Anaganaga O Dheerudu
| Anaganaga O Dheerudu | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical poster | |
| Directed by | Prakash Kovelamudi |
| Produced by |
Prasad Devineni Prakash Kovelamudi |
| Written by | Choudekar Haricharan Madnoor |
| Starring |
Siddharth Shruti Haasan Lakshmi Manchu Harshita |
| Music by |
Salim-Sulaiman M. M. Keeravani Koti Mickey J Meyer Ananth |
| Cinematography | Soundar Rajan |
| Edited by | Sravan Katikaneni |
Production company | |
| Distributed by |
Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures |
Release dates |
|
| Country | India |
| Language | Telugu |
| Budget | ₹27 crore (US$4.0 million) |
| Box office | ₹38.5 crore (US$5.7 million) |
Anaganaga O Dheerudu (English: Once Upon a Warrior) is a 2011 Indian Telugu fantasy-adventure film directed by debutant Prakash Kovelamudi in his first mainstream film. Co-produced by Disney World Cinema with veteran director K. Raghavendra Rao at a budget of ₹ 270 million, it stars Siddharth, Shruti Haasan, in her Telugu debut, and Harshita as protagonists with Lakshmi Manchu making her debut in a negative role. It features a musical score by Salim-Sulaiman, an ensemble soundtrack by Salim-Sulaiman, M. M. Keeravani, Koti and Mickey J Meyer,[1] while cinematography and editing are handled by Soundar Rajan and Sravan Katikaneni, respectively.[2] Prasad Devineni of Arka Media Works is the line producer.
Anaganaga O Dheerudu focuses on the journey of Moksha, a nine-year-old girl with special healing powers, and Yodha, her fierce warrior bodyguard, as they travel to a faraway village to save its children, under the constant menace of the evil witch Irendri.
The film is loosely based on the 1992 Malayalam film Yoddha.
Plot
Irendri (Lakshmi Manchu) is a sorceress, who captures sarpa sakthi (serpent power) and tries to terrorise people of Anga Rashtram. A guru arrests her, doesn't allow her to play with the lives of people, and destroys her. Before she was destroyed with the sarpa sakti, Irendri takes her soul away and traps in a locket. Though she dies, her soul (atma) lives in the locket. Her great-great-granddaughter is Priya (Shruthi Haasan) and she lives as a gypsy.
She, too, possesses magical powers, as she was born into a sorceress' family. Yodha (Siddharth) is a person who always lures girls and romances with them at whenever there is opportunity. He is smitten by Priya’s beauty and falls in love with her. Sudigundam (Ravibabu) is a local goon and he attacks the gypsies' village. Yodha prevents him and defeats him in a fight. However, Sudigundam makes another attack, ties the hands of Yodha, and sets afire the entire village.
In this process, the locket in Priya's neck falls down and Irendri’s soul comes out with the touch of fire. The sarpa sakthi tells her that she could gain power with a drop of Priya's blood. So, Irendri takes away Priya and imprisons her. Meanwhile, Yodha turns blind as Sudigundam pierces his eyes. However, Yodha gets saved by a swami (Subbaraya Sharma) and appoints to save a girl named Moksha (Baby Harshita), who has divine powers. Irendri, to take revenge, attacks Agartha, a village in Anga Rashtram and make the children of the village senseless.
Druki (Ramji) goes to Pushpagiri to bring Moksha, who could save their children. Druki, Yodha and Moksha start from Pushpagiri and reach Agartha. At this juncture, the sarpa sakti tells Irendri that the blood of Moksha would make her Maha Sakti if it was taken by her on lunar eclipse day. So, Irendri sends her men to capture Moksha. But Yodha kills all of them. Irendri again sends Sudigundam, the commander-in-chief, to bring her. Yodha follows them in search of Moksha, finds Priya alive, and saves Moksha and Priya. Moksha brings back Yodha’s vision with her divine power. Yodha decides to completely destroy Irendri as she is trying to harm people and succeeds in the climax.
Cast
- Siddharth as Yodha
- Shruti Haasan as Priya
- Lakshmi Manchu as Irendri
- Subbaraya Sharma as Lama
- Harshita as Moksha
- Ravi Babu as Sudigundam
- Brahmanandam as Jaffa
- Vallabhaneni Ramji as Druki
- Tanikella Bharani as Kakshira
- Ali as Jilebi
Production
Pre-production for Anaganaga O Dheerudu began in June 2009 and the cast was finalized soon after, with the film creating expectations as it marked the debuts of noted star children Prakash Rao, Shruti Haasan and Lakshmi Manchu.[3] Furthermore, the film marked a return to a rare genre in Indian cinema: the fantasy adventure. Shooting began in October 2009 and took place across India, whilst scenes were also shot in Turkey.[4]
During the production stage, Disney agreed to co-produce with Raghavendra Rao's home banner, a Bellyful of Dreams Entertainment, marking the first South Indian production by Disney.[5][6]
Release
Anaganaga O Dheerudu was released internationally on 14 January 2011 during the Sankranti festival[7][8][9] to average reviews and box office collections.
