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''Kanche'' () is a 2015 Indian Telugu-language romantic
war film War film is a film genre concerned with warfare, typically about navy, naval, air force, air, or army, land battles, with combat scenes central to the drama. It has been strongly associated with the 20th century. The fateful nature of battle s ...
written and directed by Krish. It stars
Varun Tej Konidela Sai Varun Tej, better known as Varun Tej (born 19 January 1990) is an Indian actor who works in Telugu cinema. He made his acting debut in 2014 with ''Mukunda''. He received praise for featuring in Krish (director), Krish's critically ...
, Pragya Jaiswal, and
Nikitin Dheer Nikitin Dheer is an Indian actor who primarily works in Hindi and Telugu films, and Hindi television. Dheer made his acting debut in 2008 with the film ''Jodhaa Akbar''. He is best known for portraying Astika in '' Naagarjuna – Ek Yoddha'' ...
. Produced by First Frame Entertainment, ''Kanche'' revolves around the enmity between two friendsDhupati Haribabu (Tej) and Eeswar Prasad (Dheer). Eeswar's sister Sitadevi (Jaiswal) and Haribabu graduate from the
University of Madras The University of Madras is a public university, public State university (India), state university in Chennai (Madras), Tamil Nadu, India. Established in 1857, it is one of the oldest and most prominent universities in India, incorporated by an ...
in the late 1930s and fall in love. Due to the prevailing
casteism A caste is a fixed social group into which an individual is born within a particular system of social stratification: a caste system. Within such a system, individuals are expected to marry exclusively within the same caste (endogamy), foll ...
in their native village, Eeswar opposes their relationship and kills Sitadevi accidentally. Years later, Haribabu joins the
British Indian Army The Indian Army was the force of British Raj, British India, until Indian Independence Act 1947, national independence in 1947. Formed in 1895 by uniting the three Presidency armies, it was responsible for the defence of both British India and ...
as a
captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...
to fight against the
Axis powers The Axis powers, originally called the Rome–Berlin Axis and also Rome–Berlin–Tokyo Axis, was the military coalition which initiated World War II and fought against the Allies of World War II, Allies. Its principal members were Nazi Ge ...
in
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
and Eeswar, now a
colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...
, is his commanding officer. Krish began research on the film's subject after seeing a bomb, dropped by the
Imperial Japanese Army The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA; , ''Dai-Nippon Teikoku Rikugun'', "Army of the Greater Japanese Empire") was the principal ground force of the Empire of Japan from 1871 to 1945. It played a central role in Japan’s rapid modernization during th ...
, preserved in a museum in
Visakhapatnam Visakhapatnam (; List of renamed places in India, formerly known as Vizagapatam, and also referred to as Vizag, Visakha, and Waltair) is the largest and most populous metropolitan city in the States and union territories of India, Indian stat ...
during the filming of '' Vedam'' (2010). He worked on the film's
screenplay A screenplay, or script, is a written work produced for a film, television show (also known as a '' teleplay''), or video game by screenwriters (cf. ''stage play''). Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of w ...
for nine-and-a-half months and considered it his most ambitious project. Chirantan Bhatt composed the film's
songs A song is a musical composition performed by the human voice. The voice often carries the melody (a series of distinct and fixed pitches) using patterns of sound and silence. Songs have a structure, such as the common ABA form, and are usuall ...
and
score SCORE may refer to: *SCORE (software), a music scorewriter program * SCORE (television), a weekend sports service of the defunct Financial News Network *SCORE! Educational Centers *SCORE International, an offroad racing organization *Sarawak Corrido ...
, marking his debut in Telugu cinema. Gnana Shekar V. S. was the film's
director of photography The cinematographer or director of photography (sometimes shortened to DP or DOP) is the person responsible for the recording of a film, television production, music video or other live-action piece. The cinematographer is the chief of the camera ...
; Sahi Suresh was the film's
art director Art director is a title for a variety of similar job functions in theater, advertising, marketing, publishing, fashion, live-action and animated film and television, the Internet, and video games. It is the charge of a sole art director to supe ...
, and
Sai Madhav Burra Sai Madhav Burra (born 1973/1974) is an Indian dialogue writer and screenwriter who works in Telugu cinema. He wrote dialogues for films such as ''Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum'' (2012). ''Malli Malli Idi Rani Roju'' (2015), ''Kanche'' (2015), ''Gop ...
wrote the film's
dialogue Dialogue (sometimes spelled dialog in American and British English spelling differences, American English) is a written or spoken conversational exchange between two or more people, and a literature, literary and theatrical form that depicts suc ...
.
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 ...
commenced on 27 February 2015 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 ...
. ''Kanche'' was filmed in Tatipaka, Draksharamam, Kapotavaram, and in Peruru Agraharam near
Palakollu Palakollu is a city and the administrative headquarters of Palakollu Mandal in Narasapuram revenue division in West Godavari district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Palakollu is situated in Coastal Andhra region of the state. It occupie ...
. Major sets were erected in Ramoji Film City, Hyderabad. The war sequences were filmed in
Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...
and the film's unit was allotted 700 guns, four tanks, and a machine gun from the Georgia Military Institute, a military training school. Principal photography was wrapped up on 6 July 2015. ''Kanche'' was filmed in 55 working days, 35 of which were in Georgia. Promoted as Telugu cinema's first World War II-based film, ''Kanche'' was released worldwide on 22 October 2015, on 700 screens, and received a positive reception from critics. It grossed 20 crore on a budget of 18 crore, and became the 14th highest-grossing Telugu film of the year. ''Kanche'' earned the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Telugu at the 63rd National Film Awards ceremony, and the state Nandi Award for Best Film on National Integration. The film was screened at the 2016 edition of All Lights India International Film Festival. The film is considered one of the "25 Greatest Telugu Films Of The Decade" by ''
Film Companion Anupama Vinod Chopra () is an Indian author, journalist and film critic who served as the festival director of the MAMI Mumbai Film Festival from 2015 to 2023. She is also the founder and editor of the now-defunct digital platform Film Compani ...
''. It also won the state Gaddar Award for Second Best Feature Film.


