Spotlight on Saagu
The Telugu long, short lm Saagu narrates a story of endurance in rural Andhra Pradesh
Alittle more than a year ago, Vinay Ratnam, a 25-year-old aspiring feature lm director from Rajahmundry, set out to make a short lm titled Saagu with the help of his friends. Having worked on nearly 15 short lms earlier, he hoped that his new venture would work as a demo lm to showcase his potential and pave the way for his directorial dreams. What he did not anticipate is Saagu making its way to a few lm festivals, winning awards and being available for viewing on digital platforms.
“I grew up watching Telugu lms and am a huge fan of Chiranjeevi garu. Receiving the best lm award from him for the South Indian Film Festival felt as though my love for cinema had come full circle,” says Vinay, during a brief visit to Hyderabad.
In its 51-minute duration, Saagu narrates the story of the tenacity of a small-time farmer in Andhra Pradesh who tries to make a living after being almost isolated for marrying a girl from an upper caste. Saagu was the winner of Top 100 Films at the Dadasaheb
Phalke International Film Festival, won awards for best cinematography and best costume design awards at the Indian Independent Film festival and bagged awards for best debut director and best lm at the Polish International Film Festival.
Vinay had seen some of his extended family go through the rigours of agriculture and was also privy to information they shared pertaining to farmer suicides. The protagonist of Saagu, Hari Babu (Vamsi Tummala), hails from a ‘lower caste’, and marries Subbalakshmi (Harika Balla), the daughter of the head of the village. The couple dees social norms and embark on a tough journey. The undercurrent of caste, says Vinay, was his way of testing himself to see how well he could narrate a sensitive issue.
Saagu began as a crowdfunded project, before help came in from US-based Yasaswi Vanga who oered to produce it. Made with a budget of approximately ₹16 lakh, the lm was shot in four days in May 2023 in Peravaram village in Atreyapuram, Andhra Pradesh. Vinay’s friends took on the responsibilities of assistant direction, production design and other tasks. Since Saagu was lmed in sync sound, workshops were also conducted for the actors to ne tune the rustic dialect.
Once the lm was completed, with the help of his friends, Vinay organised a screening at Ramanaidu Preview Theatre, Hyderabad. “I did not know people in the lm industry, except actor Ankith Koyya. I invited him to the screening.”
Vinay was excited when Ankith informed him that producer and actor Niharika Konidela would attend the screening. “She liked our lm and posted a note of appreciation on social media. That itself was a big win for us. I was surprised when she oered to help by presenting our lm and sending it to lm festivals.”
Vinay is working on a script for his feature lm, which he hopes to direct soon.