Ante Sundaraniki
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''Ante Sundaraniki!'' () is a 2022 Indian
Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of South India ** Telugu literature, is the body of works written in the Telugu language. * Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Tel ...
-language
romantic comedy Romantic comedy (also known as romcom or rom-com) is a sub-genre of comedy and Romance novel, romance fiction, focusing on lighthearted, humorous plot lines centered on romantic ideas, such as how true love is able to surmount all obstacles. Ro ...
film written and directed by Vivek Athreya. Produced by
Mythri Movie Makers Mythri Movie Makers is an Indian film production and distribution company established by Naveen Yerneni, Yalamanchili Ravi Shankar, and Mohan Cherukuri (CVM) in 2015. The production company mainly produces and distributes in Telugu films. Not ...
, it stars Nani and
Nazriya Nazim Nazriya Nazim Fahadh (born 20 December 1994) is an Indian actress, producer and singer who primarily works in Malayalam and Tamil films. Known for her strong women portrayals, Nazriya is a recipient of several accolades including two Kerala St ...
(in her Telugu debut). The film tells the story of Sundar and Leela, an interfaith couple who try to convince their parents about their marriage through a string of lies only to find themselves in more complicated situations. ''Ante Sundaraniki!'' was announced in November 2020 with principal photography taking place between April 2021 and January 2022. The film was predominantly shot in
Hyderabad Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...
and the United States. ''Ante Sundaraniki!'' was released in theatres on 10 June 2022 and opened to positive reviews from critics. It grossed over 1 million overseas, making it Nani's seventh film to do so. The film grossed over
crore Crore (; abbreviated cr) denotes the quantity ten million (107) and is equal to 100 lakh in the Indian numbering system. In many international contexts, the decimal quantity is formatted as 10,000,000, but when used in the context of the India ...
worldwide. Despite receiving positive reviews from critics, praising its narrative, performances, and technical aspects, the film failed to perform well at the box office.


