Eating Out

Dining with a legendary actor like Dharmavarapu Subramaniam is indeed a rare privilege.Although I am an artist myself, a sculptor to be precise, meeting a versatile actor whohas more than 200 films to his credit was something I was looking forward to with greatanticipation.

We met in Hotel Southern Spice. And it proved to be the ideal place to discuss anddebate each other’s work in detail. Ideal also because the hotel is highly rated byAndhra food lovers and both of us are mad about spicy Hyderabadi cuisine. The only dishthat I never tried here was forced on me by the veteran comedian. Raagi Sankati wasdelicious. However, the rest of the menu, like mutton gongura and jonna roti, besidesregular rice and curds, was nothing new for both of us.

Although, I haven’t seen many Telugu films, Subramaniam’s live performanceand impromptu jokes during the lunch were hugely entertaining. I relished them even morethan the food. No wonder I was keen to know more about his work. Some of his films soundedlike comedies, Mr Pellam for instance. But other movies like Swati Kiranam,Jayammu Nishchayammura, or the latest runway success Nuvve Kavali are familyentertainers.

That brought us to one point of dispute. We differed on whether cinema can influencepeople. I argued that they do, but his reply was a resounding no. “Tell me how manypeople really take films seriously. For academic interest we may claim good cinema willhelp reform the society, but the fact remains that no one is keen to see serious artfilms. All they want is a real entertainer,” he said.

Subramaniam’s logic is simple. Who will go to a theatre these days? Those who needa break from the hectic schedule. In simple words, those who want to relax. Well, that washis perception, while I continue to hold my own.

But that didn’t in way affect my respect for him—he is perhaps the finestcontemporary comedian in the Telugu film industry. He is also a down-to-earth person,always smiling and with a never-say-die spirit. He survived a major accident and wasbed-ridden for more than three months. “It was a rebirth for me,” he said.

Before calling it a day, Subramaniam promised to visit the gallery where I hadexhibited my glass works titled Frozen in Time.