Waltair Veerayya
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''Waltair Veerayya'' is a 2023 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 thriller film The action film is a film genre that predominantly features chase sequences, fights, shootouts, explosions, and stunt work. The specifics of what constitutes an action film has been in scholarly debate since the 1980s. While some scholars such as D ...
directed by
Bobby Kolli Kolli Santosh Ravindra is an Indian film director and screenwriter, who primarily works in Telugu cinema. He won the Best Debut Director Award, for ''Power'' (2014), at the Santosham Film Awards. Early life and career Kolli Santosh Ravindra wa ...
and produced by
Mythri Movie Makers Mythri Movie Makers is an Indian film production and distribution company established by Naveen Yerneni, Yalamanchili Ravi Shankar, and Mohan Cherukuri (CVM) in 2015. The production company mainly produces and distributes in Telugu films. Not ...
. The film stars
Chiranjeevi Konidela Chiranjeevi (born Konidela Sivasankara Varaprasad; 22 August 1955) is an Indian actor, philanthropist and former politician known for his work in Telugu cinema. Known as the "Mega Star", he is widely regarded as one of the most succe ...
as the
title character The title character in a narrative work is one who is named or referred to in the title of the work. In a performed work such as a play or film, the performer who plays the title character is said to have the title role of the piëce. The title o ...
alongside
Ravi Teja Bhupatiraju Ravi Shankar Raju (born 26 January 1968), known professionally as Ravi Teja, is an Indian actor and film producer known for his work in Telugu cinema. Recognised for his roles in action comedy films, he is popularly referred to as ...
,
Shruti Haasan Shruti Haasan (born 28 January 1986) is an Indian actress and singer who predominantly works in Telugu, Tamil and Hindi films. One of the highest paid actresses in South Indian cinema, Haasan is the recipient of various accolades, including t ...
, Catherine Tresa,
Prakash Raj Prakash Raj (born Prakash Rai; 26 March 1965) is an Indian actor, film director, producer, television presenter, and politician. Known for his works in Telugu language, Telugu, Tamil language, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, English language, Engl ...
,
Bobby Simha Jayasimha (born 6 November 1983), better known as Bobby Simha, is an Indian actor who predominantly appears in Tamil cinema, Tamil and Telugu cinema, Telugu films. After making brief appearances in the films ''Kadhalil Sodhappuvadhu Yeppadi'' an ...
,
Rajendra Prasad Rajendra Prasad (3 December 1884 – 28 February 1963) was an Indian politician, lawyer, journalist and scholar who served as the first president of India from 1950 to 1962. He joined the Indian National Congress during the Indian independen ...
, and
Vennela Kishore Bokkala Kishore Kumar (born 19 September 1980), known professionally as Vennela Kishore, is an Indian actor and director who works in Telugu cinema. Known for his comedic roles, he earned the moniker "Vennela" after his first feature film ''Ven ...
. The film was announced in August 2021.
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 in December 2021 with filming taking place 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 ...
,
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 ...
and
Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
. The
soundtrack A soundtrack is a recorded audio signal accompanying and synchronised to the images of a book, drama, motion picture, radio program, television show, television program, or video game; colloquially, a commercially released soundtrack album of m ...
was composed by
Devi Sri Prasad Gandham Sriprasad (2 August 1979), known as Devi Sri Prasad or more commonly by his initials DSP, is an Indian music composer, singer, and lyricist primarily known for his work in Telugu cinema, along with Tamil cinema. He has received numerous ...
with cinematography by Arthur A. Wilson and editing by Niranjan Devaramane. The film was Teja's first in over 20 years to feature him in a supporting role, the last being '' Budget Padmanabham'' (2001). ''Waltair Veerayya'' was released on 13 January 2023, coinciding with
Sankranti Sankranti () refers to the transmigration of the sun from one zodiac to another in Indian astronomy. In ''Saurmana'' ''varsha'' (Hindu Solar year), there are twelve Sankrantis corresponding with twelve months of a year. The Sankrantis can be broa ...
weekend, and received mixed reviews from critics. The film became commercially successful at the box office, thus becoming the third highest-grossing Telugu film of 2023.


Plot


Background and Family Rift

Four years before the main action, two brothers in Visakhapatnam—young Veerayya and Vikram Sagar—grow close until an accidental fall, caused by Veerayya’s vertigo, severs their bond. As adults, Veerayya runs an ice factory and traffics contraband under the alias “Kaala,” while Vikram rises to ACP, marries Dr. Nithya, and fathers a daughter, Vaishnavi. Drug lord Michael Caesar secretly uses Veerayya’s ice business to smuggle cocaine; when tainted ice kills 25 schoolchildren, Michael frames Veerayya and escapes to Malaysia. Vikram stages a police “encounter” to lure Michael back, but Michael’s men fatally stab Vikram—and his name is dishonorably besmirched posthumously. Nithya and Vaishnavi grieve, blaming Veerayya for both tragedies.


