All-time classics to liven up Godavari banks

All-time classics to liven up Godavari banks

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• B.V.S. BHASKAR
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• Huge screen to be put up on a boat anchored opposite Kotilingeswara Swami temple

  The Municipal Corporation of Rajahmundry (MCR) has come up with a novel idea to protect and publicise the importance of the Kotilingala Ghat, the longest (1.2 km) bathing ghat in the country built for the Godavari Pushkarams this year.
  MCR Commissioner Vijayarama Raju, who played a pivotal role in the construction of the ghat, has suggested that the place be cleaned up and converted into an entertainment zone. At a recent meeting with Police, MCR Sanitation and Irrigation officials and some film distributors, it was decided to screen classical all-time Telugu hit movies on a large screen on a ‘pantu’ (floating boat), which would be anchored opposite the historic Kotilingeswara Swami temple.
  “A facility to watch films like Gundamma Katha, Bhoo Kailas, Karunamayudu , and Pandava Vanavasam in the evening in the open-air, sitting on the banks of the Godavari could attract movie buffs and tourists during Christmas and Sankranti holidays,” Mr. Raju said.
  He said there were complaints of the ghat being misused post-Pushkaram. Pointing to Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s announcement that the ghat, along with the newly-constructed VIP ghat, would be groomed into a picnic spot under the Akhanda Godavari Project, Mr. Raju said it was just a beginning. “This is a non-expensive experiment. If people start visiting the ghat, other positive activity could be taken up in the area. The MCR will rope in philanthropists to develop parks, entertainment projects and food courts in PPP mode in consultation with the District Collector and the Tourism Department,” he said.
  Feast for the eyes
  According to the schedule, Bhoo Kailas will be screened on December 24, Vijayachander’s classicKarunamayudu and Chikkadu-Dorakadu on December 26; while Thodikodalu and Pandava Vanvasamon December 28 and 27, respectively. Film shows will be on till January 15.
  The Commissioner said there would be no entry pass, and that police would keep a strict vigil on the banks of the Godavari, besides regulating traffic.