| The Monsoon Oracle | |
|---|---|
 The Monsoon Oracle Cover | |
| Directed by | Shrenik Rao |
Release date |
|
Running time | 60 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Languages | Telugu English |
 | This article needs additional citations for verification .(October 2024) |
The Monsoon Oracle is a 2013 documentary film directed by Shrenik Rao. [1]
The Monsoon Oracle is an intimate portrayal of the central festival of Telangana, called Bonalu. It narrates stories of women and men who dedicate their lives to enacting the roles the Hindu goddess Mahankali’s oracles and to the role of Pothuraju, the goddess's whip wielding brother. [2]
It presents an insight into extraordinary ritualistic practices that are performed every year in India in the hope of a bountiful Monsoon and explores the emotional and psychological dimensions of these annual role enactments. Their stories reveal the relationship between the effective charge of a religious crowd and an extreme form of animal sacrifice.
The Film also delves into themes of modernization, commercialization, and politicization of religion in modern India. The dialogue in the film takes place in Telangana Telugu with English subtitles. The narration is in English.
In an Interview with Deccan Chronicle, Shrenik said
"It's about people, their stories, their tradition of predicting monsoons and the oracles. The idea germinated as I watched a report on a local news channel. I decided to pursue it because of the contrast the traditions offered against the backdrop of a high tech Hyderabad". [3]
The Monsoon Oracle has been critically acclaimed and screened at Massachusetts Institute of Technology(MIT) and at the University of Chicago.[ citation needed ]
Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies 650 km2 (250 sq mi) on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of 542 m (1,778 ft), much of Hyderabad is situated on hilly terrain around artificial lakes, including the Hussain Sagar lake, predating the city's founding, in the north of the city centre. According to the 2011 census of India, Hyderabad is the fourth-most populous city in India with a population of 6.9 million residents within the city limits, and has a population of 9.7 million residents in the metropolitan region, making it the sixth-most populous metropolitan area in India. With an output of US$ 95 billion, Hyderabad has the sixth-largest urban economy in India.
Telangana is a state in India situated in the southern-central part of the Indian peninsula on the high Deccan Plateau. It was the eleventh largest state and the twelfth most populated state in India as per the 2011 census. On 2 June 2014, the area was separated from the northwestern part of United Andhra Pradesh as the newly formed state of Telangana, with Hyderabad as its capital. Telugu, one of the classical languages of India, is the most widely spoken and the primary official language of the state.
Warangal is a city in the Indian state of Telangana and the district headquarters of Warangal district. It is the second largest city in Telangana with a population of 811,844 per 2011 Census of India, and spreading over an 406 km2 (157 sq mi). Warangal served as the capital of the Kakatiya dynasty which was established in 1163. The monuments left by the Kakatiyas include fortresses, lakes, temples and stone gateways which, in the present, helped the city to become a popular tourist attraction. The Kakatiya Kala Thoranam was included in the emblem of Telangana by the state government and Warangal is also touted as the cultural capital of Telangana.
Secunderabad is a twin city of Hyderabad and one of the six zones of the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) in the Indian state of Telangana. It is the headquarters of the South Central Railway zone. Named after the Mir Akbar Ali Khan Sikander Jah, Asaf Jah III, Nizam of the Asaf Jahi dynasty, Secunderabad was established in 1806 as a British cantonment. Although both the cities are together referred to as the twin cities, Hyderabad and Secunderabad have different histories and cultures, with Secunderabad having developed directly under British rule until 1948, and Hyderabad as the capital of the Nizams' princely state of Hyderabad. Since 1956, the city has housed the Rashtrapati Nilayam, the winter office of the president of India. It is also the headquarter of the 54th Infantry Division of the Indian Army. There are also many apartments and residential areas, particularly in the small neighbourhood of Yapral.
Vidyarambham, also rendered Akshara Abhyasam, and Mutal Eluttu is a Hindu initiation ceremony that is performed before a child begins their formal education. This ritual is dedicated to the goddess of learning, Saraswati. It is popular in the South Indian states of Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana.
Renuka, also known as Yellamma, is a Hindu mother Goddess worshipped predominantly in the South Indian states of Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and the western state of Maharashtra. She is the mother of Parashurama, the sixth avatar of god Vishnu. She was given the name "Renuka" and acquired the status of a mother goddess before eventually being associated with the legend of Parashurama.
Veeramachaneni Jagapathi Chowdary, professionally known as Jagapathi Babu, is an Indian actor known for his works in Telugu cinema. He has also appeared in Tamil, Malayalam, Hindi and Kannada films. Babu has appeared in 170 feature films, and has received four Filmfare Awards and seven state Nandi Awards.