Plot

Sundar comes from an orthodox
Brahmin Brahmin (; ) is a ''Varna (Hinduism), varna'' (theoretical social classes) within Hindu society. The other three varnas are the ''Kshatriya'' (rulers and warriors), ''Vaishya'' (traders, merchants, and farmers), and ''Shudra'' (labourers). Th ...
family. During his childhood, Sundar is duped by a fraudster who promises him a role in an upcoming film starring
Chiranjeevi Konidela Chiranjeevi (born Konidela Sivasankara Varaprasad; 22 August 1955) is an Indian actor, philanthropist and former politician known for his work in Telugu cinema. Known as the "Mega Star", he is widely regarded as one of the most succe ...
that would be filmed in the US. Therefore, his family develops deep skepticism towards such ventures. Sundar grows up to be an employee at an ad agency. He tries to persuade his colleague Soumya to give up the opportunity to go to the US so that he can take her place and fulfill his dream. But on Soumya's insistence, he tells her the actual reason. Sundar is in love with his
childhood sweetheart Childhood sweetheart is a reciprocating phrase for a relationship (but not a partnership) between young persons. This may come about by an extension of friendship, physical attraction or develop from natural affinity. The relationship is usually ...
Leela, a
Malayali The Malayali people (; also spelt Malayalee and sometimes known by the demonym Keralite) are a Dravidian ethnolinguistic group originating from the present-day state of Kerala and Union Territory of Lakshadweep in India, occupying its south ...
Christian A Christian () is a person who follows or adheres to Christianity, a Monotheism, monotheistic Abrahamic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ. Christians form the largest religious community in the wo ...
who is now a professional photographer. She gets close to Sundar when her ex-boyfriend Vamsi cheats on her. Sundar and Leela decide to marry but since they belong to different religions, Sundar sketches a plan to convince their parents. As a part of it, they lie to their families about the reason they are leaving for the US. Soumya is convinced and lets Sundar take her place by lying to their manager. A month after arriving in the US, Sundar lies to his parents that he has
Azoospermia Azoospermia is the medical condition of a man whose semen contains no sperm. It is associated with male infertility, but many forms are amenable to medical treatment. In humans, azoospermia affects about 1% of the male population and may be see ...
but Leela is ready to marry him despite this while Leela lies to her parents that she is pregnant with Sundar's child. They return to India immediately on their parents' demand but Sundar and Leela's bags are exchanged. Sundar's father gathers their relatives to tell them about Sundar's impotency but they come across Leela's bag which raises suspicion. Leela's parents also recognize that her boyfriend is Hindu by looking at a
Hanuman Hanuman (; , ), also known as Maruti, Bajrangabali, and Anjaneya, is a deity in Hinduism, revered as a divine ''vanara'', and a devoted companion of the deity Rama. Central to the ''Ramayana'', Hanuman is celebrated for his unwavering devotio ...
sticker on Sundar's bag. They force her to take a pregnancy test which Leela fudges to be positive using a bottle of
Mountain Dew Mountain Dew, stylized as Mtn Dew in some countries and colloquially known as Dew in some areas, is a soft drink brand owned by PepsiCo. The original formula was invented in 1940 by Tennessee beverage Bottler (company), bottlers Barney and A ...
. Sundar's father takes him to several doctors for treatment, all of whom rebuke him after listening to his deception, until they meet Dr. Guru, Sundar's childhood friend. Guru lies that it may take 10–15 years to treat Sundar. Meanwhile, Leela's parents arrange her marriage with Joseph, a family friend, who accepts Leela's pregnancy. Sundar tries to talk Joseph out of it but in vain. Intimidated by Joseph, Sundar reveals that Leela being pregnant is a lie. Joseph informs the same to Leela's parents. He asks Leela to tell the truth by swearing on
The Bible The Bible is a collection of religious texts that are central to Christianity and Judaism, and esteemed in other Abrahamic religions such as Islam. The Bible is an anthology (a compilation of texts of a variety of forms) originally writte ...
but Leela's father calls off her wedding as he doesn't want an outsider to suspect his daughter. With no option left, both their families reluctantly accept Leela and Sundar's marriage while both remain unaware of the other family's reason to do so. During their meeting, the parents come very close to discovering the contradicting stories, but Sundar's parents help in treating the pregnancy cramps of Leela's sister Pushpa, thus bringing their families closer. Sometime later, Joseph reveals to Leela's mother that it was Sundar who told him that Leela isn't pregnant. She takes Leela to the hospital and gets her pregnancy checked, and to Leela's surprise, the result turns out to be positive. Sundar and Leela are confused about the result as they have not consummated their relationship. They go for another check-up for second opinion. The doctor tells that Leela has
dysgerminoma A dysgerminoma is a type of germ cell tumor; it usually is malignant and usually occurs in the ovary. A tumor of the identical histology but not occurring in the ovary may be described by an alternate name: seminoma in the testis or germinoma in ...
, a type of ovarian cancer which often results in false positives for pregnancy test. The tumour has to be surgically removed from her ovaries following which Leela might not bear children. Sundar confesses to Leela's father that they lied about her pregnancy all along. Sundar's father and grandmother now want to call off the marriage citing Leela's issue. However, Sundar's mother exposes their hypocrisy as they were ready to marry off Sundar despite his perceived impotency. She feels that Sundar's happiness is more important than their traditions and having children. Sundar's grandmother approves of the marriage by playing the
Veena The ''veena'', also spelled ''vina'' ( IAST: vīṇā), is any of various chordophone instruments from the Indian subcontinent. Ancient musical instruments evolved into many variations, such as lutes, zithers and arched harps.
which she gave up post Sundar's childhood fiasco. Delighted, Sundar runs to meet Leela who has undergone the surgery and they decide to get married. They reach
Amelia Island Amelia Island is a part of the Sea Islands chain that stretches along the East Coast of the United States from South Carolina to Florida; it is the southernmost of the Sea Islands, and the northernmost of the barrier islands on Florida's Atlant ...
for the wedding to fulfill Leela's wish. Sundar confesses that the anonymous postcard which Leela received in her childhood was sent by him while Leela reveals that she knows it was Sundar who sent the
postcard A postcard or post card is a piece of thick paper or thin cardboard, typically rectangular, intended for writing and mailing without an envelope. Non-rectangular shapes may also be used but are rare. In some places, one can send a postcard f ...
and admits that her dream to have her wedding on Amelia Island was just a made-up story.


