Bengaluru | With over 220 films as a comedian, mostly in Telugu, but also a few in Tamil, Venu Yeldandi is no stranger to the south film industry. Yet, when the director in Yeldandi emerged finally, he delivered a knockout, taking the industry by surprise.
"Balagam", his directorial debut, strays away from the established norms of a Telugu film – no pomp, no glamour, no slick dance moves, no clothes that sparkle, no larger-than-life characters... Instead, it brings together a motley of characters rooted in real life.
The film revolves around death and how a warring family comes together for the last rites. Within that premise, 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," 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.
"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, would make for a good film." 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 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.
“I moved to Hyderabad in 1999, with little over Rs 200. Went through the usual struggle, but never lost focus. Making it in films was the 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 Yeldandi, who featured in Telugu drama "Ranga Maarthaanda" earlier this year.
The actor said in his life what seemed like a misfortune often led him to a better place.
“'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 paying very well. 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.
When shooting 'Balagam', 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," Yeldandi said.
