Athadu
Athadu (transl. Him or transl. He)[1] is a 2005 Indian Telugu-language action thriller film written and directed by Trivikram Srinivas.[2] The film stars Mahesh Babu, Trisha, and Sonu Sood while Sayaji Shinde, Kota Srinivasa Rao, Prakash Raj, Nassar, and Brahmanandam play supporting roles.[3] It is produced by D. Kishore and M. Ram Mohan under the Jayabheri Arts banner. The soundtrack was composed by Mani Sharma. K. V. Guhan handled the cinematography of the film while Sreekar Prasad edited it.
| Athadu | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Trivikram Srinivas |
| Written by | Trivikram Srinivas |
| Produced by | D. Kishore M. Ram Mohan |
| Starring | Mahesh Babu Trisha Sonu Sood |
| Cinematography | K. V. Guhan |
| Edited by | Sreekar Prasad |
| Music by | Mani Sharma |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Jayabheri Arts |
Release date |
|
Running time | 172 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Telugu |
The film went on to become one of the highest grossing Telugu films and marked Mahesh Babu's career resurgence after a few unsuccessful films.[4] It won 3 Nandi Awards and a Filmfare Awards South in Best Director category. It was later remade in Indian Bengali as Wanted (2010) and in Hindi as Ek: The Power of One (2009).
Plot
Nandu is a hitman-for-hire, who is contracted to fake assassinate opposition leader Shiva Reddy. Someoneelse shoots Shiva Reddy dead instead leavinf Nandu to flee on a train. He meets Pardhasaradhi Pardhu, who is returning to his village, Basarlapudi, after running away 12 years ago. At Gudivada, the Sub Inspector spots Nandu and fires at him, but accidentally kils Pardhu instead.
Nandu escapes in the ensuing confusion and arrives at Basarlapudi, and thinking that he is Pardhu, the latter's family rejoices at his return. As Nandu grows closer to his new family, he solves many of their problems. Meanwhile, CBI officer Anjaneya Prasad is handed the case of Shiva Reddy's murder. His investigation follows the trail of the train and he arrives at Basarlapudi and questions Nandu and tries to get his fingerprints, but is outsmarted.
Prasad meets with ex-gangster Sadhu, who is Nandu and Malli's mentor. Based on his clues, Prasad searches for accounts that had a sudden inflow of money in the days leading to Shiva Reddy's assassination. The money trail leads his back to Basarlapudi. Nandu flees before Prasad's arrival. Prasad informs Parthu's family of his death & the deception of Nandu. Nandu returns after Prasad & his team leaves, confesses to the identity & claiming not to have cheated the family.
Parthu's dejected grandfather hands Nandu his shotgun and encourages him to seek justice. Prasad, in the meantime figures out that Shiva Reddy's murder was orchestrated by his close friend and CM in waiting, Baji Reddy. When confronted with this revelation, Baji Reddy commits suicide instead of facing Shiva Reddy son's wrath.
Having avenged Malli's deception, Nandu immerses Pardhu's ashes and returns to Basarlapudi.
Cast
- Mahesh Babu as Nanda Gopal (Nandu) who takes up the identity of Pardhu
- Manoj Nandam as Young Nandu
- Trisha as Poori, Pardhu's cousin
- Sonu Sood as Malli, Nandu's partner
- Prakash Raj as CBI Officer Anjaneya Prasad
- Sayaji Shinde as Shiva Reddy, opposition party leader and Pratap Reddy's father
- Kota Srinivasa Rao as Baaji Reddy, Shiva Reddy's close aide
- Nassar as Satya Narayana Murthy, Pardhu's grandfather
- Brahmanandam as Krishna Murthy, Poori's uncle
- Sunil as Ramana, Pardhu's friend
- Rahul Dev as Sadhu, a local don
- Rajiv Kanakala as Pardhasaradhi "Pardhu"
- Ajay as Pratap Reddy, Shiva Reddy's son
- Sudha as Poori's mother
- Giri Babu as Poori's father
- Dharmavarapu Subramanyam as Poori's uncle
- Shruthi as Dharmavarapu Subramanyam's wife
- Hema as Krishna Murthy's wife/Poori's aunt
- Charan Raj as Police Officer
- Tanikella Bharani as Naidu
- Brahmaji as Nagasamudram Bujji
- Posani Krishna Murali as Farooq, Shiva Reddy's aide
- Ravi Prakash as Ravi, Anjaneya Prasad's assistant
- Harsha Vardhan as Harsha, car agency owner
- Venkata Giridhar Vajja as Giri, Pardhu's friend
- Harika as Lalitha, Poori's sister
- Prabhu as Sub-inspector
- M. S. Narayana as Tea Shop's customer
- Ananth as Doctor
- Jaya Prakash Reddy
- Gundu Sudarshan
- Rallapalli
- Shanoor Sana
- K. Vishwanath as CBI Officer K. S. Patanjali (special appearance)
Production
Development
In an interview with the media about his film Julai, Trivikram shared his views on this film, stating :
I narrated the story of Athadu to Mahesh Babu before the start of Nuvve Nuvve shoot. Before making of Athadu, I fixed myself that I should not compromise at any cost. I wanted to make the film the way I envisioned it. I wanted to satisfy the audience in me after shooting every scene. I doubled checked each and every scene as an audience. I could able to do 80% of what I had imagined when I wrote the script. If you look at the first 15 minutes of the Athadu movie, you will realize the level of intensity and technical finesse.[5]
