Pottel

Pottel (“Sheep”) is a 2024 Telugu drama thriller written and directed by Sahit Mothkuri, set in a Telangana village in the 1970s. Yuva Chandraa plays a shepherd fighting for his daughter’s education, with Ananya Nagalla, Noel Sean and Ajay, and music by Shekar Chandra. Released on 25 October 2024 through Mythri Movie Makers, it later won the Telangana state Gaddar Award for Second Best Feature Film.

What the story is about

In the remote village of Gurramgattu, a rigid social hierarchy rules daily life, enforced by the tyrannical Patel, who keeps lower-caste villagers away from education because educated people ask questions. The shepherd Pedda Gangadhar is determined to educate his daughter Saraswati anyway, supported by his wife Bujjamma. He has also been entrusted with a sacred task: caring for the special sheep, the pottel, to be sacrificed at a ritual held once every 12 years. When the sheep goes missing, Patel threatens to sacrifice Gangadhar’s daughter in its place unless it is found.

Cast and crew

• Yuva Chandraa as Gangadhari
• Ananya Nagalla as Bujjamma
• Ajay as Patel
• Baby Thanasvi as Saraswathi
• Srikanth Iyengar as Teacher Duryodhana
• Noel Sean, Priyanka Sharma and Chatrapathi Sekhar

Writer and director: Sahit Mothkuri. Production: Prangnya Sannidhi Creations and NISA Entertainments. Music and score: Shekar Chandra. Runtime: 160 minutes.

Release and reviews

The teaser was announced in April 2024, as Cinema Express reported, and the film opened in October with Mythri Movie Makers distributing.

Critics praised the performances and the subject more than the storytelling. Sangeetha Devi Dundoo of The Hindu found Yuva Chandra, Ananya and Ajay “pitch-perfect”, but felt that if the film “had relied less on amplifying Patel’s brutality and resorted to smarter storytelling, it would have made for a compelling, less explored story from the hinterlands”. Aditya Devulapally of The New Indian Express called the story powerful but the narration complicated, while admiring the score, cinematography and production design. The Hans India called it “a well-meaning film that combines social commentary with strong performances”, a touching story “about defiance and hope”.

Where to watch Pottel

Pottel has been streaming on Aha since 20 December 2024 (checked against the platform’s own listing). Availability can vary by region and subscription.

Sources: the Wikipedia article on Pottel and the reviews and reports it cites; Aha’s listing; our own cast and crew records.