Every Telugu Movie Lover Must Embrace Sing Geetham!

Telugu people often get criticized because they tend to lag behind their Southern neighbours when it comes to honouring language, identity and culture. They are not fiercely protective and celebratory of their icons just like other South Indians. Despite the Telugu film industry boasting a huge legacy, we often fail to adequately remember or respect the immense contributions of our iconic film personalities.

We recently witnessed how legendary director Dasari Narayana Rao’s Smruthi Vanam was neglected. It is also an undeniable truth that other language industries respected legendary singer SP Balasubrahmanyam far more passionately than we did. But leaving aside those who have passed away, a uncomfortable question remains: How well do we treat and honor our living legends?

Singeetham Srinivasa Rao is a visionary auteur whose Telugu roots make everyone here incredibly proud. With path-breaking classics like ‘Pushpaka Vimanam’, ‘Vichitra Sodharulu’, ‘Aditya 369’, and ‘Bhairava Dweepam’, he single-handedly elevated Telugu cinema to a global stage way back in the 90s itself.

Now, at an incredible age of 94, his passion and zeal towards cinema seems to be still intact. Defying age, he has crafted his long cherished ambitious project, Sing Geetham. However, a worrying factor is going to play a significant role during this beautiful moment.

With the film hitting theatres this Friday, advance bookings are far from promising. It is no secret that getting audiences to theatres for smaller or experimental films has become a difficult job nowadays. With movies dropping on OTT platforms within a month, skyrocketing ticket prices, and a general dip in content quality, audiences have grown highly selective about coming to theatres.

But Sing Geetham should not be viewed through that regular commercial lens. Especially for the older generation of moviegoers who grew up experiencing the magic of Singeetham’s timeless classics, watching this film in theatres is going to be a matter of respect for the legend.

Recognizing this project as a tribute rather than a commercial venture, ace filmmaker Nag Ashwin and veteran producer Ashwini Dutt stepped forward to support Singeetham realise his dream project. They spent over ₹20 crores just to fulfill Singeetham’s lifelong dream at this stage of his life, with Nag Ashwin managing everything behind the scenes.

When industry heavyweights show such selfless reverence to make a 94-year-old maestro’s dream a reality, the audience needs to do their bit and support the daring attempt of the director.

Given Nag Ashwin’s deep involvement, Sing Geetham is bound to have a unique artistic soul and offer a fresh cinematic experience. But honestly, regardless of how the film turns out, the Telugu audience should owe a massive debt of gratitude to Singeetham Srinivasa Rao.

Going to the theatres and watching Sing Geetham isn’t just about encouraging a movie, it is a collective responsibility to give one of Telugu cinema’s greatest pioneers the grand, theatrical tribute he truly deserves for all his efforts and love towards the craft.