Have you ever heard about the flower Chrysanthemum?
Found in Asia, especially in Japan, Chrysanthemum resembles unfolding Beauty with time as it blooms in late summer to fall.
As with the Chrysanthemum, people too have their timings. RECITE YOU deeply stands with the words ‘Dreams don’t have an expiry date’.
This is exactly what happened with Milkuri Gangavva. Her narrative from beedi rolling to acting in Tollywood is nothing less than a highlight of the power of resilience, simplicity and late blooming.
Early Life of Milkuri Gangavva
She was born in a poor farming family of Jagtial district of Telangana. Like many other girls of remote areas, she too was married at a very young age and was forced into a life full of hardship. To support the financial condition of her family, she took up various forms of labor work like working in fields, rolling beedis and more. Though her life was full of struggles. Gangavva with her unshakable spirit, raised her child with grit, often working dawn till dusk to provide basic food needs.
Life is full of ups and downs. In 2016, Gangavva’s life took a dramatic turn for something better, as God’s plans are better than we plan for ourselves. Here is how the shift happened with her life?
Her son in law, Srikanth Sriram, asked her to make an appearance in his YouTube channel, My Village Show. The channel focused on showing flavors of rural areas in Telangana to the internet, highlighting culture, native tongue language and relatable content with touch of humor for rural and urban audience.
Till the time they both were recording for the video, neither of them expected what would happen next.
Her debut video was flooded with overwhelming response. Charmed by her candid expressions and Telangana accent and strong acting skills, viewers wanted her to appear more often. Observing closely, what was the unique or extraordinary thing that she was doing? she was not actually acting, she was being her true self, and that realness touched the hearts of millions.
You might be thinking that what sets her apart from the other Content Creators?
Gangavva brought up the simplicity, humor and wisdom of rural India to life. Which is not covered by the mainstream media. Her popularity jumped to millions as every video went viral and gained millions of views and likes, turning her into a fan favorite on the internet.
The popularity of My Village Show Challenge opened new doors for Gangavva as she caught the attention of Tollywood filmmakers. In 2019 Gangavva made her debut in the film Mallesham, followed by a role in the commercial hit iSmart Shankar and other regional films. She brought the same raw energy and authenticity in the film, though she didn’t have any formal training in acting before.
Entering the world of entertainment was not even in her wildest dreams.
In 2022, she joined the reality TV show, Bigg Boss Telugu season 4. Though due to health issues she had to leave the show in the middle, her presence added warmth and humor to the show and gained her even more admiration because of her unfiltered conversation and motherly affection. She was a kind of positive light in a high-pressure reality TV environment.
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Breaking the stereotypes about age, gender, and background Gangavva’s is not only about social media fame but about her hope and perseverance. She proved that it’s never late to work on one’s self and passion. In an industry which seeks youth and glamour and a society which preaches that they are too old to dream or to start anew.
Milkuri Gangavva is a living proof that when passion, talent and realness is combined together it can create paths to success. No matter your background or age.
Even in her 60’s she didn’t stop, and continued to break boundaries. In 2023, for the first time in her life, she boarded a flight and it wasn’t just a flight for her but a sign of how far she had come. A video of hers with wide eyes and childlike excitement which resembles her emotional and joyous reaction to flying went viral. Inspiring millions of people to chase their dreams no matter which background they belong.
