Mallesham
Mallesham is a 2019 Indian Telugu-language biographical film based on the life of Chintakindi Mallesham, written and directed by Raj Rachakonda. The film features Priyadarshi as Mallesham, alongside Jhansi, debutante Ananya Nagalla and Ananda Chakrapani in prominent roles. The film garnered positive reviews from critics upon release. Priyadarshi's performance in the film is regarded as one of the "100 Greatest Performances of the Decade" by Film Companion. It also won the state Gaddar Award for Third Best Feature Film.
Plot
This biopic of Padma Shri awardee Chintakindi Mallesham is essentially a tale of a man going to great lengths to ease the pain of his mother, and several other women like her. The mother, Lakshmi, runs the home and something more — winds threads over a four-foot, v-shaped ‘asu’ continuously. It is a thankless pre-loom step, before her husband Narasimhulu can use the weft and warp and give life to ikat fabric on his loom.Production
Short film director Raj made his directorial debut with this film. He had seen the TED talk by Chintakindi Mallesham and wanted to create a film about Mallesham. Carl Zeiss super-speed lenses were used to shoot the film as Raj wanted the film to feel like Shyam Benegal's Susman. The film was shot in Revanapally and the crew stayed in the village for a year to shoot the film. Laxman Aelay was signed as the head of art production after a hiatus of almost 25 years. His last work was Nirantharam. He helped the crew by referring local artisans to the team. His drawings of weavers were used as references for the crew. The trailer released on 29 May.Soundtrack
The songs were composed by Mark K Robin.| Song title | Lyricist | Singer |
| "Dhana Dhana Dhann" | Goreti Venkanna | Anurag Kulkarni |
| "Naaku Nuvvani" | Chandrabose | Sri Krishna, Ramya Behara |
| "Oho Jambiya" | Goreti Venkanna | Goreti Venkanna, Rahul SipliGunj |
| "Aa Challani" | Dasaradhi | Anurag Kulkarni |
| "Kotha Kotha Ga" | Goreti Venkanna | Sri Krishna & Ramya Behara |
| "Amma Deevena" | Chandrabose | Sri Krishna |
| "Amma Deevena" | ||
| "Entha Maaya" | Ashok Peddinti | Ramya Behara |
| "Sethikochina Biddi" | Chandrabose | Anurag Kulkarni |