Vikramarkudu

Vikramarkudu
Directed by	S. S. Rajamouli
Produced by	M. L. Kumar Chowdary
Written by	S. S. Rajamouli K. V. Vijayendra Prasad M. Ratnam
Starring	Ravi Teja Anushka Shetty Vineet Kumar Brahmanandam Ajay Jyothika
Music by	M. M. Keeravani
Cinematography	Sarvesh Murari
Edited by	Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao
Distributed by	Sri Keerthi Creations
Release dates	23 June 2006
Running time	161 minutes
Country	India
Language	Telugu
Budget	₹110 million[1]

Vikramarkudu is a 2006 Indian Telugu-language social problem film directed by S. S. Rajamouli, starring Ravi Teja, Anushka Shetty and Vineet Kumar in the lead roles. Produced on a budget of ₹110 million, the film was released on 23 June 2006 with 180 prints globally.^[1]

The film was screened at the International Film Festival of India in the mainstream section.^[2] The film was later remade in Tamil as Siruthai, in Kannada as Veera Madakari, in Hindi as Rowdy Rathore, in Indian Bengali as Bikram Singha: The Lion Is Back, and twice in Bangladeshi Bengali as Ulta Palta 69 and Action Jasmine.

Plot

Athili Sathi Babu (Ravi Teja) is a rookie thief in Hyderabad, who is crazy about acts of dare devilry. He falls in love with Neeraja (Anushka Shetty), who is in Hyderabad to attend a marriage. Sathi Babu makes his way into her heart and she also starts loving him. Sathi Babu tells her the truth about him being a thief and resolves to give up crime forever. But before that, he decides to swindle one last person for a large sum of money along with his con-friend Duvva (Brahmanandam). He tricks a woman on a railway station (not really station, it is bus stand) and flees with a trunk. This leads Sathi Babu to Neha (Baby Neha), a young girl who was in the trunk instead of the wealth he thought was in the trunk, who thinks that Sathi Babu is her father. Flummoxed by what is happening, but forced to keep Neha with her as a police officer Inspector Mahanti (Rajiv Kanakala) keeps his eye on him.

Although he tries keeping Neha away from Neeraja’s eyes, the latter finds out about Neha. Angry and hurt, Neeraja leaves for her place leaving Sathi Babu heartbroken. Soon, unknown goons attack him, taking him to be Assistant Superintendent of Police, Vikram Singh Rathod (also Ravi Teja), Neha’s real father. Rathod looks exactly like Sathi Babu, which had caused all the confusion. While many unknown people help Sathi Babu run to safety with Neha in his arms, he is soon surrounded by the goons. It is then that Rathod makes an appearance and saves the day killing every goon by himself, but he soon dies suffering from injuries.

The other policemen who had assisted the ASP then inform Sathi Babu of the whole incident. In Chambal village of Devgarh, Madhya Pradesh, the slain, and corrupt local M. L. A. Bavuji (Vineet Kumar), a borderline psychopath, engulfs the town with his political corruption, illegal activities, criminal nexus, rape, and money laundering. His son Munna (Amit Kumar Tiwari) indulges in abusing women, and raping the wives of policemen. Rathod immediately arrests him and also makes him mentally insane. Munna humiliates police by removing their clothes but was killed by Rathod when he was hung from a tree by the belt of a humiliated inspector. Rathod was attacked by Bavuji's brother Titla (Ajay) on Dusshera where he was stabbed from the back as well as shot in the head while trying to save a village child and was assumed to be dead. But he survives with a brain injury although the goons assumed that he is dead. Effects of this brain injury are later visible and these effects are diminished by water falling on his head.

Sathi Babu then adopts Neha, who does not know that her father is dead. Then Sathi Babu returns to Devgarh posing as Rathod, and heads to settle the scores with Bavuji. Duvva tells Neeraja the truth and she forgives Sathi Babu. Sathi Babu, being a goon, handles Bavuji well with tricks. He sets the MLA's wine factory on fire and makes the villagers rob his food store. A fight ensues in which he defeats all of Bavuji's men alone. In the end, he fights with Titla on a rope bridge. Sathi Babu ties and cuts the rope and Titla falls to death. Sathi Babu gets married to Neeraja, and they leave for a new life with Neha and Duvva.

Cast

Anushka Shetty was selected as lead heroine marking her first collaboration with Ravi Teja.

