33 years after release, award-winning Telugu film Kallu finally lands on OTT

June 23, 2021, will be fondly remembered by many Telugu film lovers, for it marked the OTT release of the much-celebrated indie film Kallu, directed by M V Raghu. Despite featuring non-descript actors, the parallel film, based on a play written by Gollapudi Maruthi Rao, enjoyed massive popularity and had a 100-day run at the theatres in 1988. The film, also known for the catchy number Tellarindi Legandoi, gained immense acclaim for its sincere effort to understand the lives of the visually challenged and had a very philosophical interpretation of eyesight. 

Sivaji Raja, (late Kallu) Chidambaram, (late) Gundu Hanumantha Rao, NJ Bhikshu and Rajeswari form the lead cast of the film. Kallu's story revolves around a group of blind beggars that utilises all their savings to restore the eyesight of one among them. Will they regret their decision? Despite the film gaining a cult following over the years, it took 30 years for Kallu to have its television premiere in 2018 on ETV. While only a handful of viewers managed to watch the film on TV, it comes as a relief that Kallu is finally streaming on the ETV Win (OTT) app. 

ETV Win is home to a terrific collection of evergreen classics in Telugu cinema across decades, to which Kallu is a significant addition. Incidentally, on the same day of its OTT release, the director of the film M V Raghu had hosted a private screening of Kallu at a preview theatre in Hyderabad. The special screening was organised for a group of film school students, commemorating 33 years of the film's release. 

The director MV Raghu is an ace cinematographer who's worked in over 50 films, including iconic films like Anweshana, Swathi Muthyam. Kallu received nearly 30 awards - the Nandi Award and the Filmfare award, to name a few. Anytime is a good time to revisit Kallu, which was courageous enough to stand apart from the commercial muck that Telugu filmmakers churned then.