my first regional movies

 In 1978, when I was studying in 5th standard, my father and I traveled to the district headquarters for a second-level entrance examination for admission into the 6th class at Andhra Pradesh Government Residential Schools.

After the examination, my father took me to watch a film — a movie that has remained etched in my memory ever since: "Sholay".

This was the first Hindi film I had ever watched, and we saw it at Rahuveera Theatre, during a matinee show. I still remember the excitement of that day, even though I didn’t know Hindi at the time. Despite the language barrier, I thoroughly enjoyed the film, purely through its visual storytelling, powerful expressions, and the commanding presence of legendary actors like Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra, Hema Malini, Jaya Bhaduri, and the unforgettable villain Amjad Khan as Gabbar Singh.

I was deeply inspired by the heroism of Amitabh Bachchan and, at the same time, genuinely terrified by the menacing character of Gabbar Singh. What amazed me most was how much I could understand the storyline and emotions just by watching the performances, without knowing the language

Later in life, I came to know that Amitabh Bachchan married Jaya Bhaduri, and Dharmendra married Hema Malini — an interesting connection that added a real-life dimension to those on-screen pairs I had admired as a child.

Fast forward to 1996 — nearly two decades later — I had a similar experience. One of the operators at Shop 16 generously gave me two complimentary tickets for the Tamil movie "Kadhal Kottai". This became the first Tamil movie I ever watched, and once again, I didn’t know the language.

Just like with Sholay, I was captivated by the film. The performances of Ajith Kumar, Devayani, and Heera were compelling, and the theme of the movie — "Pākāme Kādalikkirēnē" (falling in love without seeing each other) — was beautifully portrayed. It was a clean, heartwarming film without any vulgarity or offensive content. The concept touched me deeply, and I instantly fell in love with the storytelling style.

Since then, whenever I talk about romantic films in any setting, Kadhal Kottai is always at the top of my list. I simply cannot leave it out — it was that impactful

Both Sholay and Kadhal Kottai remain milestones in my movie-watching journey, not just for their cinematic value, but for the memories they carry and the way they showed me that language is no barrier when it comes to good storytelling.

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