TB Special: Murali Mohan narrates Gollapudi’s story

Murali Mohan loves Kallu, the story written by Gollapudi Maruthi Rao. “I can never forget Kallu, an amazing story that was translated into many languages. It was about 6 blind beggars who are like a family. One old man is a father figure and there is a woman who cooks for them, and all of them beg; at the end of the day they would give the collections to the old man. They get to know about an ophthalmologist’s visit and decide that one of them should get operated. The old man says he is ageing so suggests a younger one to go for it with the money collected. Once he begins to see, he wonders how he lived in such a dirty place all these years and enchanted by the woman in their group, he attempts to molest her. She runs and hides behind Durga deity and the deity pierces his eyes with her weapon, he turns blind again and realizes his mistake.”

He adds, “He wrote dialogues for my first film and later on producer Dukkipati Madhusudan Rao encouraged him. Kodi Ramakrishna offered him a role in Intlo Rammaiyya Veedhilo Krishnaiyya and he was initially reluctant and when film was released, there was no looking back as an actor. In Chennai, he brought properties and one of his son became a director. While the shoot was in Vizag beach, he was standing on a rock and a huge waved from behind consumed him. He was a younger son and thought he would be an able inheritor to his film career. He did good roles in Jayabheri banner. His columns in magazines were very popular.”