Among the six National awards won by Telugu cinema on Friday at the 71st National Film Awards is Kasarla Shyam, who won the award for Best Lyrics for his song ‘Ooru Palletooru’ from the 2023 film Balagam. In an exclusive interaction with Cinema Express, the lyricist expressed his joy at receiving the honour.

Kasarla Shyam said, “I am very happy to receive this honour. For ‘Ooru Palletooru’, we had thought about creating a song as pure and organic as a small village, something that captures the bonding among those people. The fact that such a pure, organic song won a National Award is overwhelming.”

Further recalling the process of making the song, Shyam added, “This song plays early on in the movie, so it works like an entrance into the narrative. So we know that for the film to connect, it was important for the song to connect with people. That small village must instantly make an impression on your mind.”

The National award winning lyricist further spoke about the significance of ‘Ooru Palletooru’ being chosen for this honour. “There are many songs written about villages and small towns. But we always knew that our song should have a distinct stamp and style about it,” he added. 

‘Ooru Palletooru’ was sung by Mangli, known for her rustic vocals, and Ram Miriyala. Bheems Ceciroleo was the composer for the song. Balagam, written and directed by actor-turned-filmmaker Venu Yeldandi, told the tale of an estranged family coming to terms with the death of a parent in a village. Starring Priyadarshi in the lead, the film emerged as a sleeper boxoffice hit besides garnering critical acclaim for its authentic depiction of the Telangana milieu.

Kasarla Shyam, who began his career in late 2000s, has written songs for more than 100 films so far. His other major film credits include F2: Fun and Frustration, Ala Vaikunthapurramlo, and Jathi Ratnalu.