Debt, Dilemma and the Malaysia Mission

Now infamous and in debt from legal fees, Veerayya is approached by suspended CI Seethapathi. Seethapathi offers to clear Veerayya’s debts if he captures Solomon Caesar—a violent drug baron who has escaped RAW custody—in Malaysia and returns him to India. Veerayya accepts and, accompanied by his friends and Seethapathi’s brother‑in‑law, checks into Solomon’s Kuala Lumpur hotel to hatch an abduction plan.


Encounters, Deception and Solomon’s End

While scouting Solomon’s hotel, Veerayya inadvertently meets Nithya and Vaishnavi on holiday, alarming Nithya into pulling her daughter away. A rogue tailing attempt by Seethapathi’s relative ends in his capture by Solomon’s men; Veerayya rescues him and tricks Solomon into believing he’s a drug buyer. At Solomon’s private party, RAW agents led by Athidhi attempt a raid, but Veerayya—unaware they are government operatives—foils them and earns Solomon’s gratitude. Promised safe return to India, Veerayya then springs his plan: Solomon, upon discovering the ruse, tortures Athidhi on video while Michael watches. Veerayya publicly kills Solomon at a crowded fair by the Batu Caves, forcing Michael to witness the act.


Homecoming, Justice and Final Vengeance

Back in India, Veerayya engineers a feud between Michael and partner Velappan Karuppan, crippling their operations and compelling Michael’s cooperation. Overcoming his vertigo with Athidhi’s help, he safely escorts Michael to head cut in court. Michael’s testimony exonerates Veerayya, restores ACP Vikram’s honor, and acquits Veerayya of past charges. To avenge the children slain by cocaine‑laced ice—fulfilling Vikram’s dying wish—Veerayya decapitates Michael in open court. Sentenced to prison, he attends Vikram’s state honors ceremony in custody, where Nithya and Vaishnavi finally forgive him, reuniting the fractured family.```


