Hyderabad: Though Tollywood and the Telugu television fraternity have always been known for their huge market and viewership, a lesser acknowledged fact is the number of struggling junior television and film artistes that the city plays host to.
Forming a very urban, yet a significant part of Hyderabad are these aspiring artistes who migrate from across the state, including Srikakulam, East and West Godavari districts, among others.
Segregated in and around the Krishna Nagar area, known for being the adda for many such aspiring actors, many of these junior artistes earn less than Rs 800 per month and drink chai (tea) for survival.
But what makes them associated with the city and it’s urban dynamism? “More than anything else it’s just the sheer pride and passion of seeing themselves on screen,” said Harsha Vadlamani, 28, a photographer who documented their lives.
On display at Do Din, a community-driven urban techno arts event, Vadlamani said he found this particular segment of Hyderabad as a perfect urban narrative. “The best lesson one can learn from them is that they are so committed to their work that no matter what the odds are, that they will never quit. They fought against the will of their families to find a livelihood in a field that they are passionate about,” Vadlamani added.
Having been working on the project since May 2012, Vadlamani is a journalism graduate from Osmania University. He says, “Most of them indicated that in their families, acting had always been looked down upon as a career. They are not here for money, but for those minutes of fame. And many went back to their village only when they had a couple of such shots in their kitty.”
