MASTER GARU
Preserve a Rare Artistic Legacy MASTER GARU
A documentary on one of the last living custodians of Traditional Kuchipudi Yakshaganam.
Master Garu is a feature-length documentary that explores the world of Traditional Kuchipudi Yakshaganam, a centuries-old performance tradition that brings together dance, music, theatre, storytelling, and ritual.
Unlike the solo dance form that Kuchipudi is widely known as today, Kuchipudi Yakshaganam is an older theatrical tradition in which dance, music, dialogue, and storytelling exist as a single living art.
At the heart of the film is Sri Pasumarthi Rattaiah Sarma, the last living masters carrying this tradition in its classical form. Through his life, teachings, performances, and the enduring bond with his disciple Sreelakshmy Govardhanan from Kerala, the film offers a rare glimpse into an artistic heritage that is slowly disappearing from the cultural landscape.
With Sri Pasumarthi Rattaiah Sarma its last great master and Sreelakshmy Govardhanan carrying the tradition forward in Kerala, the film documents a lineage whose future now rests in a single chain of transmission.
Master Garu
Is a feature-length observational documentary that follows the life and artistic journey of Pasumarthi Rattaiah Sarma, one of the last living custodians of traditional Kuchipudi Yakshaganam. Rooted in the classical dance-theatre tradition of Andhra Pradesh, the film explores his lifelong dedication to preserving an endangered art form that blends dance, music, dialogue, and storytelling. Through intimate moments of teaching, rehearsals, travel, and performance, the documentary captures a rare guru-disciple relationship between the master and his disciple Sreelakshmy Govardhanan from Kerala. More than a portrait of an artist, Master Garu is a meditation on cultural preservation, artistic integrity, devotion, and the quiet resilience required to carry tradition across generations. Directed by Archana Padmini, the film unfolds as an immersive cinematic journey through memory, heritage, and lived philosophy.
Project Overview
Title: MASTER GARU
Created and Developed by : Studio Padmini
Director: Archana Padmini
Writer : Gokul G Nair
Creative Producer: N. S. Madhavan
Executive Producers : Rajesh.T. Divakaran, Justin Peter
Production : Studio Padmini
Principal Photography: 60 Days
Estimated Raw Footage: 100–120 Hours
Shooting Ratio: Approx. 77:1 to 103:1
Format: Observational feature documentary
Length: 75 min (approx.)
Archival Footage: 5 mts
Languages: Telugu, Malayalam, English
Subtitling : English
Graphics/Animation: 2 min (Opening title, End credits)
Shooting Format: 4k UHD
Finishing Format: 4k UHD (Quicktime, IMF, DCP)
Delivery Date: TBD
Locations: Andhra Pradesh, Mumbai & Irinjalakkuda
Budget Prepared By: Studio Padmini
Production Schedule
| 1 | Research and Development | 16 weeks (Dec 2025 – Feb 2026) |
| 2 | Pre Production | 8 weeks (Mar – April 2026) |
| 3 | Production | 60 days (April – September 2026) |
| 4 | Post Production | 8 weeks (October – December 2026) |
| 5 | Final Delivery & Certification | January 2027 |