Plot

In 1936, Dhupati Haribabu and Rachakonda Sitadevi meet at the Madras Cultural Club in
Madras Presidency The Madras Presidency or Madras Province, officially called the Presidency of Fort St. George until 1937, was an administrative subdivision (province) of British India and later the Dominion of India. At its greatest extent, the presidency i ...
on the latter's birthday and realise that they are studying at the same college, the
University of Madras The University of Madras is a public university, public State university (India), state university in Chennai (Madras), Tamil Nadu, India. Established in 1857, it is one of the oldest and most prominent universities in India, incorporated by an ...
. Sitadevi is the princess of the Rachakonda estate, whereas Haribabu belongs to a lower
caste A caste is a Essentialism, fixed social group into which an individual is born within a particular system of social stratification: a caste system. Within such a system, individuals are expected to marry exclusively within the same caste (en ...
and is the grandson of a local barber. By the time they graduate, they have fallen in love, and leave for their native town, Devarakonda. Haribabu is introduced to Sitadevi's brother Eeswar and they become friends. Eeswar, and his grandfather Pedababu, learn of Haribabu and Sitadevi's affair and instigate a fight between people of both castes. Hundreds of people from both sides die and a fence (Kanche) is erected to separate the two groups forever. While Eeswar and Pedababu decide to marry off Sitadevi to a boy of their choice, Haribabu arrives back from town and is stabbed. Sitadevi looks after him secretly in her bedroom, and on the wedding day, a frustrated Haribabu marries Sitadevi, in the presence of her grandmother, and leaves. That evening, Eeswar and Haribabu duel, and in the process Sitadevi is killed accidentally. During
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, as a member of the allied nations, the
British Raj The British Raj ( ; from Hindustani language, Hindustani , 'reign', 'rule' or 'government') was the colonial rule of the British The Crown, Crown on the Indian subcontinent, * * lasting from 1858 to 1947. * * It is also called Crown rule ...
send over two and a half million Indian volunteer soldiers to fight under British command against the
Axis powers The Axis powers, originally called the Rome–Berlin Axis and also Rome–Berlin–Tokyo Axis, was the military coalition which initiated World War II and fought against the Allies of World War II, Allies. Its principal members were Nazi Ge ...
. Haribabu joins them as a
captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...
and Eeswar, now a
colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...
, is his commanding officer. In May 1944, the Nazis attack the Indian army in the Italian Campaign, and capture them. Haribabu, his friend Dasu, and three other soldiers escape. They decide to save the captured troops and follow the Nazis. They take shelter in an Italian baker's house and his granddaughter saves them from the Nazis. She reveals that the Nazis want to kill a little girl whose parents were a German doctor and a Jew. The Nazis find the doctor and a group of civilians, and Haribabu, along with his cohorts, rescues them. The soldiers find the captured troops in an old building and rescue them from the Nazis. When Eeswar asks Haribabu why he saved him despite the rivalry between them, he replies that Sitadevi's love for Eeswar made him do so. They leave with the civilians and find a German base near a river which they can use to escape. When Haribabu formulates a plan, Eeswar, who still hates him, points out that the plan is flawed. Haribabu reminds him that World War II commenced because of racism and he does not want to see the same bloodshed repeated here that happened in their village. The soldiers raid all the tents and find a boat in which the civilians and the other soldier board. To divert the German army's attention, Haribabu continues to fight alone until the boat reaches safety. Severely injured, Haribabu dies with a smile, thinking of the memories of his life with Sitadevi. Eeswar is shocked to see Haribabu die and carries his body back to his village. He also reads the letters Haribabu had written to Sitadevi during the war and realises that humans should not be divided by caste. He reaches the village and asks Haribabu's grandfather to dig the grave. Eeswar calls Haribabu a great human, soldier, lover, son and mainly a good friend whom he never recognised. He acknowledges that without the borders of caste, Haribabu would have been happy with Sitadevi and salutes him. Pedababu orders the fences' removal and the people continue to live in peace.


