Indra (2002 film)

Last updated

Indra
Indra 2002 film poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by B. Gopal
Written by Paruchuri brothers
Story byChinni Krishna
Produced by C. Aswani Dutt
Starring
Cinematography V. S. R. Swamy
Edited by Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao
Music by Mani Sharma
Production
company
Distributed by Eros International
Release date
  • July 24, 2002 (2002-07-24)(India)
Running time
173 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageTelugu
Budget ₹10 crore [1]
Box officeest.₹55 crore [2] [3]

Indra is a 2002 Indian Telugu-language action drama film directed by B. Gopal and produced by C. Aswani Dutt under Vyjayanthi Movies banner. The film stars Chiranjeevi, Aarthi Agarwal, and Sonali Bendre while Mukesh Rishi, Sivaji, and Prakash Raj play supporting roles with music composed by Mani Sharma. The film won three state Nandi Awards and two Filmfare Awards South with Chiranjeevi winning both the Nandi Award for Best Actor and Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Telugu.

Contents

Released on 24 July 2002, the film collected a gross of over ₹55 crore on a budget of ₹10 crore and ended up becoming the highest-grossing Telugu film in history at the time [4] [2] as well as the all-time highest-grossing South-Indian film, surpassing Padayappa (1999). Indra was dubbed into Hindi as Indra: The Tiger. [2] [5] It was remade in Indian Bengali as Dada (2005) and in Bangladeshi Bengali as Goriber Dada (2006).

Plot

In a village in Rayalaseema, two rival clans, led by Bharathasimha Reddy and Veera Siva Reddy, are embroiled in a cycle of violence. A police inspector arranges a marriage between Bharathasimha Reddy's brother, Vijayasimha Reddy, and Siva Reddy's sister to broker peace. However, Siva Reddy's sister poisons Vijayasimha Reddy on their wedding night, leading to both their deaths. Following this betrayal, Siva Reddy and his men kill Bharathasimha Reddy. Siva Reddy is arrested and sentenced to 14 years in prison.

With the male leaders of the Bharathasimha family dead, Bharathasimha's son, Indrasena "Indra" Reddy, steps up to lead the clan. In a powerful scene, Indra takes a sword and sits on the throne, symbolizing his new role as the clan leader, much to the delight of his paternal grandmother and the rest of the clan.

In 2002, Indra is living in Varanasi under the alias Shankar Narayana, a truthful and honest taxi driver. During a singing competition at his niece's college, her friend Pallavi, the daughter of Uttar Pradesh's governor Chenna Kesava Reddy, falls in love with Shankar and pretends to be an orphan to stay at his house. When Chenna Kesava Reddy discovers his daughter's whereabouts, he goes to Shankar's home but changes his mind upon recognizing him as Indrasena Reddy. Instead, he requests Shankar to marry Pallavi, but Shankar refuses due to his responsibilities towards his niece, Nandini.

Giri, an orphaned youth who has become Shankar's right-hand man, confesses his love for Nandini, and Shankar arranges their marriage. However, the wedding is disrupted by Snehalatha Reddy, who reveals that Giri is actually Veera Manohar Reddy, the son of Veera Shankar Reddy, Siva Reddy's elder son. She also addresses Shankar as Indrasena Reddy, shocking his adoptive family. After a confrontation, Valmiki, Indra's trusted associate, narrates Indra's past.

Indra, revered in his village, was dedicated to the welfare of the people. After Siva Reddy's release from prison, Indra warned him to stay away, but Siva Reddy instigated violence, leading Indra to kill him. Snehalatha, Siva Reddy's daughter, fell in love with Indra, but Veera Shankar Reddy sought revenge. Indra saved Veera Shankar Reddy's younger son from an accident, but Veera Shankar Reddy killed his own son to maintain his pride.

Indra confronted Veera Shankar Reddy, allowing the boy's mother to mourn before burying him and planting a "Tulasi" sapling over his grave, symbolizing the boy's soul. Indra warned Veera Shankar Reddy to protect the plant or face his wrath. Snehalatha fell for Indra and proposed marriage, but the village's drought led Indra to negotiate for the construction of a reservoir, which required land from Siva Reddy's family. Veera Shankar Reddy demanded Indra's entire property in return, to which Indra agreed. Snehalatha asked to marry Indra as her share of the land, and he accepted.

