Meeting Ramesh Eligeti - Doughty Ex-MCC Cricketer and Writer of 'Balagam'

Ramesh was a student at the Osmania University Engineering College in 2004 when I first met him. We were then playing our league matches for MCC at the OUCE ground and part of our deal was that we would pay a few college cricketers. Ramesh was one of them. A good batsman, medium pacer and a useful fielder, he was an asset to our side. Our team then was the usual suspects - Pavan, Suri, Subbu, Ram and a motley crew of others. 

Ramesh, yours truly, Sridhar and Sagar

One game remains with me from those years which starred Ramesh. We were losing quite a few games and I had no clue what to do. 10 runs to win, three wickets in hand and we would lose. I realised somehow that it  was my desperation to win that was putting pressure on the boys. That game was at the Railway Degree College and we were 9 down and 70 runs to get. Ramesh was at the wicket and a new recruit Srikant (Ramesh's friend who played only one game for us) was to join him. My usual advice would have been to take singles and this and that but suddenly something snapped in my head. I told Srikant to go and enjoy himself and there were no instructions for him. He went in to bat.

Pavan and i started walked around the boundary, talking, clapping at the occassional boundary but completely detached from the outcome. We went out and had tea and came back and they were still batting. We kept walking and before we realised it the last wicket pair had added 70 runs and we won the game. I realised how important it was for me to cut the chord with the team to get them to perform on their own.

Ramesh finished his engineering and joined TCS. We stopped playing league cricket. Then Ram was about to launch 'Golconda High School' when Ramesh expressed his desire to join the movie. Ram knew Ramesh and knew of his capacity as a cricketer and otherwise and hired him as an AD. Ramesh did a great job as an AD and we all had a lot of fun on the sets then with the kids and all. Sagar was the linchpin around which all activity was centred. Ramesh worked with Ram in other movies too - Uyyala Jampala, Pitta goda, Tanu Nenu etc. Then Ram stopped making movies. Ramesh kept writing stories. And then I heard from Sagar that he had written a movie called 'Balagam' and we should watch it. I was keen to watch it in the theatre but ended up watching it on OTT and what a movie it was.

I messaged Ramesh and told him we should meet. At that same time my friend from OUCE and MBA, Sridhar posted in our MBA group about this movie, recommending it. I asked Sridhar if he wanted to meet Ramesh as well. I knew Sridhar had a huge interest in movies too. He said he would like to and we fixed up to meet at Sailing Club. Sagar came with me and Ramesh joined us directly from the train.

It was great fun discussing the process. Ramesh told us how he had been writing since 2018 and how he and Venu (who directed the film) had the same idea and worked on it - a funeral and its aftermath in Telangana. Venu was to act as the protagonist and Ramesh would direct it. And then more layers got added to the story - the grandson, the family angle, the crow. Ramesh said that it was at half way stage that they had to make up their mind about who the hero was (the grandfather!)

When Ramesh said that he was unsure if this theme would work because it was so commonplace I asked him what worked then - and he said 'honesty'. I will go with that. Nothing like honesty to connect to people. It comes across in the way Ramesh talks, the way he speaks in public functions etc - he truly believes in what he is trying to convey. It was a great evening discussing movies etc and we owe Sridhar a big thanks for hosting us.

On the way back we stopped at Red Rose and had a chai - and then headed home. 

An interesting aside was that there was a party inside with people playing loud local music and dancing. It was worse than a bar - they won't let you dance like that in a bar. Sridhar was livid and gave the managers a piece of his mind. All they had to say in reply was - they are permanent members sir.

Now I have seen everything!