There's a unique energy in the Telangana dialect

You've probably danced to Ramuloo Ramulaa, laughed along to DJ Tillu, Jathi Ratnalu, or vibed to Jwala Reddy at a wedding — and guess what? The man behind all those catchy, quirky, Telangana-flavoured lyrics is Kasarla Shyam.

- VENNAPUSALA RAMYA

Hailing from Warangal with roots in folk arts and passion for the Telangana dialect, Shyam has left his lyrical imprint on films like Mahatma, Lie, Dasara, Balagam, Dhamaka, Game Changer, Bhola Shankar, Hanu-Man, and many more.

In an exclusive chat with CE, Shyam opens up about his journey from folk singer to in-demand lyricist, why Telangana slang hits differently and more.

Tell us about your recent work in Mad Square.

I worked on Mad and Mad Square. In Mad, I wrote the fun college number Kallajodu College Papa, and in Mad Square, I penned the wedding track Laddu Gaani Pelli. The song in the sequel connects deeply with the storyline. The whole team, including the music directors were really happy with how it shaped up.