''Shirdi Sai'' is a 2012 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

biographical film A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of an actual person or group of people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from Docudrama, docudrama films ...

, produced by A.Mahesh Reddy on AMR Sai Krupa Entertainments banner, directed by K. Raghavendra Rao. Starring

Nagarjuna Nāgārjuna (Sanskrit: नागार्जुन, ''Nāgārjuna''; ) was an Indian monk and Mahayana, Mahāyāna Buddhist Philosophy, philosopher of the Madhyamaka (Centrism, Middle Way) school. He is widely considered one of the most importa ...

as the 19th-20th century spiritual guru

Sai Baba of Shirdi Sai Baba of Shirdi (), also known as Shirdi Sai Baba, was an Indian spiritual master considered to be a Hindu saints, saint, and revered by both Hindu and Muslim devotees during and after his lifetime. According to accounts from his life, Sai ...

who lived in western India, it is the cinematic depiction of some of his landmark life episodes, his teachings and his way of life. Music was composed by M. M. Keeravani. ''Shirdi Sai'' was released worldwide on 6 September 2012, and has received mixed to positive reviews while Nagarjuna received critical acclaim for his performance in the title role with most reviewers hailing this as one of his career best performances.

Plot

Shirdi Sai appears in Shirdi at an early age and disappears. He goes to the Himalayas and returns to Shirdi after a gap of 9 years. He chooses a dilapidated mosque as his abode. Amazed by his presence and miracles, the local people start calling him Sai Baba. He kept helping people around and spreading communal harmony by saying that there is only one God. Certain local people are suspicious of Sai Baba after they learn about his greatness over a period of time. The rest of the story is all about what Sai Baba did to make Shirdi the only pilgrimage for people of all religions and entering Samadhi.

Cast

as Lord

Shirdi Sai Baba Sai Baba of Shirdi (), also known as Shirdi Sai Baba, was an Indian spiritual master considered to be a saint, and revered by both Hindu and Muslim devotees during and after his lifetime. According to accounts from his life, Sai Baba preached ...

* Srikanth as Dasaganu *

Srihari Srihari (15 August 1964 – 9 October 2013) was an Indian actor who was active mainly in Telugu cinema. He appeared in some Tamil, Kannada and Hindi films as well. He won seven Nandi Awards and one Filmfare Award. Early life Srihari was born ...

as Colonel Wales * Sai Kumar as Nanavali *

Sayaji Shinde Sayaji Shinde (Marathi pronunciation: əjaːd͡ʒiː ʃin̪d̪eː born 13 January 1959) is an Indian actor who has acted in Marathi, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, English, Gujarati, Hindi, and Bhojpuri films. Sayaji started his act ...

as Bhatia *

Sarath Babu Sathyam Babu Dixithulu (31 July 1951 – 22 May 2023), known by his stage name Sarath Babu, was an Indian actor who worked predominantly in Tamil and Telugu cinema. He appeared in more than 300 films, including in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, and ...

as Mahalsapati *

Dharmavarapu Subramanyam Dharmavarapu Subrahmanyam (20 September 1954 – 7 December 2013) was an Indian actor, comedian and film director who worked in Telugu cinema. He was established as one of the highly paid and top most leading comedians in Telugu film industry. ...

as Nayak nimal Seller*

Tanikella Bharani Tanikella Bharani (born 14 July 1954) is an Indian actor, screenwriter, poet and playwright who works predominantly in Telugu cinema. He has worked as an actor in more than 750 films, including few in Tamil, Kannada and Hindi; while he was al ...

as Bhooti *

Bramhanandam Kanneganti Brahmanandam (born 1 February 1956) is an Indian actor and comedian known for his work in Telugu cinema. Recognised as one of India's finest and highest-paid comic actors, he holds the Guinness World Records, Guinness World Record f ...

as Sandeham *

Ali Ali ibn Abi Talib (; ) was the fourth Rashidun caliph who ruled from until his assassination in 661, as well as the first Shia Imam. He was the cousin and son-in-law of the Islamic prophet Muhammad. Born to Abu Talib ibn Abd al-Muttalib an ...

as Appoo * Ananth as Dappoo * Sai Kiran as Lord Vishnu, Rama & Krishna * Koushik Babu as Tatya *

Sameer Hasan Vinnakota Sameer (also known as Sameer Hasan) is an Indian actor who predominantly appears in Telugu films and television. Personal life He is married to Aparna. Sameer and Aparna won the finals of ''Moguds Pellams'', a TV program conducted by ...

as Lord Shiva * Deeshetulu as Venkhusa *

Ashok Kumar Ashok Kumar (born Kumudlal Ganguly; 13 October 1911 – 10 December 2001), was an Indian actor who attained iconic status in Indian cinema. He is regarded as one of the greatest actors of Indian cinema. He is considered to be the first Super-st ...