• Ravi Teja as Athili Sathi Babu & ASP Vikram Singh Rathod (Double role)
• Anushka Shetty as Neeraja Goswami
• Jyothika as wife of Vikram Singh Rathod (In Portrait)
• Vineet Kumar as Bavuji, MLA
• Abdul Rehman as Bavuji's son
• Brahmanandam as Duvva Abbulu
• Baby Neha as Neha
• Ajay as Titla
• Rajiv Kanakala as Inspector Mahanti
• Ruthika as Sub-Inspector Razia
• Amit Kumar Tiwari as Munna
• Raghu Babu as Bavuji’s brother-in-law
• Jaya Prakash Reddy as Home Minister
• Prakash Raj as DGP (Guest Appearance)
• Madhurima Sundersen as Prameela
• Chatrapati Sekar
• Meghna Naidu as Item number in song "Vastavaa"

Production

The shooting was disrupted by quarry workers started pelting the film’s unit with stones, damaging most of the equipment and injuring some of the film crew including director Rajamouli. The quarry workers were asked, by the quarry manager, to stop their work and leave the area, for the shooting of particular scenes. What started as a small miff between the manager and the workers escalated with the workers showering stones, even as the film crew was leaving the quarry in their vehicles. The injured crew members were admitted to Apollo hospital. Director Rajamouli suffered a hairline fracture to his hand. A formal complaint was lodged against the quarry workers and its owner.^[3][4]

Release

Critical reception

Idlebrain wrote: "On a whole, Vikramarkudu is another prospective blockbuster from the stable of Rajamouli".^[5] Totaltollywood wrote: "First half of the film goes in full entertainment mode. Second half gets into action part but the entertainment values are maintained at the same level.".^[6] Sify wrote: "On the whole, Vikramarkudu is a masala entertainer and is OK timepass fare.".^[7] Nowrunning wrote: "Watching Vikramarkudu is like eating a plate of Mirchi Bhajji from the roadside pushcart.".^[8] Fullhyd wrote: "Vikramarkudu is like one of those dishes that smell great during cooking, but just don’t taste the same way in the end. The film assiduously builds its story to a crest with your adrenaline pumping on all cylinders, but doesn’t quite know how to handle it thereon.".^[9] Cinegoer wrote: "One thing is that Vikramarkudu never bores you. It will keep you glued to the screen, because so many things happen all the time and the narrative moves quickly.".^[10]

Box office

• The film along with its various dubbed versions collected a total gross of ₹ 260 million.^[11] and celebrated 100 days in 54 centres.^[12]

Dubbed versions and remakes

The film was dubbed into Malayalam, Hindi, and Bhojpuri as Vikramathithya, Pratighat, and Vikram Singh Rathod IPS respectively. It was also remade into Bangla as Ulta Palta 69, in Kannada as Veera Madakari, and in Tamil as Siruthai. A Hindi remake by Prabhu Deva as Rowdy Rathore with Akshay Kumar and Sonakshi Sinha in lead roles released with bumper openings. It is also remade in Bengali as Bikram Singha: The Lion Is Back^[13] with Prosenjit Chatterjee and Richa Gangopadhyay in the lead roles.^[14][15] In 2015 Dhallywood director Iftaker Choudhuri is going to make a female version of this movie named Action Jasmine with Bobby (Bangladeshi film actress) and Symon Sadik in lead role.

Character map of Vikramarkudu and its remakes

Soundtrack

The audio of Vikramarkudu was launched at a function arranged in a set erected near Hitec city on the night of 31 May. K Raghavendra Rao launched the audio and gave the first unit to YVS Chowdary. Ramesh Prasad, B Gopal and Gunnam Gangaraju were also invited as guests. The unit members who were present include ML Kumar Chowdary, Ravi Teja, Rajamouli, Anushka, Keeravani, Vijayendra Prasad, Brahmanandam, lyricist Danayya, Rajiv Kanakala, Ajay, Rama Rajamouli, Ravindra, Sarvesh Murari, Ram Lakshman, M Ratnam, Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao and Suresh Bujji. Suma anchored the event and Aditya Music bought audio rights.^[16]

The song "College Papala" (well known as Chinta Ta Chita Chita) was reused by Sajid-Wajid in the Hindi remake of this film, Rowdy Rathore.

Track list

References

External links

• Vikramarkudu at the Internet Movie Database