Veil of Maya still mesmerises

Nearly 53 years after its release, it still holds viewers in captivity.The colour version of the Telugu film classic, Mayabazaar, hit the screens today in packed cinemas. And tickets have been booked solid for the next couple of weeks.Those who saw the black and white blockbuster as children or young adults showed up with GenX and for a couple of hours the generation gap was bridged. Teenager or octogenarian, the response was ecstatic.The oldies, however, sounded one note of disappointment -- two songs from the B/W version were missing.For Radhakrishna Murthy, a retired IDPL employee, it was a very emotional experience.“More than 50 years ago, I bunked classes to watch the old Mayabazaar along with my close friends. Now, I’ve come here with my family.” Diehard NTR and Savitri fan, 65-year-old Krishna Murthy, said he had watched the film many times, but had never imagined that one day he could do so in colour and cinemascope format.‘Mayabazaar’ was first released in March 1957 starring NT Rama Rao, A Nageswara Rao, SV Ranga Rao, Gummadi, Savitri, Relangi and others. Now, after five decades, the film has been rendered in colour under the banner of Super Good Films, with the assistance of Goldstone Technologies — first instance of a South Indian film being given such a makeover. B Sravan, a B Tech student said: “I hadn’t seen the B/W version in a cinema. So this experience was rendered all the more special.” Ch Chandrakanth, who works in a BPO company, was trying his best at a counter at Prasad’s IMAX despite the “House-full” sign. “I have managed two tickets and am trying to get two more for my family,” he said.

Mouli Mareedu

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