A podcast in Telugu about technology, programming, music, movies, life in the Bay Area and other stuff. Find us at telugubytes.com and twitter.com/telugubytes.
This episode was recorded in December 2023 but published in June 2025 (sorry, listeners!) Dhruv and Ravi dive deep into Sandeep Reddy Vanga's blockbuster Animal and what worked / didn't work for them. Maharshi's AI OS - a reality in 2023 Editor's note: This is even more impressive in late 2025 as we publish this Arjun Reddy - Revisited SRV's obsessive defense of Arjun Reddy Animal - Expectations Deep Dive Animal Park Why was it such a blockbuster?
6/30/25 • 75:09
Expectations on Game Changer The fall of Shankar The Shankar Formula GC - What went wrong Positives and Suggestions Other comments Closing thoughts
1/20/25 • 71:35
On the eve of India's opening match, Praveen, Aravind and Dhruv do a curtainraiser episode. We talk the tournament's timing, dew factor, thoughts on each squad, Team India team combinations and predictions. Enjoy! Lack of buzz - IPL and cricket overload? Organization of the tournament - BCCI & ICC Dew factor - playing in Oct/Nov in India Round robin format - pros and cons Squads - Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Netherlands, Sri Lanka South Africa at 6 New Zealand at 5 Pakistan at 4 Australia at 3 England at 2 India at 1 Team India combinations Our predictions
10/8/23 • 66:28
Dhruv and Ravi review the other films of 2022: Shyam Singha Roy Ante Sundaraniki Ori Devuda and Paagal Skylab F3 Vikram Ponniyin Selvan I Sarkaru Vaari Paata DJ Tillu A star is born Favorite punchlines
7/18/23 • 64:34
Dhruv, Ravi and Aravind critique 2022 pan-Indian films starting with the name K - KGF Chapter 2, Kantara and Karthikeya 2 KGF: Chapter 2 Delivers on expectations? Drawbacks Kantara Why it became a blockbuster Drawbacks Karthikeya 2 Hype Drawbacks
7/13/23 • 35:07
Dhruv and Ravi review two pan-indian period romantic films from 2022 - Radhye Shyam and Sita Ramam. Intro Radhye Shyam Buzz Story What went wrong? Sita Ramam What went right?
7/9/23 • 23:11
Dhruv, Ravi and Aravind review India's biggest film of 2022 and Oscar contender - SS Rajamouli's RRR starring NTR and Ram Charan. Intro Viewing Experience in India and US (and meeting SSR) First Half Our issues with the film "Gun Uncle" - the gun-thirsty villager in RRR Ajay Devgn Flashback Performances - NTR and RC Other thoughts Tiger memes
12/28/22 • 44:20
Continuing on our Movies of 2022 series, Aravind, Dhruv and Ravi go over Pushpa: The Rise - the Sukumar & Allu Arjun blockbuster.
12/26/22 • 43:38
In Part 1 of our "Movies of 2022" review series, Dhruv and Ravi review four big-star films of 2022. Akhanda - why it became a blockbuster Acharya - what went wrong Godfather - why we liked it Bheemla Nayak - why we didn't like it
12/19/22 • 75:41
As fans of Puri, Dhruv and Ravi had their doubts when Liger was announced. Liger panned out exactly as they feared. Here's their take. Intro What went wrong What next for VD What next for Puri Reactions, memes and trolls
8/27/22 • 64:58
Praveen and Ravi do a quick roundup of the wild macro 2022 trends in markets, crypto, jobs and recollect their experiences from previous downturns. The content provided in this podcast is for informational purposes only, you should not construe any such information or other material as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice. Please consult your financial advisor for any investment advice.
6/27/22 • 55:47
In a continuation from Episode 60, Dhruv interviews Chandra Kuchi again about his transition from engineer to manager, remote work, interviewing, hiring and other things. Working remotely Moving to a new job What to look for in a company + role Interviews and Negotiations Onboarding Transitioning from Engineer to Manager Role of an EM Miscallaneous Questions
5/24/22 • 91:59
Dhruv and Nayan get into what the Metaverse is, Facebook's motivations, VR, AR and what Apple can bring to the table. Intro The Metaverse Meta's Motivation State of social networks today Multiple Metaverses? State of VR VR vs AR Apple and VR - Wishcasting Apple and AR - Wishcasting
4/10/22 • 105:35
In the 3rd part of this series, Dhruv and Nayan discuss the "Power Star" phase of the 2010s in Pawan Kalyan's career. They talk about Panjaa, Gabbar Singh, Attarintiki Daaredi and, of course, Agnyaathavaasi.
12/24/21 • 38:58
After the highs from 1998-2001 came the lows of 2002-2011. Dhruv and Nayan dive in to the "dark decade" as Pawan Kalyan fans. This is Part 2 of 3. They talk about Johnny, Gudumba Shankar, Balu, Bangaram, Annavaram, Jalsa, Puli and Teenmaar.
