‘Thimmarajupalli TV’ movie review: A nostalgic Telugu drama with 50 newcomers

We unrecorded successful an epoch of changeless connectivity, wherever the smartphone feels similar an hold of our arm. In moments of overload, we romanticise the thought of a integer detox, of returning to a clip erstwhile tv and video cassettes were a luxury. Those were the days. Or were they?

There was a clip erstwhile owning a tv signalled presumption and power, and viewing, too, could go addictive. First-time manager V. Muniraju’s Telugu movie Thimmarajupalli TV revisits this moment, exploring tv arsenic an inflection constituent successful a colony successful Andhra Pradesh, wrapped successful a furniture of nostalgia.

The movie opens with a voiceover by actor-producer Kiran Abbavaram that breaks the 4th wall. He urges america to wage attention, adjacent arsenic helium channels the dependable of a tv set. The TV recalls the pridefulness of spot it erstwhile held successful homes, declaring, “those were the days.” Not the isolating acquisition it aboriginal became successful municipality households, but successful the colony of Thimmarajupalli, wherever watching tv was a shared, communal ritual.

The communicative travels backmost 2 decades, erstwhile villagers pooled successful tiny sums to rent a tv and video cassettes, staying up each nighttime connected Mahashivaratri to ticker films.

Movie-watching is communal and joyous, adjacent arsenic instrumentality rivalries simmer — should a Chiranjeevi movie play first, oregon 1 starring Nandamuri Balakrishna? There is besides an undercurrent successful however men talk astir the young women successful the village.

Muniraju, who besides writes and edits the film, keeps the mounting grounded. The scenery and manner are not overtly romanticised. When Akshay Ram Podishetti’s camera captures sweeping views of fields, rocks and distant hills, the quality feels organic. As it moves closer, often with a handheld fluidity, it draws america into the lives of the villagers.

Authenticity extends to the casting. With astir 50 newcomers, galore from theatre, the performances consciousness lived-in. The homes (art manager Sudheer Macharla), understated costumes (Vishalya) and dialect further basal the movie successful its milieu.

The communicative itself is simple, astir similar a abbreviated story, and I wondered if it tin prolong a two-hour runtime. To its credit, the movie remains engaging, aided by Vamsikanth Rekhana’s breezy, cheerful people successful the aboriginal portions.

Conflict arrives erstwhile 1 villager buys a tv with a outer dish, which the villages notation to arsenic “the elephantine umbrella.” For some, ownership signals powerfulness and sparks envy; for others, it becomes a gathering point, with visitors overstaying their welcome.

At this crossroads, tv arsenic addiction and arsenic presumption symbol, basal a fistful of characters, nary painted successful achromatic and white. Satish (Sai Tej), the antheral lead, is simply a small-time thief who takes his mother’s labour for granted. Saradha (Vedha Jalandhar) is torn betwixt emotion and family.

Around them, Muniraju introduces a scope of characters — a protective member and sister-in-law, a clergyman who fuels discord, a colony elder wary of losing influence, and others waiting to disturbance trouble.

The pacing is brisk successful the archetypal hr earlier dipping briefly. As suspicion spreads successful the second half, the movie regains intrigue, with performances keeping the communicative afloat.

The resolution, though somewhat straightforward, ties up aggregate threads. Ultimately, the movie becomes a coming-of-age communicative — not conscionable for its protagonists, but for the assemblage itself. The performances by Sai Tej, Vedha Jalandhar, Pradeep Kotte and Swathi Karimireddy basal out.

This is simply a simple, endearing movie rooted successful section subcultures. Momentarily it tin besides marque viewers callback Mail: Kampalapally Kathalu, which explored the changes successful a colony erstwhile net connectivity was a luxury.

Thimmaraupalli TV may not person the layered complexity of Care of Kancharapalem oregon Balagam, which dug deeper into quality relationships and societal dynamics, but it serves arsenic a reminder that tiny stories tin inactive surprise.