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Balagam Review: A rooted story with authentic portrayal

What’s it about!

Despite his advanced age, Komarayya (Ketiri Sudhakar Reddy), a family patriarch in a Telangana village, retains vigour and enthusiasm. He is very excited about his grandson’s upcoming wedding. His grandson (Priyadarshi) accumulates debts as a result of his poor business decisions, and when he marries a girl, he hopes to pay them off with dowry money.

Komarayya dies as Sai’s engagement ceremony approaches. His death not only thwarts Sai’s plans, but also exposes the issues his family is dealing with.

The family, as is customary, performs a ritual of “pittaku pettadam” or “pindam” to the departed soul. Crows, on the other hand, do not taste a single piece of pindam, leaving the family members in agony. What would they do if they wanted to please the crows? Or what steps they take to ensure the departed soul’s peace.

The Telugu word “Balagam” refers to one’s kith and kin. Venu Yeldandi’s debut directorial effort “Balagam” discusses the importance of family unity, but this isn’t your typical family drama. One would expect this from a film produced by Dil Raju, who is known for making family films. However, director Venu uses “Chaavu” (death) as a device to emphasise the importance of family unity.

“Rajadhani Nagaramlo Chavu Kooda Pelli Lantide Brother (In cities, even death is celebrated like a marriage),” wrote poet Acharya Athreya in one song. However, there is a tradition in Telangana, particularly in rural areas, of celebrating death with numerous rituals. For 11 days, most non-vegetarian families observe numerous rituals, including serving mutton and alcohol to close relatives for dinner (the more goats are butchered more the rich you are).

On the third day after a death, it is customary to leave out food for the dead and watch as crows pick at it (crows are regarded the departed soul). This is the pivot around which the plot revolves.

Director Venu uses many devices from the genre of dark comedy in his telling of this story. Although the film’s lighter moments can be found in its early stages, the real meat of the drama occurs in the film’s closing minutes. In fact, the romantic thread is not at all effective. Despite the climax being overly melodramatic, Venu’s handling of certain scenes in the second half are touching. Especially, the song in the end is terrific.

What I liked most about “Balagam” was not the family drama but rather the depiction of the different aspects of death in the villages of Telangana, such as the play of Oggu Katha performed to keep family members awake until the funeral was completed and a singing troupe (Budaga Jangala) that extolled the deceased. The changes in the family dynamic after the death of the patriarch are also realistically depicted.

On the downside, the film needed to be concise and deletion of repetitive sequences.

Plus, the film has shades of Raam Reddy’s acclaimed Kannada film, Thithi.

Priyadarshi does a good job of conveying the naiveté of rural youth. Kavya Kalyanram holds up fine. All three of the actors—Ketiri Sudhakar Reddy as Komarayya, Roopa Lakshmi as Komarayya’s daughter, and Muralidhar Goud as her husband—have given very realistic portrayals.

Bheems’s music accentuates the mood. In fact, his songs are the backbone. The camera captures rural life quietly and without being flashy. Director Venu deserves praise for keeping things as authentic as they could be in this telling of the story.

Bottom-line: With death as its foundation, the story of ‘Balagam’ tells the importance of family unity through its resonant theme and believable characters. The frank depiction of funeral rites and the dry wit are both effective. Director Venu’s attempt to tell an unconventional tale comes with some caveats, including overly melodramatic moments and a lengthy running time.

Rating: 3/5

By Jalapathy Gudelli

Film: Balagam Cast: Priyadarshi, Kavya Kalyanram, K Sudhakar Reddy, Muralidhar Goud, Jayaram, Roopa Lakshma, Venu and others Music: Bheems Ceciroleo DOP: Acharya Venu Editor: Madhu Presented by: Shirish Producers: Harshith Reddy, Hanshitha Reddy Direction: Venu Yeldandi Release Date: March 03, 2023

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Balagam Movie Review: A beautiful exploration of culture and human condition

Rating: ( 4 / 5).

Having watched films like  Karnan, Garuda Gamana Vrishabha Vahana , and  Angamaly Diaries,  I have always yearned for Telugu films to portray and celebrate our culture. My wish has been fulfilled with  Balagam.  It not only represents the customs of Telangana authentically but is entirely centred on the culture. 

Starring: Priyadarshi, Kavya Kalyanram

Directed by: Venu Yeldandi

For instance, we know that the interval point of any film is utilised to pronounce the central conflict of the story, and in  Balagam , the interval point is built around the custom of offering a feast to the soul of the dead. When a crow doesn’t eat it, it is believed that the dead are yet to find peace, and naturally, it’s not considered to be a good sign. So the family of the deceased patriarch, Komurayya (Sudhakar Reddy, a wonderful find), make the offering and wait for a crow to come down and have it. When it doesn't happen, it creates emotional unrest--backed by quarrels in the past and egos--among them. And this conflict around the tradition transforms into the film's core narrative; on one level, it is about the custom and on another level, it is about the people harbouring custom. 

Balagam  even looks at these people through the lenses of culture, their egos, and flaws. That apart, their personalities stand as reflections of their responses to everything that happens at a funeral. The detailed portrayal is astounding. Also, the song that captures the last rites of Komurayya, which begins as a celebration and ends in mourning, is effectively shot.