12/23/21 • 62:44
As Pawan Kalyan turns 50, Dhruv and Nayan reminisce about being his fans, taking a walk through the filmography of their favorite star. This is a three-parter. In Part 1, they talk about PK's golden era from 1998 to 2001 spanning Tholiprema, Thammudu, Badri and Kushi. They also try to answer the question - what made themturn into fans?
8/8/21 • 65:53
The content provided in this podcast is for informational purposes only, you should not construe any such information or other material as legal, tax, investment, financial, or other advice. Please consult your financial advisor for any investment advice. --- Praveen and Ravi demystify the hype around Bitcoin. Origin of money Gold standard USD and Gold Digital money origin Properties of cryptocurrency Bitcoin, the hype and reality Store of value or Protocol?
4/19/21 • 72:35
Praveen and Dhruv get together to review India's iconic test series win in Australia in 2020/21. * Mood coming into the series * Putting things in perspective * Review of 1st, 2nd, 3rd and 4th Tests * Player performances * Is this India's greatest series win ever?
4/7/21 • 74:22
Dhruv and Ravi wrap the trilogy discussing the broader implications of COVID & OTT on movie industry. --- If you have any feedback, please reach out to us on: Twitter - @telugubytes Instagram - @telugubytes.fm Facebook - telugubytes Also if you like this episode - please don't forget to rate or leave review for us on Apple Podcasts or Google Podcasts.
1/10/21 • 66:18
Dhruv and Ravi continue their conversation about home tech -- focused on entertainment, TV and Sound systems. Early experience with music and theater experience Undergrad and expanding of horizons 5.1 Sound system Dolby Atmos system OLED and TV Tech If you have any feedback, please reach out to us on: Twitter - @telugubytes, Instagram - @telugubytes.fm, Facebook: /telugubytes
12/29/20 • 71:35
Dhruv and Ravi get together to do a quick round up on the state of affairs of Smart home technology Smart homes and voice assistants Thermostats Doorbells Smart locks Home Security Systems Solar Power Wifi & Mesh Routers Disadvantages of Smart homes Adoption and learning curve Please rate and review us us on Apple Podcasts or Google Play Store. If you have any feedback, please reach out to us on: Twitter - @telugubytes, Instagram - @telugubytes.fm, Facebook: /telugubytes
12/25/20 • 83:15
Praveen and Ravi talk about the final week of Bigg Boss 4 COVID and Bigg Boss 4 Comparison with previous seasons Contestants: Sohel, Akhil, Monal, Abhijeet Hosting
12/13/20 • 58:44
Praveena Paruchuri, the award-winning producer of Care of Kancharapalem and UMUR, talks to us about her journey into film production, experiences of producing UMUR, COVID-19 and its effects on film production and distribution. We talk about: Her journey from being a doctor in NYC to a Telugu film producer Her take on what the job of a producer is Challenges faced in film production Experiences with UMUR Releasing UMUR on Netflix COVID-19 and the shift to OTT platforms This was a very entertaining and informative conversation. Hope you like it!
12/9/20 • 44:10
Maha, the director of Uma Maheswara Ugra Roopasya joins us (yes!) to do a deep-dive into the making of UMUR. We talk about: The plot points that interested us Our questions about the film Working with the cast and technicians Sound Design and Mixing Theatrical experience vs. OTT Reviews, Criticism and Memes The Genesis of Care of Kancherapalem Films that we like This was an absolutely delightful conversation. Hope you love it!
9/4/20 • 87:12
Dhruv and Aravind review Uma Maheswara Ugra Roopasya, Maha's second film after the masterpiece Care of Kancherapalem. Story Changes from Original Screenplay and characters Performances Cinematography, Editing, Production Design Sound Design Production and Direction
8/20/20 • 82:56
Dhruv and Ravi get together and talk about: COVID-19, their initial thoughts Rise of cases Coming to terms with it Changes to lifestyle COVID and Telugu Film Industry COVID and software industry COVID and kids
7/22/20 • 49:30
Dhruv ponders what a "10x engineer" really means, and interviews Chandra Kuchi, a friend of the show and Dhruv's ex-colleague about 10x engineering aka good software engineering. They talk about motivation, communicating with the team and other teams, focus and dealing with interrupts, work ethic, communicating your efforts and much more.
2/10/20 • 65:27
You all will be as confused as we are at the end of this episode on what this is supposed to be. But we assure you that it is going to be fun.
12/1/19 • 102:13
Aravind & Ravi dissect Naveen Polishetty's powerhouse performance in his debut Telugu movie -"Agent Sai Srinivas Athreya" TED talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1pkux2P7cnA Deleted scenes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=On6ZQhjAHmU
11/30/19 • 63:46
As Thanksgiving approaches, Ravi and Dhruv talk about the tech they are thankful for in..... 2018. In typical Telugu Bytes fashion, we recorded this episode in 2018 but only managed to release it now. However, we still think it holds up pretty well - we talk about phones, cameras, headphones and a lot more. Happy Thanksgiving!
11/28/19 • 73:33
