Balakrishna ropes in top cine-technicians for daughter's wedding

Hyderabad, Aug 20 (IANS) Nandamuri Balakrishna has roped in top technicians such as art director Anand Sai and cinematographer Ram Prasad to make his daughter Nandamuri Tejaswini's marriage, set to take place here Wednesday, an affair to remember.

Tejaswini will enter wedlock with Sri Bharat at a ceremony to be held here at Hitex, Madhapur.

"Balakrishna sir was very particular about everything and, therefore, he roped in the best from the industry. Art director Anand Sai will take care of constructing and decorating the mandap for the wedding, while cinematographer Ram Prasad will take care of the lighting at the wedding and reception party," a source close to Balakrishna told IANS.

Anand Sai, who has worked as art director in Telugu films such as "Brindavanam" and "Rachcha", has previously designed the mandap for the wedding ceremonies of Ram Charan Teja, Allu Arjun and even Junior NTR.

Anand is said to have designed a mandap that will be suspended in the air.

"The mandap will be suspended in the air with the help of a 120-foot crane. The width of the mandap will be 140 feet and we have taken all safety measure to ensure it bears good weight," Anand Sai told IANS.

Anand adds that Balakrishna and his wife loved the initial sketch of the mandap.

"It's a first-of-its-kind design that we have implemented. Balakrishna sir and his wife loved the sketch when I initially showed them and they instantly said 'yes'. As many as 350 people have been working on the mandap for over a month," he added.

Cinematographer Ram Prasad, known for films such "Yevadu" and "Munna", has been hired to ensure that there is no problem with the lighting.

"Natural light might not be at its best in the morning and, therefore, Balakrishna sir wanted Ram Prasad to take care of the lighting for the wedding. Flowers for decoration have been imported from Bangkok," added the source.

Balakrishna has sent an open invite for all his fans to attend the wedding and bless the couple.

"Since we are expecting fans in thousands, we have requested for tight security. As many as 500 police personnel will be deployed on the job since early morning on Wednesday. There will be two separate entries into the wedding hall, one for the fans and the other for all important dignitaries," he said.

Special invitations have been sent to friends in the industry. Some of the bigwigs of the industry such as Rajinikanth, Amitabh Bachchan and even Kamal Haasan are expected to be present.

Sri Bharat is the grandson of M.V.V.S Murthy, founder of the Gandhi Institute of Technology and Management (GITAM). His parents, Pattabhi Ramarao and Srimani recently threw a cocktail party to kickstart the pre-wedding celebrations.

While Tejaswini holds a degree in engineering, her soon-to-be husband holds a Masters degree from the US.

Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, who recently visited the city, is also expected to attend the wedding after Balakrishna extended a personal invitation to him.