Cinema Bandi

Praveen Kandregula's 2021 Telugu film follows Veerababu, who drives an auto rickshaw in a village. He finds an expensive camera left in his vehicle and, instead of selling it, decides to make a film with his fellow villagers. The humour comes from impossibility. There is no light, no sound, no acting and no money; the group makes the wedding photographer its director and the barber its lead, and every scene meets a new obstacle. The narrative does not mock. The villagers are not shown as incompetent; their wish to make cinema is taken seriously and the film ties that to something moving. The cast is largely made up of unknown performers. Who it's for: those who like small-scale Indian comedy and films about filmmaking. Who it's not for: viewers expecting technical polish; the film is deliberately roughly shot.