Cast


Production


Development

During the filming of '' Vedam'' (2010) in
Visakhapatnam Visakhapatnam (; List of renamed places in India, formerly known as Vizagapatam, and also referred to as Vizag, Visakha, and Waltair) is the largest and most populous metropolitan city in the States and union territories of India, Indian stat ...
, Krish visited a museum which displayed a bomb dropped by the
Imperial Japanese Army The Imperial Japanese Army (IJA; , ''Dai-Nippon Teikoku Rikugun'', "Army of the Greater Japanese Empire") was the principal ground force of the Empire of Japan from 1871 to 1945. It played a central role in Japan’s rapid modernization during th ...
on the city during
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
. The bomb was used with the intention of creating a situation similar to the
attack on Pearl Harbor The attack on Pearl HarborAlso known as the Battle of Pearl Harbor was a surprise military strike by the Empire of Japan on the United States Pacific Fleet at Naval Station Pearl Harbor, its naval base at Pearl Harbor on Oahu, Territory of ...
. After further research, Krish learned that over 2.5 million Indian soldiers participated in World War II, and 2000 Telugu people from Madhavaram, West Godavari, were sent to the war by the British government in India. Krish worked on the film's screenplay for nine-and-a-half months and cited the process of obtaining accurate details as the reason for the length of time it took to finish. Krish gathered most of the information using the Google search engine and two teams were employedone in India, the other in Italy. He chose to narrate a love story set in the 1930s and focused on the macro and micro divisions between people, countries, races and religions. During the production of '' Gabbar Is Back'', Krish's collaboration with
Varun Tej Konidela Sai Varun Tej, better known as Varun Tej (born 19 January 1990) is an Indian actor who works in Telugu cinema. He made his acting debut in 2014 with ''Mukunda''. He received praise for featuring in Krish (director), Krish's critically ...
was reported in January 2015;
Ramoji Rao Cherukuri Ramoji Rao (16 November 1936 – 8 June 2024) was an Indian businessman, media proprietor and film producer. He was head of the Ramoji Group which owns the world's largest film production facility Ramoji Film City, '' Eenadu'' news ...
was to produce the film under the banner Ushakiron Movies jointly with Krish's banner First Frame Entertainment. Pragya Jaiswal, who auditioned for ''Gabbar Is Back'', was signed as the film's female lead. The film was officially launched on 27 February 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 was titled ''Kanche''. ''Kanche'' translates to fence in English and Krish relates that the film focuses on the effects of a fence on friendship. On the 75th anniversary of World War II, Krish told the
Indo-Asian News Service Indo-Asian News Service or IANS is a private Indian news agency. It was founded in 1986 by Indian American publisher Gopal Raju as the "India Abroad News Service" and later renamed. In December 2023, Adani group, known for its close ties with t ...
on 1 September that ''Kanche'' is his "most ambitious project" and also the first Telugu film set in World War II. Sai Madhav Burra, who collaborated with Krish on '' Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum'' (2013), was signed to write the film's dialogues. V. S. Gnanasekhar was signed as the film's director of photography, and Sahi Suresh was selected as the film's art director. Because of discontinuing his studies at a young age, Suresh was not knowledgeable about World War II, and spent three to four months watching old war films and reading about the war. Chirantan Bhatt, who collaborated earlier with Krish on ''Gabbar Is Back'', was signed to compose the film's soundtrack and score. ''Kanche'' marked Bhatt's debut in Telugu cinema. Rama Krishna Arram and Suraj Jagtap edited the film. ''Kanche'' was produced on a budget of 18 crore.