However, on their wedding day, Veera Shankar Reddy killed Indra's sisters and their husbands, orphaning Nandini and her brother Pradeep. Enraged, Indra killed Veera Shankar Reddy's three brothers and wounded him. Misled by her family, Snehalatha believed Indra was responsible for the violence and broke off the engagement. Indra then left the village for Varanasi to raise his niece and nephew.

In the present, Nandini attempts suicide after becoming pregnant with Manohar Reddy's child. Indra returns to the village, receiving a hero's welcome. He confronts Veera Shankar Reddy and demands that Manohar Reddy marry Nandini. Snehalatha learns the truth about her brothers' actions and tries to help, but is attacked. Indra saves her and decides to end the cycle of revenge without killing Veera Shankar Reddy. Manohar Reddy marries Nandini, but Indra remains focused on his duty to the people, rejecting marriage proposals from both Snehalatha and Pallavi. The film ends with Indra receiving widespread support from the villagers, solidifying his commitment to ending the violence in Rayalaseema.

Cast

Production

The film's story was written by Chinni Krishna, when he saw Mother Teresa's portrait at Chiranjeevi's office, Krishna decided to create the character of Indra Sena Reddy taking inspiration from this and added elements like "Rayalaseema as the backdrop and identified water problem as the source of factionism". [6] The set resembling Benaras city was recreated at Annapurna Studios while a set resembling Rayalaseema village was built at Ramoji Film City. Two songs were shot at Switzerland. [7] After two months of shoot, Ashwini Dutt suggested the title Indra which was approved by Chiranjeevi. [8]

Music

Indra
Soundtrack album by
Mani Sharma
Released2002
Recorded2002
Genre Feature film soundtrack
Length31:52
Language Telugu
Label Aditya Music
Producer Mani Sharma
Mani Sharma chronology
Youth
(2002)		Indra
(2002)		 Chennakesava Reddy
(2002)

The soundtrack was composed by Mani Sharma. The audio was released on the evening of 14 June 2002 at a set in the first floor of Annapurna Studios. Gemini TV covered this event and it was telecast as a 30-minute capsule on Gemini TV. Chiranjeevi selected a coupon from the lucky dip box and called the lucky fan to the stage. Chiranjeevi opened the audio box and handed over the first cassette to that fan. The audio hit the market on 17 June 2002. [9]

Tracklist (Telugu)
No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Bham Bham Bole" Sirivennela Sitaramasastri Hariharan, Shankar Mahadevan 6:08
2."Ammadu Appachi" Veturi S. P. Balasubrahmanyam & Kalpana4:44
3."Radhe Govinda" Bhuvanachandra K. S. Chithra, Udit Narayan 4:50
4."Ghallu Ghallu"Sirivennela SitaramasastriS. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Mallikarjun 5:52
5."Dayi Dayi Damma"Sirivennela Sitaramasastri KK & Mahalakshmi Iyer 5:20
6."Ayyo Ayyo Ayyayyo" (Composed by R. P. Patnaik) Kulasekhar Karthik & Usha 4:58
Total length:31:52


Tracklist (Tamil)
No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Bom Bom Osai"Muthulingam Tippu 6:08
2."Alva Thundu Penne"SnehanTippu, Anuradha Sriram 4:44
3."Radhe Gopala"Ponniyin Selvan Unnikrishnan, Sujatha 4:50
4."Jhallu Jhallu"MuthulingamRamu5:52
5."Aadi Aadi Vamma"Ponniyin Selvan Yugendran, Sri Vardhini5:20
6."Ayayaya" (Composed by R. P. Patnaik)Snehan Karthik, Shalini4:58
Total length:31:52


All lyrics are written by Dev Kohli

Tracklist (Hindi)
No.TitleSinger(s)Length
1."Bam Bam Bole" Tippu 6:08
2."Main Tera Deewana" 4:44
3."Radhe Govinda Tu Mera Chanda" Udit Narayan, Sadhana Sargam 4:50
4."Jhoom Jhoom Ke Payal" Suresh Wadkar 5:52
5."Yeh Haseena Chehra"Hariharan, Sadhana Sargam5:20
6."Kaisi Hai Barfili Thandi Yeh Hawa" (Composed by R. P. Patnaik) 4:58
Total length:31:52

Release and reception

Indra was released on 24 July 2002 on 268 screens, including 223 in Andhra Pradesh, 30 in Karnataka, three in Odisha, and 15 in the United States. [4] [10] It grossed more than ₹51.8 crore on a budget of ₹10 crore . [1] The film ended up becoming the highest-grossing Telugu films at the time of its release. [4] It held the record of being the first Telugu movie to collect over ₹20 crores during the first week .

