Muthayya

Watching director Bhaskhar Maurya’s Telugu film Muthayya, now streaming on ETV Win, feels like shedding the trappings of urban life and settling into an unhurried rural setting, surrounded by affable characters. The story centres on a 70-year-old man from a village in Telangana, who dreams of becoming a film actor and seeing himself on the big screen — just once in his lifetime. Age may not be on his side, but his zest for life remains undiminished. Humour weaves gently through the narrative. In an early scene, two men climb a water tank to unveil a banner. Someone remarks, in the Telangana dialect, “Yem peekindu?” (What did he achieve?). We soon find out. At the heart of the story is Muthayya (played by Sudhakar Reddy of Balagamfame), who owns a modest plot of land that overlooks open fields and distant hills. Each evening, he retreats to his simple dwelling on the land, sharing a drink or two with his much younger friend Malli (Arun Kumar), who runs a cycle repair shop in the village.