Casting

Varun Tej played the role of Dhupati Haribabu, a
captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader or highest rank officer of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police depa ...
in the
British Indian Army The Indian Army was the force of British Raj, British India, until Indian Independence Act 1947, national independence in 1947. Formed in 1895 by uniting the three Presidency armies, it was responsible for the defence of both British India and ...
. Varun Tej described the first phase of Haribabu's character as a 23-year old "college pass-out, happy-go-lucky, chilled out guy". He had to modify his diction according to the timeline and observed the dialogue delivery of actors in old Telugu films. For the second phase, Varun Tej was trained by an army officer on a soldier's body language, and the way to hold guns among other things. He watched films like ''
Saving Private Ryan ''Saving Private Ryan'' is a 1998 American epic war film directed by Steven Spielberg and written by Robert Rodat. Set in 1944 in Normandy, France, during World War II, it follows a group of soldiers, led by Captain John Miller ( Tom Hanks) ...
'' (1988), '' The Thin Red Line'' (1998), ''
Inglourious Basterds ''Inglourious Basterds'' is a 2009 epic film, epic war film written and directed by Quentin Tarantino. It stars an ensemble cast including Brad Pitt, Christoph Waltz, Michael Fassbender, Eli Roth, Diane Kruger, Daniel Brühl, Til Schweiger ...
'' (2009), and '' Fury'' (2014) as well. He underwent training in a boot camp for more than a week, during the gap between the Indian and Georgia schedules. During the filming of the war sequences in Georgia, Varun Tej was provided with an original
Thompson submachine gun The Thompson submachine gun (also known as the "Tommy gun", "Chicago typewriter", or "trench broom") is a blowback-operated, selective-fire submachine gun, invented and developed by Brigadier General John T. Thompson, a United States Arm ...
, which was manufactured in 1939, and used during the actual war. Jaiswal played the role of Sitadevi, a princess whose character was modelled on Maharani
Gayatri Devi Gayatri Devi (born Princess Gayatri Devi of Cooch Behar; 23 May 1919 − 29 July 2009) was the third Maharani consort of Jaipur from 1940 to 1949 through her marriage to Maharaja Sawai Man Singh II. Following her husband's signature for the ...
of
Jaipur Jaipur (; , ) is the List of state and union territory capitals in India, capital and the List of cities and towns in Rajasthan, largest city of the north-western States and union territories of India, Indian state of Rajasthan. , the city had ...
. After auditioning for the role, Jaiswal watched Krish's ''Vedam'' and ''Krishnam Vande Jagadgurum'' to understand his work and was "really touched" by the former. Krish advised her not to watch any old Telugu films but try to analyse old English and Hindi films instead. Jaiswal opined that her character needed to focus "more on expressions than acting". She joined
kathak ''Kathak'' is one of the eight major forms of Classical Indian dance, Indian classical dance. Its origin is attributed to the traveling bards in ancient northern India known as ''Kathakar'' ("storyteller"), who communicated stories from the ...
classes after the film's shoot began, and no workshops were conducted for her.
Nikitin Dheer Nikitin Dheer is an Indian actor who primarily works in Hindi and Telugu films, and Hindi television. Dheer made his acting debut in 2008 with the film ''Jodhaa Akbar''. He is best known for portraying Astika in '' Naagarjuna – Ek Yoddha'' ...
was chosen to play
Colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...
Eeswar Prasad in the film, because Krish, who wanted an actor to match Varun Tej's persona, was impressed with his performance in '' Chennai Express'' (2013).
Srinivas Avasarala Srinivas Avasarala (born 19 March 1984) is an Indian actor, film director and screenwriter who works in Telugu cinema. He received two Nandi Awards and a SIIMA Award. Early life Srinivas Avasarala was born on 19 March 1984 in Kakinada, Andhra ...
was cast as Dasu, Haribabu's friend and another volunteer soldier from the British Indian Army, who quotes writer Sri Sri as his friend Srinivasa Rao. Avasarala was trained in the use of guns in Hyderabad and received training from an army officer along with Varun Tej on body language and other important aspects. Gollapudi Maruthi Rao and
Sowcar Janaki Sankaramanchi Janaki (born 12 December 1931), widely known as Sowcar Janaki, is an Indian actress known for her works in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada films. In a career spanning over seven decades, Janaki has appeared in nearly 390 fil ...
were cast as Haribabu's grandfather and Sitadevi's grandmother respectively. Filmmaker Singeetham Srinivasa Rao made a
cameo appearance A cameo appearance, also called a cameo role and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief guest appearance of a well-known person or character in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking on ...
as a pianist in Madras Cultural Club, where Haribabu works as a part-time employee. Krish described Rao's cameo as a "colourful" one and added that his look was inspired by that of
Colonel Sanders Harland David Sanders (September 9, 1890 December 16, 1980) was an American businessman and founder of fast food chicken restaurant chain KFC, Kentucky Fried Chicken (now known as KFC). He later acted as the company's brand ambassador and sym ...
, the founder of
Kentucky Fried Chicken KFC Corporation, doing business as KFC (an abbreviation of Kentucky Fried Chicken), is an American fast food restaurant chain specializing in fried chicken and chicken sandwiches. Headquartered in Louisville, Kentucky, it is the world's s ...
. 700 people were required to form an army and the film's unit selected nearly 100
non-resident Indians Overseas Indians (ISO: ), officially Non-Resident Indians (NRIs) and People of Indian Origin (PIOs) are people of Indian descent who reside or originate outside of India (Including those that were directly under the British Raj). According to t ...
apart from the local people. They were given formal training before they went on the film's sets.


