Balagam Review: Nativity With Emotions

Balagam is a Telugu language village comedy-drama directed by noted comedian Venu Tillu (Venu Yeldandi). The film has Priyadarshi & Kavya Kalyanram playing lead roles while Murali Dharan, Roopa Devi, Sudhakar Reddy, Jayaram, K. Sujatha, Vijaya Lakshmi, Mime Madhu, Surabhi Lalitha, Racha Ravi, Venu, Rohini, Krishna Teja & others are seen in supporting roles. The music is composed by Bheems Ceciroleo and the movie is produced by Dil Raju, Harshith Reddy & Hanshitha Reddy under Dil Raju Productions banner.

Story:

The film is about a rooted Telangana family and the problems which happen inside the family. Sai (Priyadarshi) is a normal young guy who does various businesses in his village to earn a living. One day, his grandfather Komaraiah (Sudhakar Reddy) dies all of a sudden and all the family members come together for Komaraiah’s last rites. This will raise up the past ego issues, which are still going around with the family members. What are those issues? How will the grandfather’s death unite the family? Needs to be seen in the film.

What about on-screen performances?

Priyadarshi gives out an honest performance. He is obviously good with his comedy timing and this time, he impresses with his emotional angle as well. The way he portrayed the little innocence in his characters is commendable, and this adds great value to this particular role.

Kavya Kalyanram does a pretty decent job in her role as the hero’s love interest. Sudhakar Reddy is excellent as the grandfather. His character is the backbone of the film and he does full justice to it. All the family members and supporting cast in the film are superb with their respective roles & performances.

What about off-screen talents?

The story by Venu is very rooted and has the right amount of emotional value, which is needed for a plot like this. If you’re someone from a rural Telangana village, then you will definitely love this film. The screenplay has its share of up & downs. There are a few flat scenes and stretched-out scenes in the middle portions. The comedy works in bits & pieces and the climax emotions will hit us hard.

Special mention to the dialogue writers & lyric writers of the film. The music and songs by Bheems Ceciroleo are one of the biggest strengths of the film. The background score is neat too. The camera work by Acharya Venu is splendid. The edit by Madhu is okay. But the climax portion could have been trimmed for about 5 minutes. The production values are adequate for this kind of film.

What’s Hot?

• Priyadarshi’s Performance
• Rooted Emotions & Decent Story
• Cinematography & Production Values
• Songs & Background Score
• Neat Situational Comedy

What’s Not?

• Few Flat Scene In Middle Portions
• Dragged Out Climax Portions
• Had Scope For More Comedy
• Tailor Character Doesn’t Add Anything To The Plot

Verdict: Balagam is a movie that is high on emotions and deals with a very relatable point that revolves around a family in a very sensible manner. The nativity factor, along with some good songs and strong emotions, makes this a good family film. A well-made attempt overall!!

Telugubulletin.com Rating: 2.75/5