''Baanam'' () is a 2009 Indian
Telugu-language
action drama film directed by the debutant Chaitanya Dantuluri, starring
Nara Rohit
Nara Rohith (born 25 July 1984) is an Indian actor and producer in Telugu films. An alumnus of New York Film Academy, Rohit is known for works such as '' Baanam'' (2009), ''Solo'' (2011), '' Prathinidhi'' (2014), '' Rowdy Fellow'' (2014), '' ...
and
Vedhika in the lead roles. Produced by Priyanka Dutt under the banner Three Angels Studio Pvt Ltd, the film also marks Nara Rohith's debut as lead actor.
''Baanam'' was released theatrically on 16 September 2009. The film was moderate box office success but received positive reviews from critics.
It was also dubbed in
Hindi
Modern Standard Hindi (, ), commonly referred to as Hindi, is the Standard language, standardised variety of the Hindustani language written in the Devanagari script. It is an official language of India, official language of the Government ...
-language under the title ''Jeo Aur Jeeno Do'' ().
Plot
The story is set in the town of Ranasthali, in the year 1989. Bhagat Panigrahi is preparing to become an
IPS officer. His father, Chandrasekhar Panigrahi, a former
Naxalite
Naxalism is the communist ideology of the Naxalites or Naxals, a grouping of political and insurgent groups from India. It is influenced by Maoist political sentiment and ideology.
Inspired by Maoism, Charu Majumdar wrote the Historic Eight ...
, returns after 20 years before giving up his fight for society because of his retirement. According to his ideology, at a certain time, every person wants to retire from their work. He became the first person who retired in
naxalism. He comes back home and questions his son's ambition of becoming an IPS because his wife was killed by a policeman. Bhagath convinces him with his point of logic and gets the acceptance from his father. Meanwhile, a local don, Shakti Patnaik, is slowly building his empire, terrorizing police and anyone who opposes him.
One day, Bhagat meets Subbalakshmi, a naive married
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 ...
girl at a railway station; she was abandoned by her in-laws because of insufficient dowry. Unable to pay the dowry, her father commits suicide, unknown to her. Then with the help of Bhagath, she starts a new life to become an independent woman. One day her husband sends a message to her for a secret meeting, then Bhagath came with her to meet him; in that meeting, she ends her relationship with her husband. Then on the urge of taking revenge on her, her ex-husband takes the help of the dreaded
gangster
A gangster (informally gangsta) is a criminal who is a member of a gang. Most gangs are considered to be part of organized crime. Gangsters are also called mobsters, a term derived from ''Organized crime, mob'' and the suffix ''wikt:-ster, -st ...
, Shakthi Patnaik, to abduct her, which triggers a series of events between Bhagat and Shakthi. After that, Bhagath proposes to Subbalakshmi for marriage she eventually accepts. Meanwhile, Bhagath manages to qualify in UPSC and is selected for training in the middle of the route. Shakthi and his gang interrupt him and severely injure him. Then angered Sr.panigrahi tries to kill Shakthi, but the attempt is missed and caught by Shakthi, then he kills him brutally. After knowing the facts, Bhagath decides to destroy Shakthi. He meets a senior IPS officer who once inspired Bhagath to become an IPS Officer in his childhood by asking trainees to stand up for the fight against the tyranny of Shakthi. Earlier, he refuses, and later, he accepts. Then the gang attacks the gang members of Shakthi and his businesses with solid evidence. Then Shakthi tries to run away to Hyderabad. Bhagath and his gang came to arrest Shakthi along with the police then Bhagath catches Shakthi, and a fight ensues between them in the fight, Bhagath kills Shakthi.
After that, the trainees got their postings, and Bhagath is ready to go for his training in the police academy. The film ends with the line "a new chapter begins".
Cast
Soundtrack
The music for the film has been composed by
Mani Sharma
Yanamandra Venkata Subrahmanyam (Telugu: యనమండ్ర వెంకట సుబ్రహ్మణ్యం; born 11 July 1964), professionally known as Mani Sharma, is an Indian composer and music producer known for his work primaril ...
. The audio was launched on 24 August 2009.
Critical reception
A critic from ''
Rediff.com
Rediff.com, stylized as rediff.com, is an Indian news, information, entertainment, and shopping website. Founded by Ajit Balakrishnan in 1996, it was the first Indian website to become a mainstream news media organization. It is headquartered i ...
'' wrote that "''Baanam'', sans the formulaic pattern, makes for a decent watch and such films have to be encouraged by the audience". A critic from ''
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 ...
'' wrote that "Debutant director Chaitanya deserves kudos for dishing out an intense cop film to give Tollywood's latest debutants a clear edge over the rest".
Idlebrain.com review said - Nara Rohit delivers what is needed for the character. Vedhika did the role of a traditional Brahmin girl and she is apt.
Box office
The film was a moderate success at the box office.
Awards and nominations
The film won the
Nandi Award for Second Best Feature Film won by Seshu Priyanka Chalasani (2009).
Chaitanya Dantuluri was nominated for
Filmfare Best Director Award (Telugu).
References
External links
* {{IMDb title, 1509735
2009 films
2000s Telugu-language films
2009 action drama films
Indian action drama films
Indian police films
Films set in 1989
Films scored by Mani Sharma
Fictional portrayals of the Andhra Pradesh Police
Fictional portrayals of the Telangana Police
2009 directorial debut films