Govindam And Other Good Teachers

There is a saying that, “There Are No Bad Students, Only Bad Teachers.” In fact, a student’s career and life depends on how his teacher or trainer nurtures them. After parents, teachers indeed take best care of students. On the auspicious day of Teachers Day, we are discussing about good teachers on Telugu silver screen.

1. Badi Panthulu: The first film that comes to our mind when conversing about teachers is NTR’s classic Badi Panthulu directed by P Chandrasekhar Reddy. The film narrated teachers and student bonding credibly. The school children built a house for their teacher with love and affection, when his house is burnt in an incident. The film portrayed what an idealistic teacher can do to his students.

2. Kode Nagu: A teacher can punish his students within school premises, and he is nothing to do if his student does wrong thing outside the school. But, teacher played by Acharya Atreya in Kode Nagu will do anything for his student played by Shobhan Babu. While the mentor sacrifices his life for his disciple, the disciple commits suicide along with his girlfriend in the process of finding his mentor. The climax episode gives goosebumps every time you watch the film.

3. Vishwaroopam: Initially, students rag their college lecturer. But, gradually they develop good affiliation towards their lecturer who brings good change in them. At one point of time, when he is transferred to other college, he is forced to stay in the college. Best students in the college work along with him to build a dam. It’s a good social message film directed by Dasari Narayana Rao.

4. Shankarabharanam: It is story of a rare and exceptional bond between the master of classical music Sankara Sastry and his admirer Tulasi, a woman from a family of prostitutes. As Tulasi's son completes singing on stage, Sastri symbolically anoints the boy as heir to his music, then dies. Tulasi comes running to her guru at that moment, and falls down at his feet. Moments later we realize that she too has died with the shock of Sastri's death.

5. Onamalu: This Rajendra Prasad starrer film highlighted prominence of mother tongue and native land. Stung by the changes his village has undergone and ashamed with the rapid decline in human values due to urbanization, Narayana Rao who has just come to his village from USA to stay here sets about repairing the damage time has caused.

Sundarakanda, Master and most recently Geetha Govindam are the other films which showed protagonists playing good teachers.