Magadheera | |
---|---|
Theatrical release poster
|
|
Directed by | S. S. Rajamouli |
Produced by | |
Written by | M. Rathnam |
Screenplay by | S. S. Rajamouli |
Story by | K. V. Vijayendra Prasad |
Starring | |
Music by | M. M. Keeravani |
Cinematography | K. K. Senthil Kumar |
Edited by | Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao |
Production
company |
|
Distributed by | Geetha Arts |
Release date
|
|
Running time
|
166 minutes |
Country | India |
Language | Telugu |
Budget | ₹350 million (equivalent to ₹620 million or US$9.2 million in 2016) |
Box office | ₹1.5 billion (equivalent to ₹2.6 billion or US$39 million in 2016) |
Magadheera (English: Great Warrior) is a 2009 Indian Telugu-language romantic-action film, written by K. V. Vijayendra Prasad and directed by S. S. Rajamouli. Based on the theme of reincarnation, the film was produced by Allu Aravind of Geetha Arts. The film stars Ram Charan and Kajal Aggarwal, while Dev Gill and Srihari appear in prominent roles. The plot revolves around four people: a valiant warrior in charge of the princess' safety; the princess who loves him; her cousin who lusts after her; and an emperor who wants to conquer their kingdom. They all die before their wishes are fulfilled and are reborn after 400 years, at which point the warrior kills the scheming cousin with the support of the reformed emperor and wins over the princess.
Made on a budget of ₹350 million, the production was launched on 2 March 2008 while principal photography commenced on 19 March 2008. The cinematography was done by K. K. Senthil Kumar, and was edited by Kotagiri Venkateshwara Rao. Production design was done by R. Ravinder, while the action sequences were choreographed by Peter Hein and the duo of Ram—Lakshman. The visual effects were designed by R. C. Kamalakannan, with assistance from Adel Adili and Pete Draper. It is the first Telugu film to list a "visual effects producer" in its credits. The soundtrack was composed by M. M. Keeravani, who collaborated with Kalyani Malik to score the background music.
Magadheera was released on 31 July 2009 across 1250 screens worldwide, to critical acclaim, and collected a distributor's share of ₹731 million. The film grossed ₹1.5 billion worldwide and remained the highest-grossing Telugu film of all time for five years, until it was surpassed by Attarintiki Daredi in 2013. Its 1000-day theatrical run surpassed Chandramukhi (2005) as the longest running South Indian film. It is also the first Telugu film to have a home media release in Blu-ray. The film won the National Award for Best Choreography and Best Special Effects at the 57th National Film Awards as well as winning six Filmfare Awards, nine Nandi Awards and ten CineMAA Awards. The film's success catapulted the lead actors into stardom.