Golconda High School in Rediff's Top 5 Telugu films of 2011

I was pleasantly surprised to find this list, first alerted to it by my good friend Masood from the USA, and then Sagar on facebook. It is really a fine compilation of movies that went against the flow, had good stories and were made honestly and with good intentions.

http://www.rediff.com/movies/slide-show/slide-show-1-south-top-telugu-films-of-2011/20111213.htm

Brave stuff Radhika Rajamani for putting up such a compilation, and much needed. As for the team of GHS, you can take pride in making it.

While at this I must recount an incident that happened last weekend. I was invited to a function to give away prizes for some sports activities in a colony and met a young father whose eight year old was interested in cricket. After talking about this and that, coaching and schools etc, the father told me about the time when their family had gone to watch GHS. After the movie the father asked the son who had gone very quiet, if he liked the movie. The eight year old said 'This movie has changed my life nanna.' The shocked father said that after that, the youngster, who had till then been playing both cricket and football, shifted all his energies to cricket. I think I can understand what went on in that kid's mind. I wrote 'The Men Within' to fill that gap in Indian stories and GHS would have filled that gap in Telugu movies, all comparisons and technical discussions apart.

Movies like 'Enter the Dragon', 'Rocky' (and later on 'Cool Runnings' for me), were stuff that inspired many of my generation to take up sports. 'Lagaan' and 'Chak De' would have done their bit in their time. I always tell Mohana Krishna Indraganti, the director of GHS, that for young children who have not been exposed to such movies (and who can see them without instantly jumping to compare with other similar movies like adults do) GHS would certainly have a deep impact. It will remain with them as some of the movies of our age did, irrespective of how well they did or not. And these movies can take pride in using the medium well.