It’s a fact that the Nizam region counts for a major part of a Telugu film’s box office collection. Yet when it comes to the representation of the area’s lingo, the Telangana dialect, there has been major sidelining — often restricted to funny sidekicks or characters with shades of grey. Think Kota Srinivasa Rao, Venu Madhav, Siva Reddy, Telangana Sakuntala, Duvvasi Mohan, Uttej, Narsing Yadav and Tanikella Bharani; who have all been stereotyped. It was not just uncommon but also impossible to spot lead actors and actresses in films speaking in the dialect.
Although Tollywood hasn’t done a great job in representing the real dialect of its people in its history of over 86 years, the “yaasa” is not only gaining acceptance amongst audiences but is also undergoing a normalisation, going mainstream.
A still from the film Pelli Choopulu
The champion
Director Indraganti Mohana Krishna’s recent film Aami Thumi is a pioneer of sorts in helping the inclusivity of the Telangana dialect and bringing a sense of normalcy to it. The film has elaborate sequences of a family making a dining table conversation in the dialect. Speaking about the same, he reveals, “I always wondered why we never see something so normal portrayed in films; the inclusion of the dialect was a conscious decision. But what was more deliberate was to make it seem normal. I have seen that the general impression of speaking the Telangana dialect, for the speakers of it too, is that it is inferior in some way. That’s why I thought it was necessary to bring it into mainstream cinema. Moreover, how often have we had female leads speaking the dialect?
Indraganti Mohana Krishna
The inclusion of the dialect was a conscious decision. I wanted to make it seem normal. I’ve seen that the general impression of speaking the Telangana dialect is that it is inferior in some way
– Indraganti Mohana Krishna, Director of Ami Thumi
Earlier, films had neutral accents that could resonate with viewers from all areas. However, with realistic films becoming the thing of the day, this normalisation just adds to the reality
–Vijay Devarakonda, actor
After the film’s release and eventual positive response in areas like Kakinada and Vijayawada, I understood that this was the perfect way to penetrate into the audiences. I didn’t want to thump my chest and say, ‘Yes, we did it’. Instead, I wanted actions to speak.”
Actor Vijay Devarakonda, who rose to fame with his distinct Hyderabadi Telugu accent in Pelli Choopulu, elaborates, “Earlier, films had neutral accents that resonated with viewers from all regions. However, with realistic films becoming the thing of the day, this normalisation adds to the reality. Youngsters who speak like me connected to Pelli Choopulu instantly! But what’s interesting is that while many assume that acceptance is not easy for audiences of other regions, you’d be surprised to know, people from places like Vizag too, were in love with it.”
Need for variety
While it may seem like the dialect hasn’t got its due or has been lampooned over time, producer Dil Raju, whose upcoming venture Fidaa portrays Sai Pallavi as a Telangana girl, points out, “If you notice, even dialects from Rayalaseema or Andhra were earlier used in a similar fashion. The inclusivity is slowly coming in. Films are universal and there’s no attempt to bring in a particular culture. It’s just the need for variety that comes with trying something new.”
Writer Gopi Mohan, who worked on films like Dhee, Dookudu and Baadshah, that saw Sri Hari, Mahesh Babu and Jr NTR speak in the dialect, reveals, “It’s interesting that we now have actresses speaking it too as it wasn’t seen often. But a new style is always appeasing to audiences who crave for freshness. The best thing about including dialects is the sense of connectivity that viewers feel. It takes them to the people they meet on an everyday basis, making it easy to identify with them.”
The evolution
Harikrishna Mamidi, Director of Culture, Telangana, explains how the transition of Telangana dialect happened in Tollywood. “In the initial days, we had actors, writers, producers and directors from Krishna and Guntur. Later, we had entrants from the East and West Godavari. All of them brought in their dialects into cinema. But for some reason it wasn’t until RGV came in, that the Telangana dialect saw representation in mainstream cinema. He portrayed characters that resonated with a common Hyderabadi. Until then, the dialect was limited was kept to revolutionary films with stories based in the region,” he explains.
He elaborates, “It was from 2009 that several region based films came up in the midst of the Telangana agitation. But alongside, we saw a star like Mahesh Babu speak in the dialect in Dookudu. This could be because in the end, films are business and there is a need to connect with audiences of all categories.”
