From burying sorrows, to pouring out the joys of everyday life sitting below palm trees with a pot of kallu or toddy, is a common sight in most parts of Telangana. It reflects the rich folk culture of working class people, which seems to have been largely ignored by Telugu cinema. However, thanks to Kotha Poradu, a web series that is gaining popularity, such sights are finding their way through the lens.
One of the scenes in the series shows the protagonist and his friends drinking toddy in a nearby palm grove, only to get caught by his father, who is also busy drinking in the same place. As the boys try to escape, his father asks them not to run away and instead, join him for a drink.
Written and directed by debutant Anvesh Michael, who also acts in the series, Kotha Poradu delivers a fresh view that celebrates rustic and eventful life in rural Telangana. It narrates the story of a carefree rural millennial Raju, who leaves his village in search of a new life and to pay off his family debts.
The 10-episode drama, which traces Raju's journey from his village to Hyderabad, where he accidentally ends up becoming an actor, is being critically acclaimed for its raw content with the Telangana dialect. Kotha Poradu is now streaming on OTT platform Aha.
TNM caught up with 30-year-old Anvesh Michael, the man behind Kotha Poradu to talk about his journey into the world of filmmaking. Coming from Bollikunta in Warangal, Anvesh's studies, from schooling to MBA, took place in Warangal. According to Anvesh, it was in 2017 that he made his debut as an actor in a TV program called Nirudyoga Natulu (Unemployed Actors).
When asked about his interest in movies, he said, “At one point of time I found no interest in what I was doing. I left a government job and started to explore the art of movies. My interest to explore the cultures of people and tell their stories and a zeal to put unshown stories on a screen, has led me to where I'm now.”
Watch the first episode of Kotha Poradu below.
Anvesh said that his keen interest to observe different cultures and highlight unnoticed lifestyles and stories of people, which are usually ignored by the mainstream, drove him to filmmaking. With the success of Kotha Poradu, Anvesh set up his own production house and is awaiting the release of his debut feature film titled Itukabeddala Manikyam later this year.
When asked about the raw story narration technique reflected in Kotha Poradu, Anvesh says that it comes from his observations. He said, “I have not read many books. My story telling comes from the common people. I pick up stories from their lives. Their culture, dialect, and clothing are my aesthetics.”
Anvesh said that he sees a huge scope for new-age storytellers who want to explore different genres and formats. “If we want to tell something raw and original, we can do it because each story can have its own tone.” Anvesh has also signed up for two more movies which are set to begin work later this year.