Krish, Rakul Preet Singh, Vaishnav Tej on telling the shepherd community's story through Konda Polam

Konda Polam is director Krish’s stop-gap project, which would not have happened if his film with Pawan Kalyan, Hari Hara Veera Mallu, did not postpone its shoot citing COVID-19 delays. The director is extremely thankful to the star for letting him do this film in the middle, as not many would have accepted such a request.

“When such a situation arose for Hari Hara Veera Mallu, it was quite worrying as the entire team was idle with nothing to do. When I requested Pawan Kalyan sir for his permission to shoot this film since the team will be facing financial constraints, he agreed to let me go to this project. It’s his greatness, without which Konda Polam would not have happened at all.” The film is based on a novel of the same name, written by Sannapureddi Venkata Ramireddy.

“Konda Polam is a film set in the present-day era, and that was a pivotal point that attracted me towards the subject. The reason behind this is that though we are in the 21st century, there are still people who struggle to feed themselves and their sheep, travelling into the mountains with the entire flock in search of what they want.

I have always romanticised shepherds crossing the mountains with their sheep as it creates a beautiful picture, but when I read this book, it took me by surprise as it revealed the real struggles that they were facing.

It is not just the search for food and water that is their aim, but they have to safeguard themselves from a large number of tigers and red sandal smugglers who will be rampant in the area. These factors separate Konda Polam from a regular forest film,” said the director, who wrapped up this project within a span of just 43 days.

Krish labels the character of Ravindranath as ‘very interesting,’ saying that he chose the actor Panja Vaishnav Tej after watching the songs of Uppena , which he was very impressed with. “I really loved this guy, for he has a fantastic persona, and also has very intense eyes. While speaking to him in person, I decided that he will be perfect for the role of Ravindranath. On the other hand, I went for an out-of-the-box choice with Rakul Preet because she is a huge star who has done many glamorous roles, and it would be an unconventional outing to see her playing this part. The novel does not have a female character, and it is something that I have infused because the film needs a beautiful love story,” says the director about the cast that he brought together for the film.

Konda Polam was shot in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, and Krish had to bring down his crew to half the size and plan the shoot in a different way. “We wanted to shoot in the Nallamala forest, but the COVID cases at that point of time were very high. We then moved to the Goan forest, but when they heard the story and the fact that we would be bringing a lot of sheep into the forest, they said no. We then finalised the Anantagiri Hills. Our experienced crew of 80 members travelled together in a bio bubble, and were able to put this together. Of course, MM Keeravani sir (composer) is the backbone of the film, and helped us convert this into the magnum opus that we wished for.”

Rakul Preet, who has established herself as a stylish and modern girl in the Indian film industry, takes a huge turn with this film. Speaking about how she found her way into the film, Rakul said, “Yes, I have been a big admirer of Krish’s work, and I think that his insights into the history and our heritage is just too great. Konda Polam’s uniqueness excited me, with the chance to play a completely different non-glamorous role pulling my attention. People think that your real life and your reel life are in harmony, but that’s not the case in reality. This is a role that has a Rayalaseema slang. I had to learn the slang, learn how to mend a flock of sheep, and also pick up the body language of how these rural women behave. A lot of look tests were done too, to get the look right. The entire film is a beautiful memory for me, on how we went into the forest for 45 days, in the middle of a lockdown. I keep telling Krish that the experience has been so good, and I have to keep coming back to doing films with him because it has been such an amazing time.”

In the same way, Konda Polam lead actor Panja Vaishnav Tej, who is coming off from the massive success of Uppena, calls this film a very thrilling experience right from the first day. “Krish garu is a master at whatever he does, and I just had to devote myself entirely to the script and the storyline. While coming across shepherds during our trips, we usually wonder about how they wear the same black cloth all year round. But little do we know that such a cloth (known as the Gongulli) is something that serves them right in all weather conditions, working like a blanket during the cold, offering protection in the sun, and also acting as a saviour in the rain. It was a fabulous experience to dive deeper into the lives of the shepherds and learn more about their livelihood.”

Konda Polam is slated to release in cinemas on 8 October. 

Siddharth Srinivas is an engineer-turned-film journalist covering South Indian cinema.