Released in the month of November on OTT, “Gatham” raised the bar for the genre of psychological suspense-thriller in Telugu cinema. The independent film helmed by a group of Indian origin film buffs living in the United States was unanimously praised by critics for its compelling narration, astonishing visuals and commendable performances from newcomers. Sricharan Pakala’s background score added more value to the proceedings and despite having a shoe-string budget, debutante director Kiran Kondamadugula managed to tick all the right boxes of an engaging thriller.
On Saturday, Information and Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar announced that the selection of 23 feature and 20 non-feature films will be showcased in the Indian Panorama section of the 51st International Film Festival of India (IFFI) to be held in Goa. “Gatham” is the only Telugu film to bag the Panorama award in the list and it’s certainly a proud and inspiring moment for all indie filmmakers. The elite list includes popular films like Trance, Asuran, Chhichhore and Saand Ki Aankh starring Taapsee Pannu and Bhumi Pednekar.

Selected from a wide pool of 183 contemporary Indian films, the collection of films reflects the vibrancy and diversity of the Indian film Industry. Initially scheduled to happen in November, the film festival got postponed due to Coronavirus pandemic and is set to happen from January 16 to 24, 2021.
Bankrolled by Bhargava Poludasu, Srujan Yarabolu and Harsha Pratap, Gatham starred Bhargava Poludasu, Rakesh Galebhe and Poojitha Kuraparthi in lead roles. While F2 bagged this honour in 2019, Mahanati made it in 2018 and the Baahubali franchise in 2016 and 2017.