Movie Pick Of The Week: Venu Yeldandi’s Telugu drama Balagam is a heartwarming tale of family, love and death

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Cinema is something that keeps us all connected. We fulfill all our emotions, through the screen, mood for something fun, watch a comedy movie, mood for something mushy, a rom-com, or mood for something interesting, a documentary. While some movies are just entertainment, some are special and one such is the recently released Telugu movie Balagam. 

Balagam is one such small-budget Telugu movie that made big with its content, storyline, and performances. Just like many movies that come on Friday, Balagam was released too but with good word of mouth and good reviews, the film stood out and shined bright. 

Balagam means legacy and that’s what the film shows too, how important family is and love conquers everything.

If you are wondering what to watch this weekend, then we suggest you check out Balagam, it will not disappoint you, and here’s why

About Balagam

Balagam is written and directed by Venu Yeldandi, who is known for his comic roles in Telugu movies. What a dream debut he had. Balagam features Priyadarshi, who is known for supporting roles in Pelli Chopulu, Jathi Ratnalu, Oke Oka Jeevitham and more, in the lead role with Kavya Kalyanram, Sudhakar Reddy and Muraleedhar Goud in primary roles. The film was released on 3 March 2023 and received positive reviews praising its direction, showcasing human values in a realistic way, performances & emotional weight of the story.
 

Story centers around death and bereavement

Set in a beautiful village in Telangana, Balagam tells a story about a family after their father passes away and they have to fulfill the cremation rituals. The film is about a youngster Sailu, played by Priyadarshi, who is eager to get married and clear off the debts with the dowry given by the girl’s family. However, his plans go haywire due to the untimely death of his grandfather Komurayya three days before his engagement. Well, the film starts off like usual, where Sailu hates his grandfather for dying just before his engagement and the family mourns, with a few laughs.

Every character in this film is a treat to watch. Komurayya is an old man, who loves strolling around the village and talking to everyone, who comes and goes on the way. He is known for his cheerful interaction with the peasants and villagers in his customary attire with tarpon and Chutta, indigenous cigar, and long walking stick. The happy man that he seems, inside is fighting a battle to keep his broken family close and that is the crux of the story.
 

Venu Yeldandi's Telugu drama Balagam

Family Relationships and culture

As they say, you can really see the family’s true bond during the wedding and death and that’s what the film tries to show.  Komurayya has three children, an elder son Ilaiah, who lives in a village along with his wife and son Sailu, a younger son Mogulaiah who lives in Surat with his wife, and two daughters and a daughter Laxmi, who is married but has broken Relationship with her family because of the differences between her husband and elder brother. Why there are differences and what happened between them, is something we are not going to reveal as we do not want to give you too many spoilers. 

However, now as a family, these three have to fulfill the cremation rituals of their dad Komurayya that go on for 12 days. But that ain’t so easy, as Komurayya is on a mission to reunite the divided family after death. 

On the third day after his death, according to the rituals, food is cooked and served on a plate for a crow to come and eat but that doesn’t happen. The crow doesn’t eat the food and that’s when the story begins. Now, the entire family tries every method so that the crow comes and eats. On the 5th day, the same thing is repeated but this time, the married daughter Laxmi and son-in-law Naryana serve food for the crow to eat. But the crow aka Komurayya doesn’t eat this time too. 

Venu Yeldandi's Telugu drama Balagam

The emotional climax

Now, the family is confused about what to do. Their grief and pain of their father’s soul not being at ease is the climax of the story. Despite the fact that days were spent in mourning, the narrative nevertheless produced a significant amount of laughter too.

In the end, Balagam shows how a family has to stay together despite all the odds and love conquers everything. The end of the film will take you on an emotional ride as they come together as a family for their late father. It’s a heartwarming visual. Indigenous folk arts such as Burra Katha and Oggu Katha added a distinct flavor to the film.
 

Venu Yeldandi's Telugu drama Balagam

Do not miss this gem if you want to watch a good movie this weekend. Balagam is currently available for streaming on Amazon Prime Videos

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