Cast


Production


Development

In April 2020, Vivek Athreya signed a project with
Vijay Deverakonda Deverakonda Vijay Sai (born 9 May 1989), professionally known as Vijay Deverakonda, is an Indian actor and film producer who works predominantly in Telugu films. One of the highest-paid actors of Telugu cinema, he has featured in ''Forbes Indi ...
which was touted to be a comedy-thriller on the lines of Athreya's previous film, ''
Brochevarevarura ''Brochevarevarura'' () is a 2019 Indian Telugu-language crime comedy film written and directed by Vivek Athreya and produced by Vijay Kumar Manyam under the banner of Manyam Productions. The film features Sree Vishnu, Nivetha Thomas, N ...
'' (2019). The project was initially set to begin production by November 2019, but was delayed as Deverakonda could not allot dates for the project. At the meantime, Athreya also narrated a script to Nani, and impressed by it, the latter decided to be a part of the film. This was confirmed the following month, with the project being funded by
Mythri Movie Makers Mythri Movie Makers is an Indian film production and distribution company established by Naveen Yerneni, Yalamanchili Ravi Shankar, and Mohan Cherukuri (CVM) in 2015. The production company mainly produces and distributes in Telugu films. Not ...
. Production was set to begin after Nani's commitments on '' Tuck Jagadish'' and '' Shyam Singha Roy'' (both 2021). On the eve of
Diwali Diwali (), also called Deepavali (IAST: ''Dīpāvalī'') or Deepawali (IAST: ''Dīpāwalī''), is the Hindu festival of lights, with variations celebrated in other Indian religions such as Jainism and Sikhism. It symbolises the spiritual v ...
, 13 November, the company officially confirmed the project
tentatively titled A working title is a preliminary name for a product or project. The usage is especially common in film and TV, gaming, music and publishing. It is often styled in trade publications as (wt) and is synonymous with production title and tentative ...
''#Nani28'' and would star
Nazriya Nazim Nazriya Nazim Fahadh (born 20 December 1994) is an Indian actress, producer and singer who primarily works in Malayalam and Tamil films. Known for her strong women portrayals, Nazriya is a recipient of several accolades including two Kerala St ...
in her
Telugu cinema Telugu cinema, also known as Tollywood, is the segment of Cinema of India, Indian cinema dedicated to the production of Film, motion pictures in the Telugu language, widely spoken in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. Based in Film N ...
debut. The film's official title was revealed to be ''Ante Sundaraniki'' on 21 November 2020.


Pre-production

Vivek Athreya developed the script in late 2017, prior to his debut film '' Mental Madhilo''. He added that "the core issue and the story would make for an exciting, contemporary social commentary". Initially, Vivek pitched another story to the production house, which required an ensemble cast. The company then asked on a script that suited Nani, which resulted in developing this script and narrated to Nani; the latter's likening to the script eventually brought him onboard. Later, Nani suggested Nazriya's involvement in the film. Vivek then narrated the script to Nazriya in a linear approach and with her enthusiasm, he then gave her a detailed non-linear narration that lasted for a few hours. Nazriya then learnt Telugu with the help of a tutor and also dubbed for the film. Athreya then conducted script reading sessions with other supporting cast members,
Rohini Rohini may refer to: People * Rohini (given name), including a list of persons and characters with the name * Rohini (actress) (born 1969), Indian actress, screenwriter, and director * Rohini (Buddha's disciple), female disciple * Rohini (goddes ...
, Nadhiya, Naresh,
Harsha Vardhan Harsha Vardhan is an Indian actor and screenwriter who works in Telugu cinema, Telugu films and television shows. He has also worked in a few Tamil cinema, Tamil films. He is known for his performance in television shows such as ''Ruthuragalu ...
,
Rahul Ramakrishna Rahul Ramakrishna (born 15 January 1991) is an Indian actor, writer and journalist. He made his debut with the short film, ''Sainma''. He became popular with his role in the 2017 Telugu film, '' Arjun Reddy''. Early life Rahul Ramakrishna was ...
, to prepare for their roles.


Filming

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as the ...
of the film began on 16 April 2021. The film was predominantly shot in
Hyderabad Hyderabad is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part of Southern India. With an average altitude of , much ...
, with sporadic schedules in
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. Filming wrapped up on 23 January 2022.


Music

The
film score A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to ...
and soundtrack album of the film is composed by
Vivek Sagar Vivek Sagar is an Indian music composer, record producer and playback singer who works in Telugu cinema . He debuted with the film, '' Pelli Choopulu'' (2016). Upon critical acclaim for the album garnered him his first nomination for Filmfare ...
. The music rights were acquired by
Saregama Saregama India Ltd is an Indian music record label and content company headquartered in Kolkata, West Bengal. It is the oldest music label in India, established in 1901 as the Indian branch of the British Gramophone Company. It later became ...
.


Release


Theatrical

The film released theatrically on 10 June 2022. It was announced in January 2022 that the film was going to be released in the summer of 2022. In February 2022, the makers announced that they would release the film in any of seven dates starting from 22 April 2022 to 10 June 2022. In the same month, the makers announced the film's release date as 10 June 2022. Apart from the original version, the film was also dubbed in Tamil under the title ''Adade Sundara'' and in Malayalam under the title ''Aha Sundara''. The film's theatrical rights were sold at
crore Crore (; abbreviated cr) denotes the quantity ten million (107) and is equal to 100 lakh in the Indian numbering system. In many international contexts, the decimal quantity is formatted as 10,000,000, but when used in the context of the India ...
.