Cast


Production

In August 2021, it was announced that
Chiranjeevi Konidela Chiranjeevi (born Konidela Sivasankara Varaprasad; 22 August 1955) is an Indian actor, philanthropist and former politician known for his work in Telugu cinema. Known as the "Mega Star", he is widely regarded as one of the most succe ...
and K. S. Ravindra (also known as Bobby) would team up for a film tentatively titled ''Mega154'' (intended to be Chiranjeevi's 154th film) under the production of
Mythri Movie Makers Mythri Movie Makers is an Indian film production and distribution company established by Naveen Yerneni, Yalamanchili Ravi Shankar, and Mohan Cherukuri (CVM) in 2015. The production company mainly produces and distributes in Telugu films. Not ...
. The film was formally launched in November 2021. In April 2022, Chiranjeevi unintentionally revealed the film is titled ''Waltair Veerayya''. The title was officially confirmed in October 2022. Ravindra wrote the story and dialogues, which were scripted by
Kona Venkat Kona Venkat ( born 19 February 1965) is an Indian screenwriter and producer known for his works in Telugu and Hindi cinema. He is known for his works in box office hits such as '' Alludu Seenu'', '' Amma Nanna O Tamila Ammayi'', '' Baadshah'', '' ...
and K. Chakravarthy Reddy. Arthur A. Wilson was signed on as the cinematographer, marking his third collaboration with Bobby, after ''
Power Power may refer to: Common meanings * Power (physics), meaning "rate of doing work" ** Engine power, the power put out by an engine ** Electric power, a type of energy * Power (social and political), the ability to influence people or events Math ...
'' and ''
Sardaar Gabbar Singh ''Sardaar Gabbar Singh'' is a 2016 Indian Telugu-language masala film co-written and directed by Bobby Kolli, (credited as K. S. Ravindra) based on an original story by Pawan Kalyan. A sequel to '' Gabbar Singh'' (2012), it stars Pawan Kalyan re ...
''. Niranjan Devaramane was the film's editor. In March 2022,
Ravi Teja Bhupatiraju Ravi Shankar Raju (born 26 January 1968), known professionally as Ravi Teja, is an Indian actor and film producer known for his work in Telugu cinema. Recognised for his roles in action comedy films, he is popularly referred to as ...
joined the cast, reuniting with Chiranjeevi after 22 years since '' Annayya'' (2000). Teja reportedly plays his brother, a police officer disguised as a
mafia "Mafia", as an informal or general term, is often used to describe criminal organizations that bear a strong similarity to the Sicilian Mafia, original Mafia in Sicily, to the Italian-American Mafia, or to other Organized crime in Italy, organiz ...
don.
Shruti Haasan Shruti Haasan (born 28 January 1986) is an Indian actress and singer who predominantly works in Telugu, Tamil and Hindi films. One of the highest paid actresses in South Indian cinema, Haasan is the recipient of various accolades, including t ...
was paired opposite Chiranjeevi, while Catherine Tresa is playing Teja's wife.
Nawazuddin Siddiqui Nawazuddin Siddiqui (; born 19 May 1974) is an Indian actor known for his work in Hindi cinema. He is the recipient of various accolades, including a National Film Award, an IIFA Award, and two Filmfare Awards, as well as a nomination for an ...
was approached to play the antagonist, but due to scheduling conflicts, he was replaced by
Bobby Simha Jayasimha (born 6 November 1983), better known as Bobby Simha, is an Indian actor who predominantly appears in Tamil cinema, Tamil and Telugu cinema, Telugu films. After making brief appearances in the films ''Kadhalil Sodhappuvadhu Yeppadi'' an ...
. Malayalam actor
Biju Menon Biju Menon (born 9 September 1967) is an Indian actor who predominantly appears in Malayalam films, and also has a few Tamil, Telugu and Kannada film credits. He made his debut in the 1994 Malayalam film ''Puthran''. In a career spanning over ...
was also offered a role in the film, but he was replaced by
Prakash Raj Prakash Raj (born Prakash Rai; 26 March 1965) is an Indian actor, film director, producer, television presenter, and politician. Known for his works in Telugu language, Telugu, Tamil language, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, English language, Engl ...
. In early November 2022,
Urvashi Rautela Urvashi Rautela (born 25 February 1994) is an Indian actress, model and beauty pageant titleholder who predominantly works in Hindi cinema, Hindi and Telugu cinema, Telugu films. She gained prominence after winning the title of Miss Diva 2015 ...
was roped in for doing a
special appearance In law, an appearance (from Latin ''apparere'', to appear) occurs when a party to a lawsuit physically appears in court, or to a formal act through which a defendant submits to the jurisdiction of the court in which the lawsuit is pending. History ...
in a song. Principal photography commenced in December 2021 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 ...
. In April 2022, the second schedule commenced with Haasan joining the sets in
Vishakapatnam 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 ...
. In July 2022, the third schedule commenced with Teja joining the sets. A schedule was also held in
Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
.


Music

The
film score A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to ...
and
soundtrack A soundtrack is a recorded audio signal accompanying and synchronised to the images of a book, drama, motion picture, radio program, television show, television program, or video game; colloquially, a commercially released soundtrack album of m ...
are composed by
Devi Sri Prasad Gandham Sriprasad (2 August 1979), known as Devi Sri Prasad or more commonly by his initials DSP, is an Indian music composer, singer, and lyricist primarily known for his work in Telugu cinema, along with Tamil cinema. He has received numerous ...
. The audio rights were acquired by
Sony Music India Sony Music Entertainment India Pvt. Ltd. is an Indian music record label operated by Sony and headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The company began operations in 1997 and was the first record company in India to be fully foreign-owned, with ...
. The first single titled "Boss Party" was released on 23 November 2022. The second single titled "Sridevi Chiranjeevi" was released on 19 December 2022. The third single titled "Veerayya Title Song" was released on 26 December 2022. The fourth single titled "Poonakaalu Loading" was released on 30 December 2022. The fifth single titled "Neekemo Andamekkuva" was released on 11 January 2023.


Release


Theatrical

''Waltair Veerayya'' along with the Hindi dubbed version, was released in theaters on 13 January 2023 coinciding with the festival of
Sankranti Sankranti () refers to the transmigration of the sun from one zodiac to another in Indian astronomy. In ''Saurmana'' ''varsha'' (Hindu Solar year), there are twelve Sankrantis corresponding with twelve months of a year. The Sankrantis can be broa ...
. The worldwide theatrical rights of the film were sold at a cost of ₹94 crore.


