Details of Tulu film industry’s golden journey covered in the book: Author

‘Tulu Bellitereya Suvarna Yana’, chronicles the history of Tulu film industry over the last fifty years, starting from ‘Enna Tangadi’ released in 1971.

Speaking to DH, author Tamma Lakshmana, a veteran theatre person, said that the book will come in handy to film enthusiasts and researchers.

Tamma Lakshama, like a one-man army, began the work in 2015 and went on for six years.

“My objective was to provide particulars, such as story, characters, artists, important technicians, release date and shooting details of Tulu films during the last 50 years,” he said.

Speaking to sources

Tamma Lakshmana has visited more than 200 people, including film writers, producers, music directors, lyricists, distributors, directors and artistes.

He has also spoken to several Tulu film enthusiasts.

He said that he has visited old photo studios and theatres to gather photos and information.

There were instances when he had rummaged through the dusty offices of old film theatres to get nuggets of information lying in the form of old documents prepared by the theatre owners towards some government formalities.

A keen eye for detail

Tamma Lakshmana was not simply collecting the information but was also verifying them with a keen eye for detail, by asking several persons about the same film, to avoid erratic data. To ensure that no wrong information went on record, he spoke to only those who were directly involved in filmmaking and had witnessed the process. This will also help in ruling out the rumours and non-authentic information about the films, he said.

Interesting facts

Firsts in the Tulu film industry, such as the first colour movie and the first Tulu film released in a foreign country, have also found a place in the book.

Interesting information, such as expenses incurred to produce a film during those days and 200 plus photos, are among the highlights of the work.

He said that information about the 115 Tulu films till December 2022 has been covered in the 432-page book.

The book will not only help the present generation to know about the journey the Tulu film industry has traced, but also will contribute towards getting constitutional status for the Tulu language, he said.

The book will be released at a programme to be held at Kudmul Ranga Rao Town Hall in Mangaluru on February 27 at 4.30 pm.