Mail (2021)

In the early 2000s, the village of Kambalapalli in Telangana has never seen a computer until Hybath opens a small computer and gaming centre. Ravi, a young man fascinated by the machine, hangs around the shop learning everything he can, and the two become unlikely friends. When Ravi finally gets his own email account, the first message he receives says he has won a huge lottery prize, and his excitement leads him into a tangle of hope, embarrassment and scams. Mail is a gentle, gently satirical comedy about the first wave of the internet reaching rural India, played with a natural, local feel by a cast led by Priyadarshi. Its strength lies in the small details of village life and the innocence of its characters, and it was well received as one of the more charming small Telugu films of 2021.