Home media

The digital and satellite rights of the film were acquired by
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 ...
and
Gemini TV Gemini TV is an Indian Telugu language general entertainment pay television channel owned by Sun TV Network. It is the first satellite TV channel in Telugu. It was launched on 9 February 1995 by the Gemini Group of Hyderabad (run by Akkineni ...
respectively. The film premiered on Netflix on 27 February 2023. The
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 ...
dubbed version of the movie was premiered on Sony Max on 13 August 2023.


Reception


Critical response

''Waltair Veerayya'' received mixed reviews from critics. Neeshita Nyayapati of ''
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 ...
'' gave 3 out of 5 stars and wrote "Waltair Veerayya might not leave you feeling poonakalu as promised, but it’s decent enough, especially if you’re a Chiranjeevi fan or Ravi Teja’s for that matter. Just don't expect something out-of-the-box." Latha Srinivasan of ''
India Today ''India Today'' is a weekly Indian English-language news magazine published by Living Media, Living Media India Limited. It is the most widely circulated magazine in India, with a readership of close to 8 million. In 2014, ''India Today'' laun ...
'' gave 3 out of 5 stars and wrote "Chiranjeevi's role in the film is reminiscent of his earlier films - massy, stylish, comical and full of action. Waltair Veerayya also stars Ravi Teja and Shruti Haasan, and is directed by Bobby Kolli. Chiru's fans are in for a treat." Haricharan Pudipeddi of ''
Hindustan Times ''Hindustan Times'' is an Indian English language, English-language daily newspaper based in Delhi. It is the flagship publication of HT Media Limited, an entity controlled by the Birla family, and is owned by Shobhana Bhartia, the daughter o ...
'' wrote "Bobby’s intention of delivering an out-and-out enjoyable commercial film with Waltair Veerayya works to a large extent, even when the predictability factor creeps in when you’re least expecting. The action sequences really serve as the film’s high moments and they deliver the thrills in a big way. These scenes do go overboard on multiple occasions but still work given the film’s massive scale." 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, ...
'' gave the film a rating of 1.5 out of 5 and termed the film as "absolute mess", criticised the story and inconsistency tone of the film. Manoj Kumar R of ''
The Indian Express ''The Indian Express'' is an English-language Indian daily newspaper founded in 1932 by P. Varadarajulu Naidu. It is headquartered in Noida, owned by the ''Indian Express Group''. It was later taken over by Ramnath Goenka. In 1999, eight y ...
'' rated the film 2 out of 5 stars and wrote "The filmmakers don't want the audience to respond to the character Waltair Veerayya, but they want us to venerate before the star playing Waltair Veerayya". Arvind V of ''
Pinkvilla Pinkvilla is an Indian entertainment and lifestyle platform. As of June 2022, Pinkvilla has over 50,000,000 visitors on its website and app. Overview Pinkvilla covers entertainment and lifestyle stories. Its coverage extends to Hindi cinema, ...
'' rated the film 2.5 out of 5 stars and praised the performances but criticised the writing and termed comedy as "insipid" & score as "bleak". Ram Venkat Srikar of ''
Cinema Express ''Cinema Express'' was an Indian Tamil language, Tamil-language entertainment fortnightly magazine published from Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It was a part of The New Indian Express, The New Indian Express Group, which also publishes ''Samakalika Mal ...
'' rated the film 2.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "Films like Waltair Veerayya are reminders that masala cinema, when done neatly, will always be a treat". Soundarya Athimuthu of ''
The Quint ''The Quint'' is an English and Hindi language Indian general news and opinion website founded by Raghav Bahl and Ritu Kapur after their exit from Network18. The publication's journalists have won three Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism ...
'' gave the film's rating 3 out of 5 and wrote "Waltair Veerayya celebrates Chiranjeevi’s four-decade-long legacy with enjoyable characterization. It creates moments of intrigue and brilliant closures near the end".


Box office

The film grossed worldwide. The film became Chiranjeevi's third film to cross US$2 million mark at the US box office after ''
Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy ''Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy'' is a 2019 Indian Telugu-language epic historical action film directed by Surender Reddy and produced by Ram Charan under the Konidela Production Company banner. Reddy scripted the film based on an original story giv ...
'' and '' Khaidi No. 150''.


Accolades


Notes


References


External links

*{{IMDb title 2023 films Indian action films 2023 action films Films scored by Devi Sri Prasad Mythri Movie Makers films Films set in Visakhapatnam Films shot in Visakhapatnam Films shot in France 2023 action comedy films Indian action comedy films Films set on beaches Films set in Malaysia Films set in Kuala Lumpur Films shot in Hyderabad, India Films shot in Malaysia Films about brothers Films about drugs Films about organised crime in India Fictional portrayals of the Andhra Pradesh Police