Godavari

Godavari is a 2006 Telugu romantic comedy-drama written and directed by Sekhar Kammula and produced by G. V. G. Raju for SSC Arts, starring Sumanth and Kamalinee Mukherjee. Set largely on a river cruise down the Godavari, it was a commercial success and a critics’ favourite, won several Nandi and Filmfare Awards, and Wikipedia notes that it has been called a modern classic of Telugu cinema. K. M. Radha Krishnan composed the music. It was released on 19 May 2006.

What the story is about

Sriram, “Ramudu”, comes home from a master’s degree in the United States wanting to enter politics, where his progressive ideas meet scepticism from the old guard. He loves his cousin Raji, but her father thinks he has no prospects and prefers Ravi, an arrogant IPS officer, and Raji herself is drawn to the security Ravi offers. Heartbroken, Ramudu boards a river cruise to Bhadrachalam, where Raji’s wedding is to be held.

On the same boat is Seetha, an independent fashion designer whose boutique has failed and who is escaping her family’s pressure to marry. Their first meeting goes badly, but as the boat moves down the river the two become close friends. Around them is a cross-section of fellow passengers: a young balloon seller trying to support his ill mother, the stray dog who adopts him, a murder witness fleeing goons with his pregnant daughter, and a fortune teller whose caged parrot longs to be free. The film drifts with the river as Ramudu and Seetha work out what they really want.

Cast and crew

• Sumanth as Sriram “Ramudu”
• Kamalinee Mukherjee as Seetha Mahalakshmi (voice by Sunitha)
• Neetu Chandra as Rajeswari “Raji”
• Kamal Kamaraju as Ravinder “Ravi”, an IPS officer
• Tanikella Bharani as Captain Chintamani
• Karate Kalyani as Pullamma
• Shiva as Chinna, the balloon seller

Writer and director: Sekhar Kammula. Producer: G. V. G. Raju (SSC Arts). Music: K. M. Radha Krishnan. Cinematography: Vijay C. Kumar. Runtime: 160 minutes.

Making the film

Kammula has said the film shares the essence of Bapu’s Andala Ramudu (1973). He told Idlebrain he wanted “an overwhelming backdrop”, and that seeing Andala Ramudu on TV as a tenth-class student “left an everlasting impact” and made him want to go to Rajahmundry to feel the Godavari. About 70% of the film was shot on the river. It was first due in December 2005, but production delays pushed it to May 2006.

Music, reviews and awards

Radha Krishnan’s song “Andamgalena” won Sunitha Upadrashta the Nandi Award for Best Female Playback Singer, and “Manasa Vaacha”, sung by K. S. Chithra and P. Unnikrishnan, was nominated at the Filmfare Awards South. Reviews were glowing. Jeevi of Idlebrain gave it 3.75 out of 5 and called it “as good as Anand if not better”, and Radhika Rajamani of Rediff wrote that “Godavari scores on all fronts and is worth a watch”. In The Hindu, G. Venkataramana Rao praised Vijay C. Kumar’s camera work, and The Hindu later wrote about how the film is entrenched in popular culture. We have not found box-office figures from a named outlet.

Where to watch Godavari

We do not have a confirmed streaming listing for Godavari on file. If we verify one with a platform, it will appear on this page.

Sources: the Wikipedia article on Godavari and the reviews and reports it cites, linked above; our own cast and crew records.