Jeevi of Idlebrain.com gave a rating of 4+1⁄2 out of 5 stating, "First half is a perfect blend of mass and class elements. It's extraordinary. The interval scene gives the right finishing touch to the first half." [11] A critic from Sify wrote that "On the whole the film is refreshing and a good entertainer with Chiru at his best". [12]

Box office

Legacy

Indra is one of the biggest hits in Chiranjeevi's film career. It became the highest grossing Telugu film ever as well as the all-time highest-grossing South-Indian film, surpassing Padayappa (1999).

The film had an excellent run on Hindi television channels through the dubbed version Indra: The Tiger. [5] [2] Saudamini Jain of Hindustan Times wrote in 2015, "For a decade now, the Telugu blockbuster Indra dubbed in Hindi as Indra The Tiger seems to have become a permanent fixture on TV". [2] TV and film writer Mushtaq Sheikh said of the film, "When I was heading Sahara One (in 2010-11) we had these perpetual, evergreen films: whenever you needed ratings, you could close your eyes and screen them. Indra was one of them." [2] CEO of Applause Entertainment Sameer Nair noted, “We used to play Indra: The Tiger and our ratings were sorted for two weeks." [5]

Awards

YearAwardCategoryNomineeResultRef.
2002 Filmfare Awards Best Actor – Telugu Chiranjeevi Won [18]
Best Choreography Raghava Lawrence Won
2002 Nandi Awards Best Actor ChiranjeeviWon [19]
Best Choreographer Raghava LawrenceWon
Best Male Dubbing Artist P. Ravi Shankar Won
2002 CineMAA Awards Best Actor – Telugu Chiranjeevi Won [20]
Best Actress – Telugu Aarthi Agarwal Won

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sonali Bendre</span> Indian actress (born 1975)

Sonali Bendre is an Indian actress who predominantly works in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu films. Bendre did modelling assignments prior to making her acting debut with Aag (1994), which won her the Filmfare Award for New Face of the Year.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chiranjeevi</span> Indian actor and philanthropist (born 1955)

Konidela Chiranjeevi is an Indian actor, politician, and philanthropist known for his work in Telugu cinema. Known as the "Mega Star", he is widely regarded as one of the most successful and influential actors in the history of Indian cinema. Chiranjeevi holds the record for the most "Industry Hits" in Telugu cinema, with eight films emerging as the top-grossers of their time—a feat unmatched by any actor in the industry's 100-year history. He is also celebrated as one of the finest dancers in Indian cinema. He has received numerous honours, including the Padma Bhushan in 2006 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2024 from the Government of India, as well as the IFFI Indian Film Personality of the Year Award in 2022. His other accolades include the Raghupathi Venkaiah Award, three Nandi Awards, and nine Filmfare Awards South, including the Lifetime Achievement Award. In 2013, CNN-IBN recognized him as one of "the men who changed the face of the Indian Cinema". In 2024, he was honoured with a Guinness World Record as the most prolific actor-dancer in the Indian film industry.

<i>Shankar Dada M.B.B.S.</i> 2004 Indian film

Shankar Dada M.B.B.S. is a 2004 Indian Telugu-language comedy drama film directed by Jayanth C. Paranjee. The film stars Chiranjeevi, Sonali Bendre, Srikanth, Girish Karnad, and Paresh Rawal. It is a remake of the Hindi film Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. (2003). It received positive reviews and was commercially successful completing 100 days run at the box office.