* Jenny *

Kamalinee Mukherjee Kamalinee Mukherjee is an Indian actress. She has predominantly appeared in Telugu films as well as a few Malayalam and Tamil films. After graduating with a degree in English literature, she completed a workshop on theatre in Mumbai. She made he ...

as Radhakrishna Mai *

Vinaya Prasad Vinaya Prakash ( Bhat), (22 November 1967) also credited as Vinaya Prasad, is an Indian actress known for her work in Kannada, Malayalam and Telugu films, as well as television serials. Career Vinaya Prasad hails from Udupi district of Karna ...

as Baajiya Bai *

Rohini Hattangadi Rohini Hattangadi (''née'' Oak; born 11 April 1951) is an Indian actress, known for her work in Marathi, Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, and Gujarati films, and Marathi soap operas and theatre. She has won two Filmfare Awards, one ...

as Ganga Bai * Rujuta Deshmukh as Lakshmi Bai *

Jhansi Jhansi ( ) is a historic city in the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. (Toshan) Balwant Nagar was the old name of Jhansi. It lies in the region of Bundelkhand, on the banks of the Pahuj River, in the extreme ...

* Dipali Dodke as Radha Bai * Jyothi Reddy as Goddess Lakshmi * Karuna Bhooshan as Goddess Parvathi * Pramodini as Goddess Saraswathi * Nagesh Bhosale as Chand Patil * Devendra Dodke as Shyaama *

Gundu Sudarshan Gundu Sudarshan (born Surampudi Sudarshan Rao) is an Indian comedian and actor who works in Telugu films. He acted in more than 350 films. He also has stage experience from the age of 10. He entered the film industry with '' Mister Pellam'' in ...

* Dinakar Gavande * Ravi Bhath * Aditya * Pardha Saradhi * Master Athulith as Young Tatya * Master Vijay as Young Saibaba

Soundtrack

The music was composed by M. M. Keeravani. Music released on Vel Records Music Company.

Reception

The film received mixed to positive reviews with most reviewers hailing

's performance as one of his best and major plus point of this film. He received wide critical acclaim for his work in this film. Popular Telugu movie reviewing website ''idle brain'' gave a positive review stating "Nagarjuna epitomized Shirdi Sai Baba with his perfect portrayal of the sadguru. His pure eyes, calmness in the face and authentic body language makes us all fall in love with his character. Nagarjuna is extraordinary in climax episode with a white beard. Nagarjuna will get awards for his exceptional work. Since it’s a bio-pic, Shirdi Sai should not be viewed like a commercial film. Everyone of us has the curiosity to know more about Sai Baba. We might have read some books. But none of these readings give us a complete picture on life and times of Sai Baba. The film Sai Baba attempts to tell the world about the making of an enlightened man called Sai Baba who is revered as a God today. You may watch Shirdi Sai with an academic interest.". Rediff.com gave a positive review and rated 3 on a scale of 5, stating "Nagarjuna steals the show as Shirdi Sai. He exudes serenity and tranquillity necessary for portraying such a role. The calmness in his face and body language and the compassion in his eyes are remarkable. Shirdi Sai is yet another feather in Nagarjuna's cap after Annamayya and Sriramadasu. The film has a shot of the sanctum at Shirdi as a bonus for followers of the sage!" ''123telugu.com'' quoted "Nagarjuna deserves a hearty applause for having the courage to take up this role and he has managed to pull it off with conviction.This film will appeal immensely to Sai Baba devotees and it will be a good watch for casual movie lovers. Watch the film without any expectations and immerse yourself in Sai Baba’s spirituality. ''The Hindu'' gave a positive review stating, " Nagarjuna leads from the front, putting up a performance marked with maturity and restraint. In the last one hour of the film, you tend to forget you are watching an actor rooted in mainstream cinema. Bent with age and bereft of his usual mannerisms, the actor comes up with a commendable performance. The supporting cast that includes Srikanth, Sarath Babu, Rohini Hattangady, Shayaji Shinde, Saikumar and others come up with credible performances. Is Shirdi Sai worth your time and money? It surely is for Saibaba devotees or if you want to watch Nagarjuna revel in his role of Saibaba." NDTV quoted that "Far different from regular cinema with clichéd performance, run-of-the-mill storyline, director K Raghavendra Rao's Shirdi Sai takes you on a spiritual journey of self-actualization, purity and sanctity
The Box Office Collection Was Above 30 Crores Which is a good record for deviotional flicks.
'Times of India'' also gave a good rating stating that "A film like Shirdi Sai calls for strong conviction and Nagarjuna's move to take up this film is commendable. Entertainment oneindia praised the individual performances and technical aspects of the film.

Accolades

Others

*VCD & DVD on Volga Videos,

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 ...

References

External links

* {{K. Raghavendra Rao 2012 films 2010s Telugu-language films Indian biographical films Films directed by K. Raghavendra Rao Films scored by M. M. Keeravani Sai Baba of Shirdi Indian historical films 2010s biographical films 2010s historical films