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.