Vikramarkudu

''Vikramarkudu'' is a 2006 Indian Telugu-language action drama film co-written and directed by S. S. Rajamouli, based on a story by V. Vijayendra Prasad. Produced by M. L. Kumar Chowdary, the film stars Ravi Teja and Anushka. The music was composed by M. M. Keeravani, with cinematography by Sarvesh Murari. The plot follows a thief who encounters a young girl claiming to be his daughter, leading him to uncover his connection to her real father, a look-alike with a turbulent past.

''Vikramarkudu'' was released on 23 June 2006 with 180 prints globally. Made on a budget of ₹11 crore, ''Vikramarkudu'' was a commercial blockbuster earning a distributor share of 18.9 crore. The film was screened at the International Film Festival of India in the mainstream section.

The film was remade in several languages, including Bangladeshi Bengali as '' Ulta Palta 69'' (2007), Kannada as '' Veera Madakari'' (2009), Tamil as '' Siruthai'' (2011), Hindi as '' Rowdy Rathore'' (2012), Indian Bengali as '' Bikram Singha'' (2012), and once again in Bangladeshi Bengali as ''Action Jasmine'' (2015), featuring a female lead.

Plot

Atthili Satthi Babu indulges in thievery with his uncle Duvva Abbulu in Hyderabad; he chances upon Neeraja Goswami, a resident of Devgarh, Madhya Pradesh in a wedding she has come to attend. He flirts with Neeraja, he pinched her waist to which she moans but pretended as if she doesn't like it. Satthi Babu admits his profession and promises to abandon robbing for good but resolves to exploit one last person to amass a massive amount of money. In the railway station, Satthi Babu and Abbulu deceive a woman, who entrusts them with a trunk they flee with. Mahanti, a police official, inspects the trunk and in it, he discovers Neha, a young girl, who presumes Satthi Babu to be her father; as Mahanti uncovers a portrait of Neha with Satthi Babu, he believes her and compels Satthi Babu to look after the child and tells him that he would keep monitoring them. As Satthi Babu unsuccessfully attempts to get rid of her, he perpetually resists Neeraja from stumbling upon the child.

Eventually, Satthi Babu empathises with Neha and begins to care for her; Neeraja and her parents overhear Neha addressing Satthi Babu as her father. Assuming that Satthi Babu has been deceiving her despite being the father of a daughter, Neeraja ends their relationship and departs. Later, goons attack Satthi Babu and Neha, misinterpreting the former to be Vikram Singh Rathore IPS, Neha's father and Satthi Babu's doppelgänger. Mahanti, Sub-inspector Razia (the woman who was carrying the trunk) and a few other police officials come to their rescue but they are overpowered. Subsequently, Vikram arrives to protect his daughter and Satthi Babu and kills all the goons but is severely wounded. In the hospital, Mahanti narrates Vikram's past to Satthi Babu and Abbulu.

In a flashback, Vikram receives his posting in Devgarh and relocates with Neha, his motherless daughter; he is introduced to his colleagues Mahanti and Razia. The inhabitants of Devgarh are tormented in the cruel reign of MLA Bavuji, a psychopath who carries out corruption, money laundering and several other illegal activities. His son Munna abducts Mahanti's wife and keeps molesting her. When Vikram discovers this, he rushes to rescue her and apprehends Munna, ignorant of Bavuji's influence. However, Bavuji is assisted by Home Minister. The DGP, succumbing to the Home Minister's pressure, warns Vikram of consequences, berating his fearlessness but he comes up with an intelligent answer and refuses to back off. Munna is proclaimed mentally unstable and acquitted of all the charges. A party is organised to celebrate his release and Vikram and his team are deputed to secure Munna during the party. Under the pretext of a game, Munna humiliates a police officer and forces him to disrobe himself but Rathore prompts him to slip due to bullets and hang to a belt, killing him. On Holi, Titla, Bavuji's brother, stabs Vikram under the guise of an idol and shoots him as he tries to protect a trapped kid. He is presumed to be dead but survives and sustains an injury in the brain. The villagers conceal his survival and he is moved to Hyderabad for treatment. To keep Neha in the dark about her father's condition, the police officials direct her to Satthi Babu upon discovering that he is Vikram's doppelgänger.

