Thimmarajupalli TV Review: Nostalgia works, story feels thin

What’s Thimmarajupalli TV about?

Set in the 1990s in Thimmarajupalli, a village near Kuppam in Andhra Pradesh, the story revolves around Satish (Sai Tej), who is in love with Sharada (Vedha Jalandhar).

Rajappa (Pradeep Kotte) is the first person in the village to build a proper house with brick walls and a concrete slab, in a place where most homes still have tiled roofs. He also becomes the first to buy a television.

Soon, his house turns into a common gathering place, with villagers crowding in to watch films and television serials, leaving little privacy for the family. While Rajappa regrets buying the TV, the village head Ramachandrayya feels humiliated and dreams of owning one himself.

One night, Satish is attacked and left unconscious. The next morning, Rajappa finds that his TV is missing. Suspicion falls on Satish. Though he admits to petty theft, he denies stealing the TV. The village head orders him to recover it within a fixed time or pay its full cost.

Adding to his troubles, Rajappa, who is also Sharada’s brother, decides to marry her off to someone else.

How Satish proves his innocence and finds the real culprit forms the rest of the story.

Analysis

As the title suggests, “Thimmarajupalli TV” explores how the arrival of television brings both excitement and conflict into a rural setting. What begins as a source of entertainment slowly leads to jealousy, rivalry, and small disputes among villagers.

Written, edited, and directed by V. Muniraju, the film attempts to recreate life in the 1990s in the Kuppam region. While the setting is authentic, the story itself is quite thin and does not have enough substance to sustain a full-length feature.

The director manages to hold attention in parts by introducing multiple characters and their small arcs. However, the central plot feels more suitable for a short film than a feature-length narrative.

Unlike films such as Balagam, which explore rural life with emotional depth, this film stays largely on the surface. Still, it offers a glimpse into life in a remote region where Andhra Pradesh borders Tamil Nadu and Karnataka.

The film captures the setting and time period reasonably well, supported by natural performances from a largely new cast. However, the pacing drops after a point, and the final act feels too simple to leave a strong impact.

There are also several underdeveloped characters. The love story between Satish and Sharada lacks emotional weight, and their relationship never feels fully convincing.

The film benefits from its cast. Sai Tej, Vedha Jalandharr, Pradeep Kotte, and Swathi Karimireddy deliver natural performances that suit the setting. Among them, Swathi Karimireddy leaves a better impression.

The music by Vamsikanth Rekhana stands out. His background score supports the film well, especially in slower portions.

The cinematography neatly captures the rural backdrop, and the production design aligns with the period and setting.

Bottom-line: “Thimmarajupalli TV” is a simple rural drama that attempts to portray life in the Andhra Pradesh-Tamilnadu-Karnataka border region during the 1990s. While it carries a sense of nostalgia, the story remains too basic. The film does not fully satisfy as a feature due to its thin plot and uneven narration. Still, it works as an average watch for its natural performances and its attempt to revisit a bygone era.

Rating: 2.5/5

Review by: TC Staff