Balagam Movie Review
Story:
Set in the interior of Telangana, Balagam revolves around the feud between two Ailayya (Jayaram) and Narayana (Muralidhar Goud) families. Saailu (Priyadarshi), a youngster, tries his hand at every business but fails to achieve success. Saailu decides to marry so that he can set off the dowry amount against his debt and escape the wrath of moneylenders. Much to Saailu’s shock, his grandfather Komurayya dies, and during the older man’s final rites, Saailu’s marriage gets canceled due to a petty argument. What did Saailu do then? Did he clear his debt? How is Sandhya (Kavya Kalyanram) related to this story? What’s the reason for wrangling between the two families? Watch the film to know the answers.
Review:
One doesn’t feel like watching a film for the whole 131 minutes. Such is the beauty of Balagam. Everything looks completely natural, and the film has a lot of relatability. Be it the village environment, the artists’ body language, the petty quarrels that take place in villages, or the innocence of villagers, everything looks damn realistic, which makes the audience easily connect to the film. The characters are so real who we see in our daily lives.
The idea of exploring human values and emotions and linking them to the death of a person is superb. Recently Rajendra Prasad’s Anukoni Prayanam also came along similar lines. What works with Balagam is the genuine presentation of emotions without any cinematic liberties. Healthy and situational humor will surely bring a big smile to faces. The emotions take center stage in the second hour and are sure to touch the heartstrings.
The director’s idea to tell the story through the usage of folklore songs is brilliant. The Telangana culture is neatly presented throughout, and the customs and traditions are made an integral part of the story. Priyadarshi and Kavya Kalyanram lived in their roles, and it is good that the artists have chosen a heartwarming subject at such a young age
Analsys:
Director Venu and Racha Ravi are adequate in their roles. Racha Ravi’s scene with Priyadarshi in the second half is hilarious. The casting was on point, and everyone did a fantastic job in the film. Every actor got the Telangana dialect right, and the emotions got conveyed nicely due to the presence of amazing artists. Muralidhar Goud, Roopa, and Jayaram stand out among the supporting cast. The climax portions are brilliantly executed and heart-wrenching. Balagam surely is not for those who look for time-pass flicks. There is a lot of honesty in the storytelling, and the film doesn’t have any commercial ingredients as such, which is expected by a section of the audience. The editing could have been better in the first hour.
SARKAR RATING: 3/5
Starring: Priyadarshi, Kavya Kalyanram, Venu, Muralidhar Goud, Jayaram, Roopa, Racha Ravi
Director: Venu Yeldandi Producers: Harshith Reddy, Hanshitha Reddy