Harsh Roshan’s Tellakagitham Movie Review

The latest Telugu film Tellakagitham created headlines even before its theatrical release after the movie reportedly surfaced online. The film stars Harsh Roshan, who has previously impressed audiences as a child artiste and later as a lead actor in Court. Debutant Nakshatra plays the female lead, while Ramesh Bandreddy has directed the film. Tellakagitham arrived in theatres on October 2. Here is our review.

Story

The story is set in a village near Bhimavaram. Ramu (Harsh Roshan) lives with his elder brother and sister-in-law. Asha (Nakshatra) is a school student from the same village and studies at the same school as Ramu.

Their relationship begins unexpectedly when their lunch boxes get exchanged. What starts as a simple introduction gradually develops into friendship and eventually turns into teenage love. However, their relationship takes a serious turn when they make decisions without fully understanding their consequences.

The film revolves around what happens after the young couple gets caught in an unexpected situation and whether they are able to deal with the problems that follow.

Review

There is nothing new about making a film around love. Telugu cinema has explored teenage romance and relationships in several different ways. What makes Tellakagitham different is the way it uses a teenage love story to discuss the consequences of making important decisions at a young age.

The film focuses on teenagers who often feel that they are mature enough to handle everything themselves. They may ignore advice from their parents and believe that they can hide their mistakes. Tellakagitham attempts to show how such decisions can create much bigger problems.

The movie starts in a simple manner. The friendship between Ramu and Asha develops naturally, with some light-hearted moments and romantic scenes keeping the first half moving. Although the basic setup does not offer anything particularly fresh, the comedy and youthful portions make the film reasonably engaging.

The interval arrives with a pregnancy-related twist, which changes the direction of the story. The second half deals with how the characters attempt to deal with the difficult situation.

The basic storyline can be explained in just a couple of lines, but the makers have stretched it into a film of around two and a half hours. Several important developments are saved for the final portion, which makes the earlier sections feel uneven at times. There are moments of entertainment, but some portions also feel slow.

The final stretch, however, brings the emotional impact the film needs. The climax comes with a surprising turn and works better emotionally than some of the earlier portions.

One of the film's notable aspects is the way it touches upon sensitive topics such as menstruation, puberty and contraception through the perspective of teenagers. The movie also explores how blindly trusting familiar people can sometimes lead to serious consequences.

The title Tellakagitham itself is connected to the film's central idea — once a mark is made on the blank page of life, removing its impact may not always be easy.

A dialogue about understanding a woman's struggles before considering oneself mature also stands out. The sister-in-law's character gets an emotional track, particularly in a sequence involving a difficult decision made for Ramu's education. More scenes giving this character depth could have strengthened the emotional side of the film.

The movie also conveys another important point: when teenagers face serious problems, honestly approaching their parents can help prevent situations from becoming worse. Instead, seeking help from the wrong people or trying to hide mistakes can lead to a chain of further complications. This message is presented clearly throughout the story.

Performances

Harsh Roshan delivers a convincing performance as Ramu. He handles the character's innocence, teenage emotions, mistakes and eventual realisation effectively. His performance is one of the film's strengths.

Nakshatra makes her acting debut as Asha. She has a pleasant screen presence, but some of her emotional scenes could have been performed with greater intensity.

Ajay, who plays Asha's father Murthy, performs well. The actors playing Ramu's brother and sister-in-law also make an impact. Raj Kaseereddy is another performer who stands out in his role. However, several supporting characters receive more prominence only during the final portion of the movie.

Technical Aspects

Director Ramesh Bandreddy succeeds in bringing the intended message about teenage relationships and their consequences to the screen. However, the screenplay could have been tighter, particularly in the portions leading up to the climax.

The song “Chilaka,” composed by Vijay Bulganin, is pleasant to listen to. The cinematography also gives the film a rich visual appearance.

Final Verdict

Tellakagitham is a simple teenage love story that tries to deliver a serious message about relationships, responsibility and the consequences of hiding mistakes. The film has some entertaining portions and an emotional climax, although the screenplay feels stretched in places.

The movie may particularly connect with teenagers and parents because of the issues it attempts to address. Overall, Tellakagitham is a decent watch with a relevant message.