''Saakini Daakini'' 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

action comedy film The action comedy is a film genre that applies to action films where humor plays a much more central role. While early films feature stuntwork and humor, academic Cynthia King wrote that the genre only came into its own as a mainstay of the Americ ...

directed by

Sudheer Varma Sudheer Varma is an Indian film director and writer who predominantly works in Telugu cinema. He made his directorial debut with the film '' Swamy Ra Ra'' (2013). He later directed films such as '' Dohchay'' (2015), ''Keshava'' (2017), and ' ...

and produced by

Suresh Productions Suresh Productions (also known as Suresh Movies, Vijaya Suresh Combines) is an Cinema of India, Indian film production company, production and Film distributor, distribution company known for its works in Telugu cinema. It is established in 19 ...

, Guru Films, and

Kross Pictures Kross Pictures, Inc. is a South Korean multinational film and television production company with offices in Seoul, Los Angeles, and Mumbai. The company was co-founded and is currently run by Hyunwoo Thomas Kim. Key business areas of Kross Pict ...

. An official remake of the 2017 South Korean film ''

Midnight Runners ''Midnight Runners'' () is a 2017 South Korean action comedy film directed by Jason Kim and produced by Kim Jae-joong under Movie Rock. The film stars Park Seo-joon and Kang Ha-neul in the lead roles. ''Midnight Runners'' was released on 9 Au ...

'', it stars

Regina Cassandra Regina Cassandra (born 13 December 1990) is an Indian actress who primarily works in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi films. Cassandra is a recipient of several accolades including a SIIMA Award and a CineMAA Award, along with a Filmfare OTT Award n ...

and

Nivetha Thomas Nivetha Thomas (born 2 November 1994) is an Indian actress who appears in Telugu, Malayalam and Tamil language films. She made her film debut as a child artist in the 2008 Malayalam film ''Veruthe Oru Bharya''. Nivetha is an recipient of a Ke ...

. The film has music composed by

Mikey McCleary Michael McCleary is a New Zealand songwriter, composer, performer, producer and director based in Mumbai, India since 2007. He has worked on a large number of advertisements such as for brands such as Levi's, Coca-Cola, Vodafone and films such ...

. Principal photography took place from March 2021 to August 2021, entirely 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 ...

. ''Saakini Daakini'' was released theatrically on 16 September 2022.

Plot

Shalini and Damini, two police trainees for

Sub-Inspector Sub-inspector (SI), or sub-inspector of police or police sub-inspector (PSI), is a rank used extensively in South Asia: in the police forces of Bangladesh, Pakistan, India, and Sri Lanka, which are primarily based on the British model. It was form ...

posts after passing Telangana State Level Public Recruitment Board from differing backgrounds, become fierce rivals after their induction into the academy and their placement in the same room. Their conflict eventually escalates into a full-blown brawl that nearly leads to their suspension. However, after Shalini helps an injured Damini during a forest run challenge when no one else does, their conduct is commended and they become best friends. One day, they witness a kidnapping of a girl on their way back from the club at midnight. The local police station's missing persons department, however, is busy with the kidnapping of a son of a

businessman A businessperson, also referred to as a businessman or businesswoman, is an individual who has founded, owns, or holds shares in (including as an angel investor) a private-sector company. A businessperson undertakes activities (commercial ...

at the time and is unable to investigate the case. Knowing that they are in the critical hours after a kidnapping, they embark on their amateur investigation. When Shalini and Damini catch up with the kidnappers, it appears that the gang is running an unfertilized egg harvesting ring and there are many more girls locked up at their hideout. Shalini and Damini tries to save them but are instead beaten and locked up. After escaping their captors, they return the next day to an empty hideout and a cold trail. As they are not acting police officers, their professor tells them not to pursue the case any further. Unable to wait for the bureaucracy to resolve the case, they once again embark on their own investigation. They undergo heavy physical training and manage to track the kidnappers down, with the help of CCTV footage, to a fertility clinic. Armored up with weapons, the duo venture in to liberate the girls by themselves, this time much more prepared. They successfully take down all the kidnappers and their boss and save all girls. However, due to some among the disciplinary committee believing that they had done the right thing morally, they are instead held back a year in their studies and start training from beginning.

Cast

Production

In January 2020, producer Suresh Babu acquired the remake rights of the South Korean film ''

'' in a collaboration with the

Seoul Seoul, officially Seoul Special Metropolitan City, is the capital city, capital and largest city of South Korea. The broader Seoul Metropolitan Area, encompassing Seoul, Gyeonggi Province and Incheon, emerged as the world's List of cities b ...

-based

. Director

was signed to helm the remake in the same month. Actress

and

were signed to play lead roles in August 2020. The film has music composed by

. The film commenced its principal photography in March 2021 but was halted due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. Final schedule resumed in July that year with shoot wrapping up in August 2021. The film's title was confirmed as ''Saakini Daakini'' in November 2021. The film is Varma's first remake as a director. While the original film featured two male protagonists, Varma swapped their genders to females and tweak the script accordingly. The film was shot entirely in

Release

Theatrical

''Saakini Daakini'' was released theatrically on 16 September 2022.

Home media

Earlier in December 2021, the makers contemplated a

direct-to-streaming Direct-to-video or straight-to-video refers to the release of a film, television series, short or special to the public immediately on home video formats rather than an initial theatrical release or television premiere. This distribution strateg ...

release on

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

due to the pandemic. The movie was made available to stream on Netflix from September 30, 2022, in Telugu, Tamil and Malayalam.

Reception

Balakrishna Ganeshan 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 2.5 out of 5 stars and wrote, "It feels like there is no progress in the story and that the plot is moving in the same circle. The comedy in scenes involving Prithviraj and others in the first half, which keeps the film light-hearted, completely misses its mark in the second half". ''

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 2.5 out of 5 stars, stating, "Despite its entertaining first half, the film ends up over ambitious in the second half crumbling under its own weight. But this show of girl power by Regina and Nivetha is a welcome change". ''

Sakshi Post Sakshi () is an Indian Telugu-language media group. The group owns the daily newspaper '' Sakshi'', 24-hour news channel Sakshi TV, and associated digital ventures. Its first asset, ''Sakshi'' newspaper, was launched on 23 March 2008 by Jagati P ...

'' rated the film 2 out of 5 stars and commented, "Watch ''Saakini Daakini'' at your own risk. If you love Korean movies, check out the original version instead!". Sangeetha Devi Dundoo of ''

The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It was founded as a weekly publication in 1878 by the Triplicane Six, becoming a daily in 1889. It is one of the India ...

'' stated, "Nivetha Thomas and Regina Cassandra make this action entertainer about two girls who punch above their weight, a fun watch."

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 12874984 2022 films Suresh Productions films Films shot in Hyderabad, India Indian remakes of South Korean films 2022 action comedy films Indian action comedy films Films set in universities and colleges Films about kidnapping in India Police detective films Indian buddy comedy films Films set in police academies Girls with guns films 2020s female buddy films Films directed by Sudheer Varma Films scored by Mikey McCleary 2020s buddy comedy films Indian female buddy films Indian action thriller films 2020s buddy cop films Fictional portrayals of the Telangana Police Films set in Hyderabad, India Indian crime comedy films Indian mystery comedy-drama films Indian films about revenge Indian detective films 2020s police comedy films Indian comedy thriller films Buddy action films Indian action adventure films 2020s police procedural films