Balagam Movie review: Perfect ‘Telangana’ism

A small-budget film named “Balagam” starring Priyadarshi and Kavya Kalyanram in the lead roles gained decent buzz in recent times. Directed by comedian Venu Yeldandi popularly known as ‘Jabardasth’ Venu, the movie is backed by Dil Raju. The film hit the screens and let’s find out how it fares at box-office.

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 is the remaining plot of the story.

Analysis

Balagam’s core point is is beautifully woven with the native culture and traditions of interior Telangana. The film feels like a tribute to Telangana people by Dil Raju and director Venu who hail from the same region. Along with that, we also see the innocence, greed, beliefs (sometimes even superstitions), manipulation, problems, and many such aspects. These are human things that we see in people everywhere, here it is about the things Venu saw in the countryside of Telangana.

The film is authentic to that among all the films that came on Telangana subject so far at least in mainstream cinema. As said earlier, the cast is also carefully picked to enhance the impact. Also, the more revolves around a death usually that is considered a taboo topic for Telugu people. Venu used to stir comedy and emotion as well. There is an inherent philosophy of how people display their true colors when a death happens.

Coming to the cinematic experience, there are some problems as well. The movie starts with Komurayya’s character which is so sweet but it is ended abruptly. Since it is the central character of the film, we should have seen some drama and more connection to the characters in the village for the later parts to feel more absorbing.

The struggles of Priyadarshi are funny here and there but the love stories do not make much of an impact. The first half is mostly about that. There are paces issues and the director moves to the core point only at the interval.

The second half is definitely more engaging the first half. The emotions take a driving seat here. Slow pace returns and creates considerable problems but then, we get to see some emotional sequences. The climax again is neat and moving. The song that comes in the climax feels long but the second half of it which leads to realization in the family is very effective and leaves the audience with a heavy heart.

Altogether, ‘Balagam’ is an honest attempt that is authentic to Telangana culture and the rural side. There are problems that make it very difficult to sit throughout the film. But if you manage to do that, you will get impressed with the essence and the final ending.

Performances

All the artists did not act but lived in those roles. Priyadarshi who is known as a natural performer once again stole the show. He carried the expressions and emotions and elevated the scenes with his screen presence. Kavya Kalyan Ram impressed with her looks. She not only attracted by her looks but also beautified the scenes with her performance. She came out with good emotions and expressions. Sudhakar Reddy who played the role of Priyadarshi's grandfather might have got a limited screen presence but she stole the show with his performance making a powerful impact.

Technicalities

Jabardasth Venu, who made his directorial debut with “Balagam,” has done a good job. Balagam was set against the Telangana backdrop, which Venu portrayed perfectly. Also, the dialogues and the conversations were written accordingly with the setup. The best part of Venu’s writing is his characterisations. He was successful in conveying the message through the characters, and that is where the emotions had a proper impact on the audience. The production values of Dil Raj Production are top-notch Bheems Ceciroleo’s music has been a great strength for the film’s core emotions. Also, the songs were nicely composed, with a perfect touch of rural Telangana. In addition to the above, the other technical aspects of the film, such as editing and cinematography also shown impact on the output.

Advantages

Story, Screenplay, Direction

Realistic flavor

Artists Performances

Climax

Disadvantages

Slow Pace

Dragged Scenes