15 years on, Vedam remains Telugu cinema's unmatched masterpiece

India Today

2 days ago

When Telugu film 'Vedam' released in 2010, Allu Arjun said something that stayed with many. Speaking at the film's audio launch, he said, 'People from neighbouring industries always say Telugu movies are always commercial films, but there is no value in those films. This line used to prick me. 'Vedam' is a reply to all of them.' And it truly was. It truly is. Even 15 years later.advertisementAt a time when Telugu cinema was comfortably riding on formulaic commercial entertainers, 'Vedam' was a sharp detour, an experiment that did not just work, but moved. Fifteen years later, the film remains a hauntingly powerful reminder of the kind of stories we once dared to tell. Stories grounded in pain, dreams, contradictions, and, most importantly, humanity.When the film was released, I went to the auditorium to watch Allu Arjun but came out with a proud feeling that 'Vedam' is a Telugu film. In 2025, as the film completes 15 years, it remains fresh, unique, and most importantly, remarkably difficult to attempt today. What makes this film so special?
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FIVE STORIES, ONE SOUL
The brilliance of 'Vedam' lies not in one story, but in five. Five lives, each vastly different in class, faith, morality, and ambition, bound together by fate in a single location on New Year's Eve. The hospital becomes both a battleground and a womb where some lives end, and others are reborn.Cable Raju (Allu Arjun) is a lower-middle-class cable operator from Jubilee Hills slum with big dreams. To impress his rich girlfriend, despite being educated, he resorts to illegal activities such as chain-snatching, cheating and deception. While his acts are morally wrong, the writing treats him with empathy, revealing layers of desperation and identity crisis.Vivek Chakravarthy (Manchu Manoj), born into a disciplined military family, defies his mother's hopes of him joining the army to pursue his passion for music. Yet, in a twist of fate, his true heroism emerges not on the stage, but through his act of sacrifice in the end.Saroja (Anushka Shetty), a prostitute, seeks freedom, not from the profession, but from the oppressive control of her madam, Rathamma. Her journey challenges what true agency, freedom and dignity mean.Rahimuddin Qureshi (Manoj Bajpayee), a Muslim man from the Old City, is shaped by the trauma of communal violence. To him, India sees every Muslim as a terrorist, a perception that the film deconstructs with grace and power.advertisementRamulu (Late Nagayya), a debt-ridden weaver, and his daughter-in-law Padma (Saranya Ponvannan) are willing to sell kidneys to free their child Seenu from bonded labour. Their story lays bare the cost of poverty and the value of education.Despite vastly different lives, each character seeks one thing: freedom. Freedom from poverty, prejudice, fear, past, or control. And this longing makes 'Vedam' more than a film; it becomes a human cry. THE FIFTH VEDA AND OTHER THEMESThe film's title, 'Vedam' (Fifth Vedam), alludes to knowledge not from scriptures, but from lived experience. Krish uses the metaphor of time, particularly December 31 in the story, to mark transitions. For each character, this night is supposed to be a turning point:Raju thinks impressing a girl at a party will elevate his life. Vivek sees the concert as a career-defining break. Saroja plans her escape to start her own business. Ramulu believes their sacrifice will finally give Seenu an education. Rahim wants to leave India for peace, tired of being profiled. But life has different plans. These hopes collide with chaos in the film's climax, a terrorist attack at the hospital, turning the New Year into a reckoning rather than a new beginning.advertisement'Vedam' doesn't just interlink five stories. It interweaves philosophy and society. It takes on communal prejudice through Rahim's arc; commercial sex work and dignity through Saroja; poverty and education through Ramulu's desperation; youth, rebellion, and responsibility through Vivek; and aspiration versus integrity through Cable Raju.What's brilliant is how realisations come not just through internal introspection, but via key secondary characters: Vivek's mother, Dappu Subani (Raju's friend), the police officer in Rahim's arc. These are not just side roles; they are moral mirrors.In fact, the film's final setting, a hospital - a place where life begins and ends, a place same for everyone, is another elegant metaphor tying all threads.THE ELEMENTAL STORYTELLINGEach character in 'Vedam' symbolically aligns with one of the five elements, enriching the film's layered storytelling. Vivek, with music as his medium, represents air, unpredictable and free-spirited. Raju, a cable operator with lofty ambitions, is associated with the sky. Many of his scenes frame the open sky, mirroring his dreams. Rahim's anger and the communal prejudice he faces embody fire, symbolising volatility. Saroja, caught between fluidity and entrapment, reflects water, seeking her flow and freedom. Ramulu, grounded in suffering and bound to the harsh realities of poverty, represents the earth.advertisementThe director further weaves these elemental themes metaphorically through their interactions: when Raju and Vivek leap from a building to confront terrorists, it symbolises the merging of air and sky, while Raju's attempt to steal Ramulu's money reflects the union of sky and earth. These subtle yet powerful undertones add depth and complexity to the film's narrative fabric.STARS IN SERVICE OF STORYIt is not often that stars surrender their image for the story. Allu Arjun, at the height of his stardom post-'Arya 2', took no remuneration. Anushka, after Arundhati, chose the bold and vulnerable Saroja. Manchu Manoj delivered one of his best performances. The screen time and emotional weight are dictated not by star hierarchy but by narrative necessity, a rarity in Telugu cinema.As Allu Arjun said at the film's audio launch: 'People asked me why I did 'Vedam' after big films like 'Arya 2', 'Varudu', 'Badrinath'. They said it is stepping down as a star. But as an actor, I believe 'Vedam' is a film that lifts Telugu cinema a step higher.'advertisementMUSIC AND DIALIGUE: SOUL OF THE FILMMM Keeravani's music is not merely inserted; it is seamlessly integrated. Songs like 'Rupai', 'Ye Chikati', and the 'Vedam' title track reinforce the film's themes. The line from the song 'Rupai', 'Poyi oopiri nilavalanna, poratam lo gelavalanna, jeevana chakram thiragalanna, Jannam Nunchi Maranam Daaka Rupai' (Even if the breath that is leaving must be stopped, battles must be won, and the cycle of life must keep turning, from birth to death, it's all about money) showcases the deep philosophical storytelling through its lyrics. The dialogues in the film are equally searing. Cable Raju's line, 'prapancham lo rende castalu ra unnollu, lenollu' (In this world, there are two castes, those who are rich and those who are not) or Saroja telling the police, 'Memu guddalu ippi ammudu potham. Meeru guddalu eskoni ammudu potharu' (We strip ourselves to get sold, but you wear uniforms and get sold) or Ramulu's words, 'Cheppulu kutte todiki cheppulu untaya maa bathukulu kuda ganthe saar' (Will a cobbler have his own slippers? Will a labourer who builds houses have a home of his own? Our lives are no different). These dialogues linger long after the film is over because of their impact.LEGACY: A BENCHMARK YET TO BE REACHED'Vedam' was not a blockbuster, but it became a benchmark. Director SS Rajamouli said during its release, "'Vedam' is a pride of Telugu cinema. When people ask me what's a Telugu film I'm proud of, I say - watch 'Vedam'."The final scene, when Patel, the moneylender, realises Seenu's love for education says, 'Em pattindu ra lekkalu idichey ra badiki pothadu' (What a grasp on numbers, let us leave him, he will go to school). That is cinema at its poetic best.'Vedam' was more than just a film; it was a cinematic experiment, an emotional revelation, and a storytelling milestone. It showcased the true potential of Telugu cinema: layered, deeply rooted, philosophical, and universally resonant. Years on, it still leaves us wondering why more films are not made like 'Vedam'.