<i>Aadi</i> (2002 film) 2002 Indian film

Aadi is a 2002 Indian Telugu-language action drama film written and directed by debutant V. V. Vinayak. The film stars N. T. Rama Rao Jr. and Keerthi Chawla. The film was a huge commercial Blockbuster and was remade in Tamil as Jai and in Bengali as Surya. The film won four Nandi Awards.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">V. V. Vinayak</span> Indian filmmaker

V. V. Vinayak is an Indian film director and screenwriter known for his works in Telugu films. He is known for directing action comedy and masala films.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ravi Teja</span> Indian actor and film producer (born 1968)

Bhupatiraju Ravi Shankar Raju, known professionally as Ravi Teja, is an Indian actor and film producer who mainly works in Telugu cinema. Known for his roles in action comedy films, he is popular by the moniker Mass Maharaja. One of the highest-paid Telugu film actors, Teja has won three state Nandi Awards and one Filmfare Award South. He was featured by Forbes India in the list of top 100 Celebrities in 2012, 2013 and 2015.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">N. T. Rama Rao Jr.</span> Indian actor (born 1983)

Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao Jr., popularly known by the initialism Jr NTR, is an Indian actor and producer who primarily works in Telugu cinema. He has been featured in Forbes India's Celebrity 100 list since 2012. Referred to in the media as the "Man of Masses", he has starred in 30 films. Rao's accolades include three Filmfare Awards, two Nandi Awards, two Siima Awards, four CineMAA Awards and one IIFA Award.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Filmfare Award for Best Director – Telugu</span> Telugu language film award

The Filmfare Award for Best Director – Telugu is presented by the Filmfare magazine as part of its annual Filmfare Awards South for Telugu films. The awards were extended to "Best Director" in 1972.

<i>Anji</i> (film) 2004 Indian film

Anji is a 2004 Indian Telugu-language fantasy action-adventure film directed by Kodi Ramakrishna and produced by Shyam Prasad Reddy under the M. S. Art Movies banner. The film stars Chiranjeevi in the title role, alongside Namrata Shirodkar, Tinnu Anand and Nagendra Babu. The film has music composed by Mani Sharma with cinematography by Chota K. Naidu. Anji was produced on an estimated budget of ₹25–30 crore, making it the most expensive Telugu film at the time of its release.

<i>Adavi Ramudu</i> (2004 film) 2004 film directed by B. Gopal

Adavi Ramudu is a 2004 Indian Telugu-language romantic action film which was directed by B. Gopal. Prabhas and Aarti Agarwal played the lead roles. The film features a love story between a tribal youth and his childhood sweetheart. This was Prabhas' next movie immediately after the success of Varsham. Upon release, it received mostly negative reception from the critics and audience alike and was a flop at the box-office. The film was later dubbed into Hindi as The Strong Man Badal in 2009. This was V. S. R. Swamy's final film as a cinematographer before his death in 2008.

<i>Palnati Brahmanayudu</i> Indian Telugu movie

Palnati Brahmanayudu is a 2003 Indian Telugu-language action drama film produced by Medikonda Murali Krishna on Venkata Ramana Productions banner and directed by B. Gopal. The film stars Nandamuri Balakrishna in the main lead role alongside Aarthi Agarwal and Sonali Bendre. The music composed by Mani Sharma.

<i>State Rowdy</i> 1989 Indian film

State Rowdy is a 1989 Indian Telugu-language action drama film directed by B. Gopal and produced by T. Subbarami Reddy and P. Sasi Bhushan. The film stars Chiranjeevi in the lead role, with Radha and Bhanupriya as the female leads. The film also features Sarada, Rao Gopal Rao, Kaikala Satyanarayana, Thiagarajan and Nutan Prasad in key roles. The music was composed by Bappi Lahiri.

<i>Bejawada</i> (film) 2011 Indian film

Bejawada or Bezawada is a 2011 Indian Telugu-language action crime film based on the Vijayawada Gang Warfare, directed by Vivek Krishna and produced by Ram Gopal Varma and Renny Johnson. The film stars Naga Chaitanya and Amala Paul. The movie was received negatively at the box office but positively at the television and OTT as it accurately depicted the historical gang war in Vijayawada. Later it was dubbed in Hindi as Hero: The Action Man (2013) and also in Tamil as Vikram Dhadha. It marked Amala’s Telugu debut.