Casting
Initially, Trivikram wanted to do this film with Pawan Kalyan and narrated the script. But he did not show much interest in signing the film and also slept during script narration.[3][6] Mahesh Babu listened to the script of this film in 2002 but Trvikram and the film's producers had to wait for him till he completes the shooting schedules of S. J. Surya's science fiction film Naani and Gunasekhar's family drama Arjun as they were his existing commitments then. The shooting started a month later after the completion of Arjun. For his characterization and the dialogues uttered by the character he played, Mahesh had to adjust to Trivikram's style of dialogues, which took 10 days. Trisha Krishnan was selected for the leading female role. In an interview with the media on 29 June 2005 at the event of audio release stated that she would be seen in a role with shades of comedy though she added that her role was a limited one.[7]
Murali Mohan later revealed that he wanted his friend and former Telugu actor Sobhan Babu to play the role of Satya Narayana Murthy, which would have marked his comeback film which was busy with a highly profitable real estate business then. For the same, Murali Mohan even issued and sent a blank cheque to Sobhan Babu's residence at Chennai as the remuneration. But Sobhan Babu refused to do that role and rejected the offer politely. Later, Nassar portrayed that role with S. P. Balasubrahmanyam dubbing for him in frail voice and his performance was appreciated by critics.[8]
Filming
For the film's shoot, 160 motion cameras were imported from London to shoot time-freeze effect shots in action sequences which were clarified by Mahesh himself as still cameras only. Because of non compromising, not more than 10 shots were shot per day. 4 to 5 complicated action sequences were shot under the supervision of Peter Hein with much finesse, and the climax sequence was shot indoors, which took enormous time to complete thus making the principal photography end after a span of two years.[7] A big set was constructed at Ramanaidu Studios in Nanakramguda at Hyderabad where most of the film's family scenes were shot.[9] On 7 August 2004, a scene featuring Mahesh and Sunil was shot on the bridge of the lake at ICRISAT campus in Hyderabad.[10]
Soundtrack
| Athadu | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by | ||||
| Released | 29 June 2005 | |||
| Recorded | 2005 | |||
| Genre | Feature film soundtrack | |||
| Length | 29:52 | |||
| Language | Telugu | |||
| Label | Maruthi Music | |||
| Producer | Mani Sharma | |||
| Mani Sharma chronology | ||||
| ||||
Mani Sharma composed the music for this film marking his first collaboration with Trivikram Srinivas and eighth collaboration with Mahesh Babu. The film's soundtrack was released by Mahesh Babu's father and prominent Telugu actor Krishna on 29 June 2005 at the house set of the film constructed at Nanakramguda through Maruthi Music label. This album consists of six melodies composed by Mani Sharma while Sirivennela Sitaramasastri and Viswa penned the lyrics. Apart from Krishna, the film's lead pair, producers, and Maruthi Music representatives attended the event.[9]
The audio received moderately positive response from critics. IndiaGlitz wrote "Mani Sharma has tried to please all. If you are going to compare this one with his previous offerings for Mahesh, it does not do any one any good. On its own, the album has its moments."[11] Upon the film's release, Mani Sharma's work was acclaimed by the critics and audience alike. IndiaGlitz wrote "Mani Sharma's music, especially the title song, is very good. His re-recording also fits the bill."[12] idlebrain.com wrote "Music by Mani Sharma is good. The picturization of the first song which comes as background song for titles is wonderful. Neetho Cheppana song has got typical Mexican music. Background music and rerecording of the film is good."[13] Sify.com wrote "The highlights of Athadu are the camerawork of K. V. Guhan and the melodious music and background score of Mani Sharma. The Neeto Chappana number picturised in the tea estates of Darjeeling is the pick of the album."[14] Songs Sung By Eminent Singers Like S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, K. S. Chithra, Kavita Krishnamurti, Shreya Ghoshal, Mahalakshmi Iyer, KK etc
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Adaraku" | Vishwa | Vishwa & Chorus | 4:57 |
| 2. | "Pillagali Allari" | Sirivennela Sitaramasastri | Shreya Ghoshal | 4:26 |
| 3. | "Avunu Nijam" | Sirivennela Sitaramasastri | K.K, Sunitha | 4:27 |
| 4. | "Chandamama" | Sirivennela Sitaramasastri | Mahalakshmi Iyer, Ranjith | 3:55 |
