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Welcome Obama

2013 film by Singeetam Srinivasa Rao

Image credit is listed at the end of this article.

Welcome Obama is a 2013 Indian Telugu-language drama film directed by Singeetham Srinivasa Rao, who also composed the music. A remake of the Marathi film Mala Aai Vhhaychy! (2011), it stars Urmila Kanetkar, Rachel and Esteban. The film focuses on a surrogate mother who bears a foreigner's child. It was released on 20 September 2013.

01Plot

Lucy, an American woman, comes to India looking for a surrogate mother to bear her a child. She makes a deal with Yashodha, an impoverished single mother. Yashodha has an accidental fall when pregnant and the doctors conjecture that there is a risk of the baby being born deformed, leading to Lucy revoking the contract and returning to the United States. In time, Yashodha delivers a healthy and active boy named Krishna, and everyone calls him "Obama" due to his fair skin. Years later, Lucy gets to know about the boy and comes to India to take him with her. But Yashodha, having developed a strong bond with Krishna, refuses to send him back. How Lucy responds to this forms the rest of the story.

02Cast

03Production

Welcome Obama, directed by Singeetham Srinivasa Rao and produced by Bharati Krishna under Sandalwood Media, is a remake of the Marathi film Mala Aai Vhhaychy! (2011). Urmila Kanetkar, the lead actress of that film, was chosen to reprise her role. British actress Rachel was chosen to portray an American woman, and French child actor Esteban was cast as the surrogate child. The dialogues were written by Rohini. Cinematography was handled by S. S. Darshan. Welcome Obama was shot on Eastmancolor film, as opposed to being shot digitally. Shooting was completed in 33 days.

04Soundtrack

The soundtrack was composed by Singeetham Srinivasa Rao, who also wrote the lyrics for all the songs.

Track listing
No.TitleSinger(s)Length
1."Oh God"Karthik4:40
2."Puttindi Palakadalilo"Singeetham Srinivasa Rao, Nikhila Singeetam4:28
3."Bujji Bujji Nadakalatho"Chinmayi4:54
4."I Am a Hero"Pravasti3:26
5."Aakasaanante"Chinmayi3:58
Total length:21:26

05Release and reception

Welcome Obama was released on 20 September 2013. Sandeep Atreysa of Deccan Chronicle wrote, "Certainly, this is not a runof-the-mill story Telugu audiences would watch often. But what went wrong? Slow-paced narration in the first half and a bad comedy track in second half." Sangeetha Devi Dundoo of The Hindu wrote, "There was a time when Singeetam Srinivasa Rao gave us some of the most entertaining films that broke new grounds both in storytelling and technical departments [...] Now, at the age of 82, when the filmmaker with unbeatable fervour comes up with a story that discusses surrogacy, it is natural to expect a social family drama that tugs at your heart strings while making observations about surrogacy. But as the drama unfolds, you are left looking for the missing magic of a once-brilliant filmmaker."

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Sources and credits

This article is adapted from the Wikipedia article Welcome Obama, written by its contributors and licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Fathomly has changed the layout, removed citation markers, navigation and maintenance notices, and adjusted punctuation. This adapted version is shared under the same license. For references, see the original article.

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