‘Balagam’ transcends language and cultural barriers: Director Venu Yeldandi

Also Read: ‘Balagam’ changed me as a person, says Venu Yeldandi

Balagam, a rooted story

A poster of Venu Yeldandi’s ‘Balagam’. (VenuYeldandi9/ Twitter)

The film revolves around death and how a warring family comes together for the last rites. Within that premise, Venu Yeldandi sets about introducing his characters in an unhurried way, bringing out their various shades of grey.

“I always had the confidence that my story would capture the heart. But in hindsight, I can see why exactly it won the hearts of the people. It is so rooted in context that it transcended language and cultural barriers,” Venu Yeldandi told PTI in an interview.

The actor-director said the film is, in a way, a page out of his life in Sircilla, a small town in what is now Telangana.

Venu Yeldandi speaks about his father’s death, “I lost my father in 2011, and like everyone else here, I went through some rituals without paying much heed at the time.”

“Later, when I was thinking of writing a script, these rituals sort of popped into my head. I guess, I made up my mind when a friend too went through similar rituals and was telling me about it,” he said.

In rural Telangana, people bond over marriage or death with very unique rituals, he observed.

“I knew weaving a story around these rituals, that is so much a part of our lives here (Telangana), would make for a good film,” he asserts.

Also Read: I tried to convey the right emotion through my songs in ‘Balagam’

Siricilla to Hyderabad

Venu Yeldandi’s  journey from his small town to Hyderabad, to filmdom and fame, is strewn with the usual rags-to-riches moments.

But he always knew that he was different from the normal “next door” guys of the small town.

“I was an extrovert and could always make others laugh. More importantly, I dared to dream. Even when I was living there, I did things differently. I learnt martial arts and started teaching it to youngsters. People there don’t do those kinds of things,” he said.

Soon enough, the small town could not contain his ambitious dreams.

Speaking about the big move, the actor-director says, “I moved to Hyderabad in 1999, with little over Balagam transcends language and cultural barriers: director Venu Yeldandi ₹200. Went through the usual struggle, but never lost focus.”

“Making it in films was a biggest dream of mine— people kept saying I looked like comedian Babu Mohan, so I wanted to be a comedian. I worked my way there, assisting others and doing all sorts of odd jobs,” said Venu Yeldandi, who featured in the Telugu drama Ranga Maarthaanda (2023) earlier this year.

Also Read: Acharya Venu: ‘More conscious about my second film.’

Blessing in disguise

Venu Yeldandi at the screening of ‘Balagam’. (Venu Yeldandi/ Facebook)

The actor said in his life, what seemed like a misfortune often led him to a better place.

Venu Yeldandi says, “Balagam, for instance, happened in a phase in which I originally thought I shot myself in my foot. I was part of the popular TV comedy show, Jabardasth, which was paid very well.”

He further adds, “But I decided to leave that to get back into films again. As I had a couple of years break, film offers were not as forthcoming as I expected.”

“For some time, I fell into depression over that. But then I thought, maybe it is time to explore my own film. And then came the Covid break during which I concentrated on shaping the story further and finding backers. That is how Balagam came about,” he said.

Post Balagam

When shooting Balagam, Venu Yeldandi said he felt no pressure at all. It features Priyadarshi, Kavya Kalyanram, Sudhakar Reddy and Kota Jayaram.

“If it didn’t work, I knew I could always get back to acting,” he said.

But with the success of the film, he said there is a greater responsibility to follow it up with another good story.

“The pressure is there, I won’t deny. But I do want to create something beautiful and different again, let’s see. I am exploring stories at the moment,” Venu Yeldandi signs off.

(Disclaimer: The headline, subheads, and intro of this report along with the photos may have been reworked by South First. The rest of the content is from a syndicated feed, and has been edited for style.)