After the success of ‘Rrr’ internationally, it is the turn of yet another Tollywood movie to get noticed on foreign shores. In contrast to the big-ticket S S Rajamouli directorial, ‘Balagam’ (titled ‘The Group’ in the U.S.) is a relatively low-budget movie, but it did win two awards at the Los Angeles Cinematography Awards (Laca) for March 2023.
Produced by Harshith and Hanshitha Reddy under the Dil Raju Productions banners, ‘Balagam’ was given the awards for best feature film and best cinematography (Acharya Venu). The certificates were presented to the film’s director, Venu Yeldandi.
The movie starring Priyadarshi and Kavya Kalyanram was a surprise hit. Interestingly, Megastar Chiranjeevi and several other Tollywood stalwarts, who had seen the movie, predicted that ‘Balagam’ would win awards and they have been proved right.
Produced by Harshith and Hanshitha Reddy under the Dil Raju Productions banners, ‘Balagam’ was given the awards for best feature film and best cinematography (Acharya Venu). The certificates were presented to the film’s director, Venu Yeldandi.
The movie starring Priyadarshi and Kavya Kalyanram was a surprise hit. Interestingly, Megastar Chiranjeevi and several other Tollywood stalwarts, who had seen the movie, predicted that ‘Balagam’ would win awards and they have been proved right.
- 3/30/2023
- by News Bureau
- GlamSham
Death is a tricky yet sensitive subject to deal with. But Venu Yeldandi, in his directorial debut, ‘Balagam,’ has greatly amalgamated superstitions associated with crows in relation to death to narrate a sad family tale. When you observe a crow cawing right at the beginning of the movie above Koamrayya’s head, you know for sure that death awaits. Venu quite efficiently uses death as the reason for a dissociated family to reconnect and revive their ties. He employs the crow as the messenger of Yamraj, the Hindu deity of death, to resolve family issues, bringing about harmony and unity and breaking the odd drama of egos.
‘Balagam’ gives us a moment to stop and enjoy the beauty of a rhythmic village, which perhaps today would be impossible to treat ourselves to. The film starts with a song that introduces us to the village and its peculiar nature of being a mother and daughter,...
‘Balagam’ gives us a moment to stop and enjoy the beauty of a rhythmic village, which perhaps today would be impossible to treat ourselves to. The film starts with a song that introduces us to the village and its peculiar nature of being a mother and daughter,...
- 3/27/2023
- by Carlos Luis
- Film Fugitives
EntertainmentStarring Priyadarshi and Kavya Kalyanram, Balagam is a rooted and unapologetic celebration of Telangana and its culture, a characteristic likely to have contributed to its unprecedented success.Disclaimer: Contains spoilers A small Telugu family drama by a debutant director is raking in numbers at Telangana’s box office. Starring Priyadarshi and Kavya Kalyanram, Balagam is a rooted and unapologetic celebration of Telangana and its culture, a characteristic likely to have contributed to its unprecedented success. The film revolves around the death of the protagonist (Priyadarshi)’s grandfather, allowing comedian-turned-director Venu Yeldandi the leeway to extensively document the culture and traditions of Telangana. The unprecedented success of Balagam is seen by many as indicative of a post-bifurcation phenomenon of filmmakers embracing and celebrating the Telangana identity, a trend that has gradually been on the rise since Telangana separated from united Andhra Pradesh and achieved statehood in 2014. Until not so long ago,...
- 3/10/2023
- by Balakrishna
- The News Minute
ReviewWhile debutant director Venu Yeldandi beautifully captures the rituals and traditions of Telangana, Priyadarshi delivers his best performance yet.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...
- 3/3/2023
- by Balakrishna
- The News Minute
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