Presently, the doctors declare Vikram dead and everyone chooses to keep it hidden from Neha, who still believes Satthi Babu to be her father. To avenge Vikram's death, Satthi Babu returns to Devgarh, poses as Vikram and targets Bavuji. Abbulu and others reveal the truth to Neeraja, who apologises to Satthi Babu & reconciles with him and agrees to take care of Neha alongside him. Satthi Babu sets fire to Bavuji's wine factory and directs the villagers to rob his food storage. He defeats Bavuji's men and has him beaten up. Titla kidnaps Neha and Neeraja but Satthi Babu fights him and hangs him to death. Having settled scores, Satthi Babu leaves for a new life with Neeraja, Neha and Abbulu.

Cast

Production

The shooting was disrupted by quarry workers who started pelting the film's unit with stones, damaging most of the equipment and injuring some of the film crew, including the director Rajamouli. The quarry workers were asked, by the quarry manager, to stop their work and leave the area, for the shooting of particular scenes. What started as a small miff between the manager and the workers escalated with the workers showering stones, even as the film crew was leaving the quarry in their vehicles. The injured crew members were admitted to Apollo hospital. Director Rajamouli suffered a hairline fracture to his hand. A formal complaint was lodged against the quarry workers and its owner. Rama Rajmouli used vibrant colors for thief character of Teja while sober colors was used for his cop character.

Music

The audio of ''Vikramarkudu'' was launched at a function arranged in a set erected near Hitec city on the night of 31 May. K Raghavendra Rao launched the audio and gave the first unit to Y. V. S. Chowdary. Ramesh Prasad, B. Gopal and Gunnam Gangaraju were also invited as guests. The unit members who were present include M. L. Kumar Chowdary, Ravi Teja, Rajamouli, Anushka, Keeravani, Vijayendra Prasad, Brahmanandam, Rajiv Kanakala, Ajay, Rama Rajamouli, Ravindra, Sarvesh Murari, Ram Lakshman, M. Ratnam, Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao and Suresh Bujji. Suma anchored the event and Aditya Music bought audio rights.

The soundtrack received a very good response from the public as well as critics. The song "College Papala" (well known as Chinta Ta Chita Chita) was reused in all of the remakes except for ''Action Jasmine'' (2015).

Reception

Box office

The film was commercially successful and was one of the highest grossers of Telugu cinema in 2006. and a theatrical run of 100 days in 54 centres. ''Vikramarkudu'' earned a distributor share of 18.9 crore (US$4.17 million) and worldwide gross collections of over 25 crore (US$5.5 million).

Critical response

It received positive reviews from critics. ''Idlebrain.com'' wrote, "On a whole, ''Vikramarkudu'' is another prospective blockbuster from the stable of Rajamouli". ''Totaltollywood'' wrote, "First half of the film goes in full entertainment mode. Second half gets into action part but the entertainment values are maintained at the same level.". ''Sify'' noted, "On the whole, ''Vikramarkudu'' is a masala entertainer and is OK timepass fare.". ''Nowrunning'' wrote, "Watching ''Vikramarkudu'' is like eating a plate of Mirchi Bhajji from the roadside pushcart.". ''Fullhyd'' noted, "''Vikramarkudu'' is like one of those dishes that smell great during cooking, but just don’t taste the same way in the end. The film assiduously builds its story to a crest with your adrenaline pumping on all cylinders, but doesn’t quite know how to handle it thereon.". ''Cinegoer'' said, "One thing is that ''Vikramarkudu'' never bores you. It will keep you glued to the screen, because so many things happen all the time and the narrative moves quickly.".

Other versions

It was remade twice in Bangladeshi Bengali as '' Ulta Palta 69'' and ''Action Jasmine'', in Kannada as '' Ee Shathamaanada Veera Madakari'', in Tamil as '' Siruthai'', in Hindi as '' Rowdy Rathore'', and in Indian Bengali as '' Bikram Singha: The Lion Is Back''.

Sequel

In September 2021, V. Vijayendra Prasad began writing the film's sequel, and Sampath Nandi entered into talks for directing it.

References

External links

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{{S. S. Rajamouli

2006 films
2000s Telugu-language films
Films scored by M. M. Keeravani
Fictional portrayals of the Andhra Pradesh Police
Indian action films
Films about lookalikes
2000s masala films
Indian political action films
Indian neo-noir films
Indian police films
Indian gangster films
Indian crime action films
Films shot in Hyderabad, India
Films about criminals
2000s police procedural films
Films about organised crime in India
Telugu films remade in other languages
Films directed by S. S. Rajamouli
2006 action films
2000s police films
Films about theft
Films set in Hyderabad, India
Films set in Madhya Pradesh
Films about corruption in India

2006 controversies
2006 disasters in India
Occupational safety and health