PremiumBalagam OTT release date: Here’s when you can watch Priyadarshi, Kavya Kalyanram’s rural drama
The Venu Yeldandi directorial has turned out to be a surprise hit at the box office, grossing nearly Rs 15 crore
Last Updated: 05.20 PM, Mar 23, 2023
Balagam, which marked the directorial debut of comedian Venu Yeldandi, is undoubtedly Telugu cinema’s biggest surprise story in 2023. Priyadarshi, Kavya Kalyanram played the leads in the drama produced by Dil Raju’s nephew Harshith and daughter Hanshitha Reddy. Made on a meagre budget lesser than Rs 3 crore, the film grossed over Rs 15 crore in Telugu states in three weeks.
After a successful theatrical run of nearly 21 days, Balagam is set arrive on OTT on March 24 on two platforms across the globe - Amazon Prime Video and Simply South. The film recovered twice its budget with its satellite and streaming rights and the theatrical revenue was only viewed as a bonus by the makers. Good on-ground promotions, strong word of mouth helped its cause immensely.
Dil Raju went all out to promote the film in the interiors of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and the team organised premieres for industry crowds, media and bigwigs from various walks of life to spread the word. All the marketing strategies and publicity, backed by the moving drama in the story revolving around a universal theme like death worked in favour of Balagam.
The film revolves around Komarayya, a rural patriarch, who, despite his age, has the verve of a teenager. Tensions within his family soar when he dies. While his grandson Sailu is worried about repaying his debt, his father and uncle get embroiled in an ego tussle to prove their supremacy. Meanwhile, Komarayya’s younger son sets his eyes on a piece of ancestral land. Where’s the tale headed?
Presented by Shirish under Dil Raju Productions, the film has music by Bheems Ceciroleo. Acharya Venu cranked the camera for the drama edited by Madhu. Sudhakar Reddy, Muralidhar Goud, Racha Ravi and others too essayed important roles in the film. Venu Yeladandi has already agreed to director a film each with Dil Raju and Geetha Arts.