''Mallesham'' is a 2019 Indian

Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India *Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language ** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode S ...

-language

biographical film A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of a non-fictional or historically-based person or people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from docudra ...

based on the life of

Chintakindi Mallesham Chintakindi Mallesham (Telugu: చింతకింది మల్లేశం) has been acclaimed for his invention of the ''Lakshmi Asu machine'' that reduced the manual effort required by weavers in Pochampally. It has helped reduce the cycle ...

, written and directed by RajR. The film features Priyadarshi as Mallesham, alongside

Jhansi Jhansi (; Hindi: झांसी, Urdu: ) is a historic city in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. It lies in the region of Bundelkhand on the banks of the Pahuj River, in the extreme south of Uttar Pradesh. Jhansi is the administrative hea ...

, debutante

Ananya Nagalla Ananya Nagalla (born Anusha Nagalla) is an Indian actress who appears in Telugu films. She made her debut in the 2019 film '' Mallesham'' and went onto appear in films such as ''Play Back'' (2021) and '' Vakeel Saab'' (2021). She was nominated ...

and

Ananda Chakrapani Ananda Chakrapani is an Indian actor who works in Telugu-language films. He garnered acclaim for his performance in '' Mallesham'' (2019). Early life He was born in Gaddamvari Yadavalli village of Kanagal mandal in Nalgonda district of Telang ...

in prominent roles. The film garnered positive reviews from critics upon release. Priyadarshi's performance in the film is regarded as one of the "100 Greatest Performances of the Decade" by ''

Film Companion Anupama Chopra () is an Indian author, journalist, film critic and director of the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival. She is also the founder and editor of the digital platform Film Companion, which offers a curated look at cinema. She has written sev ...

.''

Plot

, a school dropout, goes on to revolutionize the weaving industry by creating the Asu machine.

Cast

* Priyadarshi as

as Lakshmi *

as Padma *

as Narasimhulu *

Gangavva Milkuri Gangavva is an Indian YouTuber, comedian and actress. She used to work as a farm-worker before becoming popular on YouTube. Gangavva is known for her diction of Telangana dialect of Telugu language. In 2020, she entered the Telugu rea ...

as the

ceiling fan A ceiling fan is a mechanical fan, fan mounted on the ceiling of a room or space, usually electric power, electrically powered, that uses hub-mounted rotation, rotating blades to wikt:circulation, circulate air. They cool people effectively by ...

home owner *

Jagadeesh Prathap Bandhari Jagadeesh Prathap Bandari is an Indian actor who prominently worked in Telugu films. He made his debut with Avanti Cinema's ''Nirudyoga Natulu'' in 2018 and was seen in Raj Rachakonda's ''Mallesham'' followed by George Reddy (film), ''George ...

as Anji *Durgaprasad K as Electrician Kiran *

Anvesh Michael Anvesh Michael is an Indian film director, producer, screenwriter and actor.In 2020, Anvesh made his directorial debut with ''Kotha Poradu'' for Aha that released on 8 February 2020. He made his first appearance in 2017's ''Nirudyoga Natulu' ...

as Raju *Jayasri Rachakonda as Dr. Indira, gynecologist *

Thiruveer Thiruveer (born 23 July 1988) is an actor and director who works in Telugu theatre and cinema. His notable film appearances include " Pareshan" (2023), '' George Reddy'' (2019), ''Palasa 1978'' (2020) and '' Masooda'' (2022). Early life Thi ...

as Veera Pratap * Laxman Aelay as Padma's father *

Thagubothu Ramesh Ramilla Ramesh, better known as Thagubothu Ramesh, is an Indian actor and comedian who works in Telugu films. He is a recipient of Nandi Award for Best Male Comedian. He got the moniker "Thagubothu" as he portrayed several roles as a drunkard ...

as a drunkard *

Dheer Charan Srivastav Dheer Charan Srivastav also known as D. C. Srivastav (born 9 August 1967), is an Indian character actor, comedian and dialogue writer from Hyderabad, Telangana, who mostly appears in Hyderabad Deccani Urdu, Tollywood and Bollywood Films. He i ...

as Abdul

Production

Short film director Raj made his directorial debut with this film. He had seen the

TED talk TED Conferences, LLC (Technology, Entertainment, Design) is an American-Canadian non-profit media organization that posts international talks online for free distribution under the slogan "ideas worth spreading". TED was founded by Richard Sau ...

and wanted to create a film about Mallesham. Carl Zeiss super-speed lenses were used to shoot the film as Raj wanted the film to feel like

Shyam Benegal Shyam Benegal (born 14 December 1934) is an Indian film director, screenwriter and documentary filmmaker. Often regarded as the pioneer of parallel cinema, he is widely considered as one of the greatest filmmakers post 1970s. He has received ...

's '' Susman'' (1987). The film was shot in Revanapally and the crew stayed in the village for a year to shoot the film. Laxman Aelay was signed as the head of art production after a hiatus of almost 25 years. His last work was ''

Nirantharam ''Nirantharam - The Incessant'' is a 1995 Indian Telugu-language drama film, written and directed by Rajendra Prasad (filmmaker), C. Rajendra Prasad. Plot The story is set against the backdrop of the 1948 Telangana Rebellion. Production Produc ...

'' (1995). He helped the crew by referring local artisans to the team. His drawings of weavers were used as references for the crew. The trailer released on 29 May.

Soundtrack

The songs were composed by Mark K Robin.

Release

''The Times of India'' gave the film four out of five stars and stated that "The film delivers what it promises – the story of a common man who dared to find a practical solution to the issue at hand, a man anyone can relate to. Director Raj Rachakonda needs to be lauded for this". ''The New Indian Express'' stated that "And yes, Raj deserves applause for churning out a film which has its heart in the right place. Priyadarshi’s complete ownership of the role is what elevates this film a few notches higher." ''The Hindu'' wrote that "This indie-spirited film is a heart-warming portrayal of tenacity and triumph".

Digital release

The film has a theatrical release and digitally released on

Netflix Netflix, Inc. is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service and production company based in Los Gatos, California. Founded in 1997 by Reed Hastings and Marc Randolph in Scotts Valley, California, it offers a fil ...

Accolades

References

External links

*{{IMDb title, 9742362 2010s Telugu-language films Indian biographical films 2019 films Films set in Telangana Films shot in Telangana