It is a reality that even after 75 years of Independence, many tribal hamlets on the fringes of forests do not have access to basic needs like health, infrastructure, and education. They are an excluded – or intentionally unheard – group in our society whose problems sadly do not feature in the mainstream conversation. They appear in the news only when some shocking clip of a pregnant woman being carried to a faroff hospital on a makeshift stretcher due to lack of proper roads goes viral. This is the premise on which filmmaker AV Mohan has written and directed Itlu Maredumilli Prajaneekam (Yours, Maredumilli People). The film stars Naresh, Anandhi, Vennela Kishore, and others.
Itlu Maredumilli Prajaneekam is inspired by the Hindi film Newton, where a self-righteous government employee is hell-bent on conducting a free and fair election in a Naxal-affected region, with a lot of complexities involved. Similarly, here a self-righteous government teacher Srinivas Sripada (Naresh), who is on election duty, aims at achieving 100% voting in the polling booth in Maredumilli. The village, located atop a hill in the midst of a jungle, lacks a hospital, roads, and other basic infrastructure. The similarities with Newton end there.
Srinivas is a Telugu teacher. He has a PhD in Telugu. He did his graduation and post-graduation in Telugu not because he was weak in other subjects but for the love of the language. Though Srinivas portrays himself as an humble person, he does not spare any opportunity to brag about his ‘sacrifice’ in learning Telugu. This reviewer found Srinivas a most irritating character. He does not talk normally. He just spouts monologue after monologue – often giving painful advice – whenever he opens his mouth. This is precisely the problem with Itlu Maredumilli Prajaneekam. Srinivas keeps patronising the people of Maredumilli. There is nothing subtle in the film. It is loud and preachy.
It is ironic that the lead character, whose job is to encourage the Adivasis (who have decided to boycott the elections owing to official apathy) to vote and to teach them the importance of democracy, is shown being deified. The film’s idea is to celebrate democracy and teach us about civil rights. But succumbing to the mainstream formula of films, Srinivas is literally worshipped as God.
It is truly nauseating to watch the Adivasis as a gullible group without any agency, waiting for a ‘saviour’ from the mainland to resolve their problems.
Srinivas also comes up with a ridiculous idea that actually endangers the entire community for whom he is fighting. His action leads the State to treat the people of Maredimilli as terrorists. Though Itlu Maredumilli Prajaneekam begins on a promising note, it keeps drifting away from reality by the end.
The oversimplistic plot with unidimensional characters like cardboard cutouts does not help either. But it is the performances and the music by Sricharan Palaka that hold the film together.
Naresh convincingly plays the character of an upright government school teacher. Though Anandhi (playing the role of Lechumi) has a small role, she does a decent job. She gets the dialogues and the dialect perfectly. I hope that she gets more roles in Telugu cinema. Vennela Kishore ensures that there are no dull moments in the film.
At its core Itlu Maredumilli Prajaneekam might have contradictory ideas, but the drama is nevertheless sufficient to keep the film entertaining.
Disclaimer: This review was not paid for or commissioned by anyone associated with the film. Neither TNM nor any of its reviewers have any sort of business relationship with the film’s producers or any other members of its cast and crew.