Two characters at opposing end challenge to throw a bigger feast than the other. The bigger the feast, the larger the number of goats required. Minutes into the film, we get a fair idea about the jaunty Komurayya as he nonchalantly goes on with his day, flirting with women of different ages and interacting with the members of the close-knit community of his village. 

The following scene sets up the sturdy character of Komurayya’s angry elder son Aillayya (Jayram, again, great find) and then his grandson, the ambitious yet unsuccessful Sayilu (a perfectly cast Priyadarshi). Many of Sayilu’s business plans have failed. His external conflict is to repay the load. And even when he learns about his grandfather’s untimely demise, he is more concerned about the possible delay of the engagement with his girlfriend and, consequently, receiving the dowry money. The internal conflict is that he is selfishly materialistic at times of great loss. The moment he realises his selfishness and wrongdoings is heart-wrenching, and Priyadarshi has effectively portrayed the role. 

One of the fascinating aspects of the film is that almost everyone here is grey, but it doesn’t manipulate you to hate or empathise with any particular character. In fact, it only rightly calls them out for their mistakes and misplaced priorities. 

Despite the despair in its atmosphere—considering the story takes place in a span of 11 days through a funeral—the film finds humour in many odd ways. From a woman crying persistently to another woman feigning sadness, many such rooted instances show the filmmaker drawing inspiration from lived-in experiences.

Balagam is not infallible, though, and it comes with its own set of flaws. The screenplay gets stuck in a tedium of repetitive scenes towards the end. Likewise, when Sayilu breaks into a dance in the otherwise fun  ‘Potti Pilla’ , you wonder why this character that has been so realistic until that point is suddenly behaving like he’s in a Telugu film. However, it lasts only a short while. This reminds me of a beautiful line in the song that goes,  ‘Kallulotti pakkana kaarappoosa lekka mana jodi mastuntade  (Our pairing is as good as a spicy  sev  and palm wine)’. The film’s love for the lifestyle it portrays keeps popping up in distinct ways. 

The film also doesn't try to get too inventive with its craft, with the staging and cinematography, despite running the risk of being called too simplistic, serve the story well, although I wish it had played more with the visuals instead of relying much on the dialogues. Meanwhile, the dialogues are the lifeline of the film and they do a wonderful job capturing the life of the Telangana region. 

While Venu Yeldandi paints a beautiful portrait, it’s Bheems Ceciroleo who gives it life with his music. Especially, his collaboration with folk musicians for one particular music piece that sums up the entirety of the film and the character arcs, in the end, is noteworthy. This sequence represents the confluence of two of  Balagam ’s traits: its urge to preach the importance of relationships and its love for the Telangana culture. And one shot in which we see the hands of this family placed one above the other, as they reach the final stage of the funeral, will be etched in my memory for a long time. It is the image  Balagam  stood for.

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Balagam Movie Review : Ingenuity in telling a natively rooted story is its strength

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Users' Reviews

Refrain from posting comments that are obscene, defamatory or inflammatory, and do not indulge in personal attacks, name calling or inciting hatred against any community. Help us delete comments that do not follow these guidelines by marking them offensive . Let's work together to keep the conversation civil.

Parna Rcp 485 days ago

Real emotions

Sapka Nani 525 days ago

Suresh babu 525 days ago.

Still my eyes carrying tears and Literally crying...... I cant able to write even this review with tears after watching Balagam. Goddd my life is satisfied with this kind of sentiment movie. Each and every character of movie resembles in my family and my grand father. Lot of family must unite after watching this movie. VENU sir you thrashed my heart. Matter Piece of Telegu in 2023. NEED like this movies at least 5 years once. Relations and families always WINs

spandanachukka 542 days ago

Venkatramaiah Gidda 560 days ago

cannot recall a better telugu movie in the past couple of years, since mithunam

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Balagam review: Priyadarshi’s rural drama is rooted in Telangana culture

It is quite rare for a Telugu film to fully capture the richness of Telangana – its traditions and culture – on the big screen. The last film which did this beautifully, in my view, was Udugula Venu’s Virata Parvam . The Telugu film industry is dominated by artists and filmmakers who are natives of Andhra Pradesh, who largely tend to ignore Telangana. Probably to overcompensate for this, the Balagam team gives us an overdose of rural Telangana (just kidding). Starring Priyadarshi, Kavya Kalyanram, and a host of other actors, Balagam is a film rooted in Telangana’s culture.

Set in a village, the film’s plot allows debutant director Venu Yeldandi to beautifully capture the rituals and traditions of Telangana. The premise of the unpredictable nature of death allows Venu to build a poignant commentary on our existence, our silly conflicts, and the purpose of life. Beyond that, he also touches upon patriarchy and how women end up being collateral damage because of men’s egos. 

Sailu (Priyadarshi) grows up in an extremely patriarchal family; his stubborn father has not contacted his sister and brother-in-law for several decades over a minor feud. The brother-in-law too is not willing to give up. Contrary to these foolish men, Sailu shines as a meek and sensitive man. However, he is not without flaws – he is selfish and opportunistic. As Sailu, Priyadarshi gives his most brilliant performance yet. It is a given that he can liven up the mood in any situation with his cheeky one-liners and expressions, but in this film he proves himself capable of going beyond.

