, he brought a certain lightness to the genre and gave it a much needed humourous twist. He foresaw the change that technology would usher into the industry much before his filmmaker counterparts and channelised his anger about the happenings around the society through his emotionally charged narratives. He never tried to be politically correct or please a certain sect as he did that and stuck to his guns as he picked a plethora of gripping subjects surrounding crime, politics and the system. He didn’t piggyback on stars to make his films work; he was rather a star-maker for many leading actors of his generation.
Family dramas to political thrillers to devotional films to supernatural fantasy films and horror, he tried it all and did his best to comprehend the sensibility of a contemporary viewer. Like most legendary filmmakers in their later years, his last few films were a pale shadow of his rich past. However, that doesn’t reduce his worth as a storyteller one bit. A simple man, a warm communicator fondly remembered by many journos and spectators for wrapping himself a white cloth around his forehead, Kodi Ramakrishna breathed films and stories till his last days. Klapboardpost.com picks his five works that best reflect his contribution as a filmmaker.
Intlo Ramayya Veedhilo Krishnayya
This came at a phase where a young Chiranjeevi didn’t let his blossoming stardom affect his zest to dabble in a variety of subjects. In fact, that’s a reason his vast body of work is something that today’s actors should consider replicating before they aim to be a star. A simple story of a budding romance turning sour after the protagonists get married and eventually reconciling later, Kodi Ramakrishna brought the best out of Gollapudi Maruthi Rao, the writer and the actor in this light-hearted family drama. It’s hard to guess that a first-time filmmaker could be so surefooted in his execution – the film is sharp, witty and has enough emotional depth to it too. Chiranjeevi and Madhavi’s crackling chemistry and comic timing are milked to great effect in the film that remains inherently watchable even today.
Ammoru
Ammoru is a wonderful example to tell how a director could make an ordinary story on paper appear great on the screen with new-age storytelling. The film, like the many devotional stories of the 80s where a supposedly devoted, innocent wife seeks help from Goddess Durga to alleviate her husband from apparent danger, is beautifully elevated by its innovative use of technology, making the treatment of a done-to-death subject seem so riveting. Ammoru, a rage with kids and adults alike, captured rural traditions, rituals quite authentically in its backdrop in an era where no Telugu film director came to terms with the use of technological impact in storytelling yet. The film not only bolstered the fortunes of its producer M S Reddy, but also made the careers of all actors who were a part of it, be it Suresh, Ramya Krishna, Soundarya or a young Sunayna.
Mangammagari Manavadu
How many could sense that Mangammagari Manavadu was a remake of a Tamil film titled Man Vasanai? This is an important film to discuss Kodi Ramakrishna’s expertise in lending an appealing commercial exterior to stories, given he didn’t lose the essence of the simple, heartfelt rural drama in Tamil and yet makes it an irresistibly entertaining fare. Despite knowing veteran actress Bhanumati’s tantrums, the director was firm on casting her as the male protagonist’s grandmother (the film was named after her character eventually). Although she threw a fit over the dialogues given to her (when she claimed that they didn’t match her standards), he knew well to please her and made good use of her literary acumen in the sarcastic dialogue delivery of many popular Telugu samethalu in the film. A young Balakrishna transformed into an overnight star with the film’s phenomenal success while actress Suhasini became a bankable name in the commercial arena too. Who can forget Danchave Menattha Koothura?
Ankusam
It’s hard to say in which would actor Rajasekhar’s career have taken without an Ankusam in his filmography. It earned him the epithet ‘the angry young man’ that stayed with him till over a decade, a prefix which many thought was only reserved for Amitabh Bachchan few years before. The film gave an immense push to the director’s growth in the industry to a position where he needn’t have to look back at all. By making his protagonist a personification of all the anger he had against the corrupt system and injustice meted out in the society, Kodi Ramakrishna crafted a ferocious cop who could scare the daylights out of wrongdoers. Ankusam was an intense fare made Rami Reddy a much sought-out villain with his lethargic yet menacing dialogue delivery. Its success prompted him to make many films about the ills of the society sooner, of which Bharat Bandh occupies great significance.
Devi Putrudu
A film that was labelled a box office turkey upon release, Devi Putrudu had gradually won hearts of its viewers over many viewings on television. It was never going to be easy to direct a story that brought alive mythological folklore, supernatural elements, a tinge of sci-fi with a potpourri of commercial ingredients thrown into it. Yet, Devi Puthrudu doesn’t feel as complex as the story appears to be; it’s a space that Kodi Ramakrishna was tailormade to handle. Mani Sharma at his finest best with a remarkable music score, Venkatesh juggling two contrasting roles with elan, Soundarya spearheading the story with great finesse and Suresh’s ease with his villainy surprisingly weren’t enough to rake in the moolah at the ticket window and the unflattering result still remains a mystery. It’s a story that any contemporary filmmaker wouldn’t touch with a bargepole, but it was any other day at work for the auteur.
(Compiled by Srivathsan Nadadhur)