Filming

Principal photography commenced on 27 February 2015 at Hyderabad. The second schedule commenced on 23 March at Tatipaka, a village near Razole in
East Godavari district East Godavari is a district in the Coastal Andhra region of Andhra Pradesh, India. Its district headquarters is at Rajamahendravaram. Geography This district is surrounded by: * North East: Alluri Sitharama Raju district * North West: Eluru ...
of
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 ...
. Apart from Draksharamam and Kapotavaram, the village portions were filmed in Peruru Agraharam,
Palakollu Palakollu is a city and the administrative headquarters of Palakollu Mandal in Narasapuram revenue division in West Godavari district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Palakollu is situated in Coastal Andhra region of the state. It occupie ...
as Krish wanted a primitive settlement with poor infrastructure and palaces, resembling one of the pre-independence era. The film's crew then put up flower and fruit markets, and purchased antiques from a
flea market A flea market (or swap meet) is a type of street market that provides space for vendors to sell previously owned (secondhand) goods. This type of market is often seasonal. However, in recent years there has been the development of 'formal' ...
. The local people extended their support to the film's crew in return for the laying down of proper roads. In other villages where there was better infrastructure, Suresh and his crew spoke to village heads and covered most of the roads with sand and mud. The houses were whitewashed for the film's shoot and were restored with their previous colours later. As all the houses in those villages were constructed using
reinforced concrete Reinforced concrete, also called ferroconcrete or ferro-concrete, is a composite material in which concrete's relatively low tensile strength and ductility are compensated for by the inclusion of reinforcement having higher tensile strength or ...
, a team of 70 members were summoned from Hyderabad to recreate the 1940s style. According to Suresh, the "nativity feel came alive" due to the presence of coconut trees. The steam engine and the interiors of the first-class compartments in the train Haribabu and Sitadevi travel in from Madras to Devarakonda were designed in Ramoji Film City, Hyderabad. Suresh's experience working as an art director on '' Venkatadri Express'' (2013) helped him. The construction of the palace where Sitadevi lives took four to five days to complete at a cost of 40
lakh A lakh (; abbreviated L; sometimes written lac) is a unit in the Indian numbering system equal to one hundred thousand (100,000; scientific notation: 105). In the Indian 2, 2, 3 convention of digit grouping, it is written as 1,00,000. F ...
. The war sequences were filmed in Georgia. The film's crew finalised 20 locations and the filming of the war sequences lasted for 35 days. With the assistance of the Government of Georgia, huge sets were erected, including a German military base camp fitted with
trench A trench is a type of digging, excavation or depression in the ground that is generally deeper than it is wide (as opposed to a swale (landform), swale or a bar ditch), and narrow compared with its length (as opposed to a simple hole or trapping ...
es and
bunker A bunker is a defensive military fortification designed to protect people and valued materials from falling bombs, artillery, or other attacks. Bunkers are almost always underground, in contrast to blockhouses which are mostly above ground. T ...
s. For the film's shoot, Krish hired a few
telegraph Telegraphy is the long-distance transmission of messages where the sender uses symbolic codes, known to the recipient, rather than a physical exchange of an object bearing the message. Thus flag semaphore is a method of telegraphy, whereas ...