The wafer-thin plot is based on a single event and the incidents surrounding it. So, there is a dearth of content and the story feels a little overstretched. Despite that, Venu manages to pull off a film which is not yawn-inducing. It is also disappointing that the importance given to Sailu’s character is not given to Sandhya, the female lead played by Kavya Kalyanram. She enters the story randomly and there is no closure for her character. For instance: Sailu intends to marry Kavya because she is wealthy, and for no other reason. He makes several goofy plans to attain this goal, but Sandhya is not shown to have any agency. For a film that is a supposed commentary on patriarchy, ideally the director should have introspected on this characterisation. In the limited role given to Kavya, it is hard to judge her performance but she proves herself adequate for the role.

Balagam has a huge cast and all the supporting actors who play Sailu’s parents and relatives deliver a strong performance. Particularly the actor who plays Sailu’s father almost overshadows everyone. The earnestness in everyone’s performance reflects onscreen and moves you.

Though the film ends up romanticising the simple life in a village, it inadvertently reveals its cruel nature where a bunch of people decide who needs to be ostracised. Besides the performances, the film is shouldered by Bheems Ceciroleo’s impressive music. Cinematographer Acharya Venu ably exploits the rural setting and translocates us to the village.

Disclaimer: This review was not paid for or commissioned by anyone associated with the film. Neither TNM nor any of its reviewers have any sort of business relationship with the film’s producers or any other members of its cast and crew.

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Balagam movie review: An honest slice of life film

Balagam is an honest slice of life story from rural telangana. it might feel a bit anachronistic, yet it deserves praise for attempting to bring forward a part of life that has been ignored so long in telugu cinema..

Balagam (meaning Friends & Family), starring Priyadarshi, Sudhakar Reddy and Kavya Kalyanram in the lead roles, is loosely based on 2015’s Kannada movie Thithi. However, Balagam, directed by debutant Venu Yeldandi, stands on its own as an authentic comic social commentary of Telangana culture.

The story is set around the death of boisterous, bawdy, meddling village elder Komurayya and the subsequent drama that unfolds exposing the rifts present within the family, causing bigger sociological calamities in the small village.

When Komurayya (Sudhakar Reddy) dies a couple of days shy of the engagement of his grandson Sayilu (Priyadarshi), the latter’s whole world shatters as his plans of using the hefty dowry to clear his mounting debts comes to a halt. Due to ego hassles between his own family and the girl’s family, the proposal is called off within a day. Desperate to pay off the loan sharks, Sayilu eyes his estranged uncle’s daughter Sandhya (Kavya Kalyanram) as his next target for big money. How he schemes with the help of his two friends to bring the families together to make this alliance possible while arranging the rituals surrounding his grandfather’s death forms the crux of the film. Giving a touch of magic realism, a crow, representing his dead grandfather’s soul, plays a part in the machiavellian schemes of the grandson. Amidst ritualistic feasts, bristly egos, and drunken brawls, the family finally is brought together by the dead patriarch with everybody realising the value of relations and social bonds in a reaffirmation of the Indian family system.

Balagam is largely an examination of changing family equations, the societal expectations from an individual and a family, and the pressures tearing them apart simultaneously forcing them to stay together.

Balagam portrays the customs and rituals during the 12-day period following a death in Telangana villages. With little variations, regardless of caste and area differences, these are the customs followed across Telangana and parts of Andhra Pradesh . The film faithfully documents these rituals with carefully designed comic interludes from smaller characters. Most of the actors are either first timers or relatively unknown artistes. As the film progresses, each character lends credence to the farcical drama. The old lady who demands a cold drink during the wailing and chest thumping; the old man who stuffs himself with meat and falls sick later; the village guy who demands foreign whiskey; the tailor (the director himself) who is afraid of being asked about his conversation with Komurayya; the village lady who asks for a snooker ball for her grandson… it’s a panoply of characters filling the big canvas with many hues of life. Keeping this all together is the music of the film by Bheems Cicerolio. Different forms of Telangana’s traditional music support and enhances the narrative constantly, particularly the dirge coming at the end.

The proceedings might feel a bit tedious to the uninitiated, but the overall impact is definitely rewarding. The redemption of the lead actor feels a little incomplete as his struggles with debts and his familial dishonesty is left unanswered. Actor turned director Venu Yeldandi has done a fantastic job with an unusual subject amidst the lavish, commercial films surrounding us. The sheer amount of work in handling so many characters in a film, that too by a debutant, is mind boggling. Perhaps his years as a successful comedian has played a big part here. Producer Dil Raju, who is known for romances and big budget commercial flicks, pleasantly surprises the audience with this choice of cinema. He must be congratulated for backing a small, rooted film like this.

Finally, Balagam is an honest slice of life story from rural Telangana. It might feel a bit anachronistic, yet it deserves praise for attempting to bring forward a part of life that has been ignored so long in Telugu cinema.

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