| 5. | "Neetho Cheppana" | Sirivennela Sitaramasastri | K.S. Chithra, S. P. Balasubrahmanyam | 5:12 |
| 6. | "Pilichinaa Raanantaava" | Sirivennela Sitaramasastri | Kavita Krishnamurthy, Karthik & Chorus | 4:21 |
Release
Domestic
The film released in 79 centers in Nizam region in Andhra Pradesh and was distributed by Maruthi Movies in which 3 centers screened the film for only 2 days. The film released in 24 centers across Visakhapatnam and was distributed by Sri Venkateswara Films. Sri Bharathi Pictures released the film in Krishna district in 18 centers.[15] The film was released simultaneously in 3 screens in Chennai and it was also the first Telugu film to do so.[16][17]
Overseas
The film was released with 6 prints in United States and was distributed by Vishnu Mudda and Soma Kancherla of Crown DVD distribution company. Because of the demand, another print was imported from India for screening.[18][19] The film's first screening in USA happened at Cine Plaza 13 at North Bergen on the night of 11 August 2005.[20] At Connecticut, a special screening was conducted on 19 August 2005. Initially one show was planned but because of the demand another show was screened. There at the theater, a turn out of 442 people was observed which included standing audience for 434 seats and about 60 could not be accommodated.[21] Apart from USA, the film released in selected screens in United Kingdom, Singapore, Germany and Australia.[19]
Home media
The DVD of the movie was released by Aditya Music under its Aditya Video Brand and won the best DVD award for its quality and is considered to be one of the highest sold DVDs in Tollywood history. After 7 years, Star Maa renewed the contract by paying an amount of ₹3.5 crores which was a record price for a 2005 Telugu film.[22]
Dubbed versions and remakes
The film was remade in Hindi as Ek: The Power of One (2009), in Bangladeshi Bengali as Rastar Chele (2009), in Indian Bengali as Wanted (2010), and in Urdu as The Power of One (2013).
Despite the remakes in different languages, the film was dubbed and released in Tamil, Hindi, Malayalam, Bhojpuri, English, and Polish as Nandhu, Cheetah: The Power of One (2013), The Target, Khiladi Bhaiya (2013), The Power of One, and Poszukiwany respectively.
Reception
Critical reception
Sify stated, "The highlight of the film is Mahesh Babu who looks cool, confident and competent as a hit man with his expressive body language and mannerisms. Athadu just about makes it as a slickly packaged entertainer but only for want of a better alternative."[14] IndiaGlitz gave a review stating, "The story sure has splendid potential, but the director does not use them to the hilt simply because he attempts to do too many things almost simultaneously. Yet, all things considered, Athadu is a good entertainer. The problem is you can't praise it as the best yet cannot rubbish it as being useless. It is somewhere in between with more pluses than minuses."[12] Cinegoer.net gave a review stating, "True the film gives an image of a Hollywood base for the drama. Even the taking, screenplay structure and execution of scenes, less talk and more action – all add to this image. But there are elements in this film that only a Telugu man can do it originally. That is the love track. And the way Trivikram put to view the scenic structure between Mahesh Babu and Trisha is impressive and refreshing."[23]
Box office
The film netted ₹ 1 million from 3 screens in Chennai in its opening weekend debuting at second position pushing Shankar's Anniyan down to the third place.[17] It collected approximately ₹220 million (US$2.8 million) in its total run.[4] The film had a 50 days run in 205 centers[24] and a 100-day run in 38 centres.[25] The film had a 175-day run in Sudarshan 35 mm, Hyderabad, grossing ₹ 1.40 crores from the theater.,[4][26]
Accolades
| Award[a] | Date of ceremony[b] | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Filmfare Awards South | 9 September 2006 | Best Film – Telugu | Athadu | Nominated | [27] |
| Best Director – Telugu | Trivikram Srinivas | Won | |||
| Best Actor – Telugu | Mahesh Babu | Nominated | |||
| Best Actress – Telugu | Trisha | Nominated | |||
| Best Comedian – Telugu | Brahmanandam | Nominated | |||
| Best Music Director – Telugu | Mani Sharma | Nominated | |||
| Best Male Playback Singer – Telugu | Karthik (for "Pilichina Raanantaava") | Nominated | |||
| Best Female Playback Singer – Telugu | Shreya Ghoshal (for "Pillagali Allari") | Nominated | |||
| Kavita Krishnamurti (for "Pilichina Raanantaava") | Nominated | ||||
| Nandi Awards | 2006 | Best Actor | Mahesh Babu | Won | [28] [29] |
| Best Dialogue Writer | Trivikram Srinivas | Won | |||
| Best Special Effects | C. H. Srinivas (Prasad EFX) | Won |
Notes
References
- ^ "Tollywood takes divine path with its themes". The New Indian Express. 6 May 2012. Retrieved 30 August 2022.