Dubbed versions were created in Tamil and Malayalam, but their release was put on hold indefinitely due to the unexpected failure of the Telugu version. The film is rated PG-13 in North America for "violence and scary images" making it the sixth of ten Disney-branded films to receive the rating.
Home media
The film was released by Buena Vista Home Entertainment on DVD and digital download on 26 July 2011.[10][11][12][13] The release will be produced in DVD widescreen and include a Telugu language track plus English subtitles.
Awards
- 2011 - Nandi Award for Best Villain - Lakshmi Manchu
- 2011 - Nandi Award for Best Special Effects - Phani Eggone
- 2012 - CineMAA Award for Best Female Debut - Shruti Haasan
- 2012 - CineMAA Award for Best Supporting Actress - Lakshmi Manchu
- Other awards
- Hyderabad Times Film Award for Best Actor in a Negative Role (Female) - Lakshmi Manchu.[17]
Soundtrack
| Anaganaga O Dheerudu | |
|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by Salim-Sulaiman Mickey J Meyer Koti M. M. Keeravani | |
| Released | 18 December 2010 |
| Recorded | A Bellyful of Dreams Entertainment |
| Label | Venus |
| No. | Title | Music | Performer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Ninnu choodani" | M. M. Keeravani | Anuj Gurwara, Chaitra | |
| 2. | "Premalekha" | Salim-Sulaiman | Salim Merchant, Shreya Ghoshal | |
| 3. | "Pralaya Kaalabelaa" | Koti | Geetha Madhuri | |
| 4. | "Chandamaamala" | Mickey J Meyer | Karthik, Sahiti | |
| 5. | "Tharumukosthondi" | Koti | S. P. Balasubramanyam | |
| 6. | "Premalekha" (remix) | Salim-Sulaiman | Abhijith | |
| 7. | "Yodha Theme" | Salim-Sulaiman | Rajiv Sundaran, Rishikesh |
References
- ↑ "Shruti Haasan, Siddharth in Walt Disney film! - Rediff.com Movies". Rediff.com. 13 December 2010. Retrieved 14 August 2012.
- ↑ Moviebuzz (2009). "Siddharth-Shruti film starts rolling!". Sify. Retrieved 28 October 2009.
- ↑ "Siddharth's new beginning". Times of India. 21 June 2009. Retrieved 21 June 2009.
- ↑ "Shruti sings for Mallika in Hisss". Times of India. 27 September 2010. Retrieved 27 September 2010.
- ↑ "Walt Disney picks Shruti, Siddharth!". Times of India. 17 March 2010. Retrieved 17 March 2010.
- ↑ "A Walt Disney Film in Telugu". Rediff Movies. 13 January 2011. Retrieved 6 July 2011.
- ↑ Hurtado, J (4 December 2010). "Disney Steps Into South India With Once Upon a Warrior". Twitch Film. Retrieved 6 July 2011.
- ↑ "Anaganaga O Dheerudu Music to Release on Dec 18th". The Face of South India. 20 December 2010. Archived from the original on 4 July 2011. Retrieved 6 July 2011.
- ↑ "Walt Disney Unveils Three Indian Movies In North America". The Economic Times. 30 June 2011. Retrieved 6 July 2011.
- ↑ Ramrakhani, Naina (1 July 2011). "Disney Sets Up a New Home in India". Desi Hits. Retrieved 6 July 2011.
- ↑ "Disney to Launch 3 Hindi Films in North America Across Platforms". Business of Cinema. 30 June 2011. Retrieved 6 July 2011.
- ↑ "Disney Releasing 3 Indian Films in North America". Deccan Herald. 30 June 2011. Retrieved 6 July 2011.
- ↑ Suresh Kavirayani, TNN (13 October 2012). "2011 Nandi Awards winners list - Times Of India". Articles.timesofindia.indiatimes.com. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
- ↑ "Cinemaa awards 2012 - Telugu cinema functions". Idlebrain.com. 17 June 2012. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
- ↑ Oor Kaalan (8 July 2012). "59th Filmfare Awards 2012 (South) - Winners List, Proud Moments [Video] | Tamil Cinema News " KollyInsider". Kollyinsider.com. Retrieved 16 January 2014.
- ↑ "The Hyderabad Times Film Awards 2011". The Times Of India. 24 June 2012.