Home media

The film was streamed on Netflix on 8 July 2022 in Telugu and dubbed versions of Tamil and Malayalam languages.


Reception


Critical reception

''Ante Sundaraniki'' received positive reviews from critics. Manoj Kumar R of ''
The Indian Express ''The Indian Express'' is an English-language Indian daily newspaper founded in 1932 by P. Varadarajulu Naidu. It is headquartered in Noida, owned by the ''Indian Express Group''. It was later taken over by Ramnath Goenka. In 1999, eight y ...
'' rated the film 4 out of 5 stars and wrote "Nani effortlessly fits into the role of a rebellious man, who comes up with masterful lies as easy as he breathes. Nazriya Fahadh's screen presence adds a lot to the appeal of the movie". Siby Jeyya of ''India Herald'' rated the film 4 out of 5 stars and wrote "Director Vivek took a story of interfaith marriage, adding comedy rooted in mindlessly following religious customs, and drama rooted in striving to achieve a balance between family and love". Critic Latha Srinivasan wrote in ''
Firstpost Firstpost is an Indian news website owned by Network18 Group, which also runs CNN-News18 and CNBC TV18. It has posted misinformation on multiple occasions. The Network 18 group was originally owned by Raghav Bahl. In January 2012, the gro ...
'' that Nani and Nazriya shone in this romantic comedy cum family drama and gave it 3 stars on 5. She wrote, "The director has packed a lot of depth into the film." Neeshita Nyayapati of ''
The Times of India ''The Times of India'' (''TOI'') is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by the Times Group. It is the List of newspapers in India by circulation, third-largest newspaper in India by circulation an ...
'' rated the film 3.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "''Ante Sundaraniki'' is at its best when the stellar cast are mouthing off one-liners that are not just relatable but hilarious. Nani shines in the role of Sundar that's right down his alley while Nazriya fits right into the skin of Leela". A critic for '' Sakshi Post'' rated the film 3 out of 5 stars and wrote "Ante Sundarainki is an out and out family entertainer and tailor-made film for Nani fans". Sowmya Rajendran of ''
The News Minute ''The News Minute'' is an Indian digital news platform based in Bangalore, Karnataka. It was founded by Vignesh Vellore who is also the current CEO in 2014. Apart from Karnataka, it also has bureaus in the states of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, ...
'' rated the film 3 out of 5 stars and wrote "The film has good performances by the cast and is fun in parts, but the convoluted plot and lengthy runtime test your patience". Janani K of ''
India Today ''India Today'' is a weekly Indian English-language news magazine published by Living Media, Living Media India Limited. It is the most widely circulated magazine in India, with a readership of close to 8 million. In 2014, ''India Today'' laun ...
'' rated the film 3 out of 5 stars and wrote "Ante Sundaraniki is a film that relies on top-notch performances and interesting sequences". Murali Krishna CH of ''
Cinema Express ''Cinema Express'' was an Indian Tamil language, Tamil-language entertainment fortnightly magazine published from Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It was a part of The New Indian Express, The New Indian Express Group, which also publishes ''Samakalika Mal ...
'' rated the film 2.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "The film has some good moments, some genuinely funny lines and first-rate performances. Compared to the recent rom-coms, this film is worth giving a shot".


Box office

''Ante Sundaraniki'' grossed
crore Crore (; abbreviated cr) denotes the quantity ten million (107) and is equal to 100 lakh in the Indian numbering system. In many international contexts, the decimal quantity is formatted as 10,000,000, but when used in the context of the India ...
worldwide on its opening day, including crore from
Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (ISO 15919, ISO: , , AP) is a States and union territories of India, state on the East Coast of India, east coast of southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, seventh-largest state and th ...
and
Telangana Telangana is a States and union territories of India, state in India situated in the Southern India, south-central part of the Indian subcontinent on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, ele ...
, and $438,000 ( crore) from the United States. The film grossed crore in its first weekend. In its first week, the film grossed over crore worldwide with a distributor's share of crore. ''Ante Sundaraniki'' grossed over $1 million in the United States, making it Nani's seventh film to do so. As of 2022, ''Ante Sundaraniki'' grossed over crore at the box office.


References


External links

* {{Vivek Athreya Mythri Movie Makers films 2022 romantic comedy films 2022 films 2020s Telugu-language films Indian romantic comedy films Films shot in Hyderabad, India Foreign films set in the United States Films set in Kerala Films scored by Vivek Sagar Films directed by Vivek Athreya