machines,
typewriter A typewriter is a Machine, mechanical or electromechanical machine for typing characters. Typically, a typewriter has an array of Button (control), keys, and each one causes a different single character to be produced on paper by striking an i ...
s, and coffee cups and saucers manufactured during the timeline of the World War II. Some key action sequences were filmed in a few old, dilapidated buildings located near Georgia and Varun Tej performed his stunts without a body double. A few sequences were filmed at the Ananuri Bridge in
Tbilisi Tbilisi ( ; ka, თბილისი, ), in some languages still known by its pre-1936 name Tiflis ( ), ( ka, ტფილისი, tr ) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), largest city of Georgia ( ...
, Georgia. 700 guns, four tanks, and a machine gun used in the war were allotted from the Georgia Military Institute military school. The Georgian Armed Forces trained the film's unit to use these weapons properly. The rent for each tank was 5000 dollars per day, and another tank was designed by Suresh and his crew. Thousands of bullets were used every day and 15 people were employed to load the guns. On the last day of the filming of the climax episode, Varun Tej used more than 7000 bullets. For filming few bomb-blast sequences, the film's unit consulted several Hollywood technicians. Principal photography was wrapped up on 6 July, after a shoot of 55 working days.


Music

The official soundtrack of ''
Kanche ''Kanche'' () is a 2015 Indian Telugu language, Telugu-language Romance film, romantic war film written and directed by Krish (director), Krish. It stars Varun Tej, Pragya Jaiswal, and Nikitin Dheer. Produced by First Frame Entertainment, ''Ka ...
'' composed by Chirantan Bhatt consists of six songs, including instrumental theme music. The lyrics for the remaining five songs were penned by
Sirivennela Sitaramasastri Sirivennela Seetharama Sastry (born Chembolu Seetharama Sastry; 20 May 1955 – 30 November 2021) was an Indian poet and lyricist known for his works in Telugu cinema and Telugu theatre. He acquired the stage name Sirivennela after writing the ...
. ''Kanche'' marked Bhatt's debut in South Indian cinema. The soundtrack, marketed by
Aditya Music Aditya Music India Private Limited is an Indian music record label company, which owns the label Aditya Music. It produces music for the Telugu cinema industry and is headquartered at Hyderabad, Telangana. Overview The company was founded b ...
, was released on eve of Gandhi Jayanthi (1 October 2015) at a promotional event on the same day at Hyderabad.


Release

''Kanche'' was initially scheduled for a worldwide release on 2 October 2015. The film's release was postponed to 6 November to avoid clashing with the releases of '' Puli'' and '' Singh Is Bliing''. Due to a delay in
post-production Post-production, also known simply as post, is part of the process of filmmaking, video production, audio production, and photography. Post-production includes all stages of production occurring after principal photography or recording indivi ...
activities, '' Akhil: The Power of Jua'', which was initially scheduled for a worldwide release on 22 October, was postponed and ''Kanche'' was confirmed for release on 22 October during the Vijayadasami festival season. ''Kanche'' was released at 400 screens across
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 at 150 screens in rest of India. Though 80 screens were booked initially in the overseas market for the film's release, the screen count was later increased to 150, of which 130 screens were in the United States.