Remya Nambeesan is an Indian actress and playback singer, who primarily works in Malayalam and Tamil films. She has acted in more than 70 films. She started her career as child artist and supporting roles in early 2000s, and went appear to lead roles in the mid of 2006s. Apart from Malayalam and Tamil languages, she appears in Telugu and Kannada languages films too.
Shrenik Rao is an Indian film-maker, academic, and broadcaster. He is the founder and chief executive of Dolsun Media (2005) and 7MB – 7 Media Broadcasting Pvt Ltd (2010). He was a Fellow at the University of Oxford’s Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism (2016) & an alumnus of the London School of Economics.
The Hyderabad Bicycling Club (HBC) is a bicycling club for riders in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. Founded by Krishna Vadi in 2007, the club has now emerged as the world’s largest cycling club, overtaking the Denver Front Range Cycling Club, USA. It has grown over the years to reach its present membership strength of over 7,500 members and 2,800 members on Facebook. It has bike stations at Gachibowli and Necklace Road. UN-Habitat agreed to partner with HBC in its unique initiatives to promote cycling in India. HBC is a founding member of the World Cycling Alliance and an associate member of the European Cyclists Federation. HBC tied up with GHMC, Hyderabad Metro Rail, TSIIC and the Traffic Police to promote the "Cycle to Work" initiative in a big way in Cyberabad area to substantially reduce vehicular pollution and traffic congestion there.
Samaikya Andhra Movement was a movement organized to keep the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh united, and to prevent the division of the state - separating the Telangana districts of the state into a separate Telangana state. The movement was supported by government employees, advocates in Coastal Andhra & Rayalaseema regions along with students from 14 universities, various occupational, caste & religious groups of Coastal Andhra & Rayalaseema regions. The last set of protests were triggered after the Congress Working Committee decision to divide the state came to an end after President of India gave nod to Telangana Bill which would make the latter to come into existence from 2 June 2014.
Mugabe's Zimbabwe is a 2010 documentary film directed by Shrenik Rao.
The Culture of Telangana in India has a cultural history of about 5,000 years. The region emerged as the foremost centre of culture in Indian subcontinent during the rule of Kakatiyas, the Qutb Shahis and Asaf Jahi dynasties—. The rulers patronage and interest for culinary, arts and culture transformed Telangana into a multi-cultural region where two different cultures coexist together, thus making Telangana the representative of the Deccan Plateau and its heritage with Warangal and Hyderabad being its epicenter. Hyderabadi cuisine and Kakatiya architecture both from Telangana, are on the list of UNESCO creative city of gastronomy and UNESCO World Heritage Site. The regions major cultural events celebrated are "Kakatiya Festival" and Deccan Festival along with religious festivals Bonalu, Bathukamma, Dasara, Ugadi, Sankranthi, Milad un Nabi and Ramadan.
Naga Shaurya is an Indian actor, producer, and writer who works in Telugu films. Shaurya made his debut with the coming-of-age film Cricket, Girls And Beer (2011). After starring in the National Award winning anthology film Chandamama Kathalu (2014), Shaurya had his breakthrough with the romantic comedy Oohalu Gusagusalade, the same year.
Anasuya Bharadwaj is an Indian television presenter and actress who works in Telugu films and television. She is most notable for her performances in the films Kshanam (2016) and Rangasthalam (2018).
Satyadev Kancharana professionally known as Satyadev is an Indian actor who primarily works in Telugu films. He made his acting debut with a supporting role in Mr. Perfect (2011) and later appeared in Jyothi Lakshmi (2015), Kshanam and Mana Oori Ramayanam both (2016).
Nivetha Pethuraj is an Indian actress who appears in Tamil and Telugu films. She made her acting debut with the Tamil film Oru Naal Koothu (2016). She then made her Telugu debut with Mental Madhilo (2017). Her notable productions include Chitralahari (2019), Paagal (2020), Das Ka Dhamki (2023) and the crime thriller television series Paruvu.
C/o Kancharapalem is a 2018 Telugu-language slice of life anthology film written and directed by debutant Venkatesh Maha. It was produced by American filmmaker Praveena Paruchuri and distributed by Rana Daggubati under the banner of Suresh Productions. The film features a cast of over 80 non-actors, most of them native to Kancharapalem, a neighbourhood of Visakhapatnam where the film is set. The plot follows four unconventional love stories in parallel, all set in the neighbourhood of Kancharapalem.
George Reddy is a 2019 Indian Telugu-language biographical action film directed by B. Jeevan Reddy and starring Sandeep Madhav, debutante Muskaan Khubchandani. It is based on the life of the student leader of the same name.
Chandini Chowdary is an Indian actress who works in Telugu films. Her notable works include Colour Photo (2020), Sammathame (2022) and Gaami (2024).