- ^ "Cheers for Mahesh's fans". The Hindu. 26 May 2005.
- ^ a b "Pawan Kalyan Was To Play Mahesh Babu's Role In Athadu". Oneindia Entertainment. 24 October 2013. from the original on 23 February 2014. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
- ^ a b c . 2 March 2008. Archived from the original on 2 March 2006. Retrieved 23 January 2017.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "Interview with Trivikram". idlebrain.com. 7 August 2012. from the original on 15 February 2015. Retrieved 5 July 2014.
- ^ "Pawan Kalyan, not Mahesh Babu was first choice for Athadu?". The Hans India. 26 October 2013. from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
- ^ a b . idlebrain.com. 29 June 2005. Archived from the original on 6 July 2015. Retrieved 5 July 2014.
- ^ "King of Kings : Shoban babu 6th Vardanthi". apherald.com. 20 March 2014. from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 5 July 2014.
- ^ a b "Audio release – Athadu". idlebrain.com. 29 June 2005. from the original on 29 June 2014. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
- ^ "Chit Chat with Mahesh Babu". idlebrain.com. 9 August 2004. from the original on 24 September 2014. Retrieved 5 July 2014.
- ^ . IndiaGlitz. 4 July 2005. Archived from the original on 15 April 2015. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
- ^ a b . IndiaGlitz. 11 August 2005. Archived from the original on 15 April 2015. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
- ^ "Athadu movie review". idlebrain.com. 10 August 2005. from the original on 12 April 2015. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
- ^ a b . Sify.com. 10 August 2005. Archived from the original on 24 December 2013. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
- ^ . idlebrain.com. Archived from the original on 13 April 2015. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
- ^ . The Hindu. 11 August 2005. Archived from the original on 14 July 2014. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
- ^ a b Chennai Box-Office (Aug 12–15) 6 June 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Sify.com (16 August 2005). Retrieved on 2015-07-23.
- ^ . idlebrain.com. 6 January 2006. Archived from the original on 13 April 2015. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
- ^ a b . idlebrain.com. 16 September 2005. Archived from the original on 15 April 2015. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
- ^ "The experience of watching Athadu in New Jersey". idlebrain.com. 12 August 2005. from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
- ^ "The experience of watching Athadu in CT". idlebrain.com. 22 August 2005. from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
- ^ "Mahesh's Athadu satellite rights: MAA TV pays Rs 3.5 crores". The Hans India. 1 January 2014. from the original on 16 February 2014. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
- ^ . cinegoer.net. 12 August 2005. Archived from the original on 8 October 2013. Retrieved 6 July 2014.
- ^ Athadu 50 days centres 6 May 2011 at the Wayback Machine. Idlebrain.com. Retrieved on 23 July 2015.
- ^ Nonstopcinema Box Office – Athadu 100 days centers : Telugu movies, tollywood, cinema 5 March 2007 at the Wayback Machine. Nonstopcinema.com. Retrieved on 23 July 2015.
- ^ . CineGoer.com. Retrieved on 23 July 2015.
- ^ . 9 September 2006. Archived from the original on 29 April 2007. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
- ^ "Nandi Film Awards G.O and Results 2005". APFTVTDC. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
- ^ "నంది అవార్డు విజేతల పరంపర (1964 - 2008)" [A series of Nandi Award Winners (1964 - 2008)] (PDF) (in Telugu). Information & Public Relations of Andhra Pradesh. Retrieved 17 September 2020.