Reception


Critical reception

''Kanche'' received positive reviews from the critics. Sangeetha Devi Dundoo of ''The Hindu'' remarked that ''Kanche'' is a film that does not stand out "merely by being different, but also because it’s earnest", and added that Krish "Step across the fence to a new world of storytelling". Praising Krish's choice of genre, Suresh Kavirayani of the ''
Deccan Chronicle ''Deccan Chronicle'' is an English-language daily newspaper based in Hyderabad, India. Founded in 1938, it was initially launched as a Weekly newspaper, weekly and later converted into a daily. The newspaper's name reflects its origins in the ...
'' gave the film 3.5 stars out of 5, stating, "If you are looking for a change from the regular action-masala-song-dance-drama kind of films, you should watch ''Kanche''". Kavirayani added: "The war scenes look authentic. Credit to cinematographer Gnana Sekar V.S for capturing the war scenes. ''Kanche'' is no less than any Hollywood film as far as the war scenes are concerned". Rajeswari Kalyanam of ''
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'' also gave the film 3.5 stars out of 5 and stated: "With ''Kanche'', Jagarlamudi Krish has once again proven his ability to choose an offbeat theme, weave an engrossing tale and give it a technically brilliant cinematic rendition". Pranita Jonnalagedda of ''The Times of India'' gave ''Kanche'' 3 stars out of 5 and stated: "''Kanche'' is a daring attempt for mainstream elugu cinema While there's an interesting story which is told really well, you will be left with the lingering feeling that it could have been a lot better".
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too gave ''Kanche'' 3 stars out of 5 and called it a film that is " itable only for discerning audiences" and praised the storyline, performances, production design, and dialogues. Behindwoods gave the film 3 stars out of 5 as well and called it a "commendable attempt" and added:
You don’t get to see too many Indian films being made on war, especially South Indian industry hasn’t made many. (sic) Even the ones that have been made have not made a huge impact, especially with it comes to battle scenes. But that is where ''Kanche'' scores big time. The war sequence looks authoritative and intriguing. It travels throughout and the intensity has been maintained right through".


Box office

''Kanche'' grossed approximately 5.5 crore and collected a distributor share of 3.85 crore globally, thereby performing better than ''Raju Gari Gadhi'' and ''Columbus''. According to trade analyst Taran Adarsh, ''Kanche'' earned US$53,057 from its paid previews; it amassed US$46,751 on its first day and US$92,998 on its second day, taking its two-day United States box office total to US$192,806 (1.25 crore). The first weekend global box office gross and distributor share figures stood at approximately 13 crore and 7 crore respectively. In its first weekend at the United States box office, ''Kanche'' collected US$380,361 (2.47 crore). It earned US$6,826 (4.43 lakh) from two screens in Canada and MYR15,921 (2.43 lakh) from 2 screens at the Malaysian box office in its opening weekend, thereby managing to recover 100% of the overseas distributors' investments. In ten days, ''Kanche'' collected US$489,701 (3.21 crore) at the United States box office, US$9,261 (6.07 lakh) at the Canada box office, and MYR19,316 (2.95 lakh) at the Malaysian box office respectively, taking its ten-day overseas box office total to US$503,461 (3.3 crore). ''Kanche'' earned US$522,325 (3.47 crore) in 17 days at the United States box office. After losing many screens due to new releases in the United States, ''Kanche'' 31-day total stood at US$527,724 (3.5 crore). In its lifetime run, ''Kanche'' grossed 20 crore globally, with a distributor share of 14 crore, and was declared a commercial success and also the 14th highest grossing Telugu film of the year.


Accolades

''Kanche'' earned the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Telugu at the 63rd National Film Awards ceremony. Kanche earned the state Nandi Award for Best film on National Integration, and was screened at the 2016 edition of All Lights India International Film Festival in the "Indywood Panorama" section.


Notes


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External links

* * {{Good article 2010s Telugu-language films 2015 films Alternate Nazi Germany films Best Telugu Feature Film National Film Award winners Films about Nazi Germany Films about social issues in India Films about the caste system in India Films directed by Krish Jagarlamudi Films set in 1936 Films set in 1944 Films set in Germany Films set in Italy Films set in the 1930s Films set in the 1940s Films shot in Georgia (country) Films shot in Tbilisi Indian films based on actual events Indian nonlinear narrative films Indian action war films War films based on actual events War romance films Indian World War II films