<i>Tadakha</i> 2013 film by Kishore Kumar Pardasani

Tadakha (transl. Mettle) is a 2013 Indian Telugu-language action film directed by Kishore Kumar Pardasani. A remake of the 2012 Tamil film Vettai, the film stars Naga Chaitanya, Tamannaah Bhatia, Sunil and Andrea Jeremiah. Ashutosh Rana, Nagendra Babu and Vettai Muthukumar reprise their roles from the original film, while Brahmanandam and Vennela Kishore play supporting roles. The music is composed by S. Thaman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">P. Ravi Shankar</span> Indian actor

Pudipeddi Ravi Shankar, also known as Sai Ravi, is an Indian actor, dubbing artist, director and a writer. As an actor, he predominantly appears in Kannada films, in addition to Telugu and Tamil films. As a dubbing artist, he has dubbed for over 3500 films, with more than 1000 of those each in Telugu and Tamil, and over 150 in Kannada.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mythri Movie Makers</span> Indian film studio

Mythri Movie Makers is an Indian film production and film distribution company established by Naveen Yerneni, Yalamanchili Ravi Shankar, and Mohan Cherukuri (CVM) in 2015. The production company mainly produces and distributes Telugu films.

<i>Khaidi No. 150</i> 2017 film by V. V. Vinayak

Khaidi No. 150 is a 2017 Indian Telugu-language action drama film directed by V. V. Vinayak and produced by Lyca Productions and Konidela Production Company. The film starred Chiranjeevi and Kajal Aggarwal. It marked Chiranjeevi's return to films in a lead role after nearly a decade, and also his 150th film. The third entry of the Khaidi trilogy, the film is an official remake of the 2014 Tamil film Kaththi.

<i>Zombie Reddy</i> 2021 Indian Telugu-language zombie comedy film

Zombie Reddy is a 2021 Indian Telugu-language zombie action comedy film directed by Prasanth Varma, and stars Teja Sajja, Anandhi, and Daksha Nagarkar. Produced by Apple Trees Studios, the film is marketed as the first zombie film in Telugu cinema. Set in the district of Kurnool, the film is partially based on COVID-19 pandemic. The film was released on 5 February 2021. following its acquisition on Aha it premiered on 26 March 2021.

<i>Veera Simha Reddy</i> 2023 film by Gopichand Malineni

Veera Simha Reddy is a 2023 Indian Telugu-language action drama film written and directed by Gopichand Malineni and produced by Mythri Movie Makers. It stars Nandamuri Balakrishna in titlular dual role, alongside Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, Shruti Haasan, Honey Rose and Duniya Vijay. The film score and soundtrack were composed by S. Thaman.

Rohit is an Indian actor known for starring in Telugu-language film in the 2000s.

References

  1. 1 2 "చిరంజీవి బ్లాక్ బస్టర్ 'ఇంద్ర' సినిమాకు 18 ఏళ్లు.. సాధించిన రికార్డులు ." [Chiranjeevi's blockbuster Indra completes 18 years. Box office records]. News18 Telugu (in Telugu). 24 July 2020. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Jain, Saudamini (5 March 2015). "Why Indra The Tiger is a permanent fixture on Indian television". Hindustan Times. Retrieved 1 August 2020.
  3. ↑ Krishna (24 July 2020). "18 Years for Megastar Indra Movie : మెగాస్టార్ 'ఇంద్ర' కి 18 ఏళ్ళు!". HMTV (in Telugu). Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  4. 1 2 3 "మెగాస్టార్ 'ఇంద్ర' కి నేటితో 18 ఏళ్లు.!" [Megastar's Indra completes 18 years today!]. Namasthe Telangana (in Telugu). 24 July 2020. Archived from the original on 30 October 2020. Retrieved 5 July 2021.
  5. 1 2 3 S., Vidya; Lidhoo, Prerna (22 July 2022). "How Movies From the South Conquered Bollywood". Business Today . Retrieved 27 August 2022. Says Applause Entertainment CEO Sameer Nair: "We used to play Indra: The Tiger (Hindi dub of Telugu film Indra) and our ratings were sorted for two weeks."
  6. ↑ "Indra 175 days function". Idlebrain. 12 January 2003. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  7. ↑ "Telugu Cinema - Preview - Indra". Idlebrain. Retrieved 16 December 2024.
  8. ↑ "Interview with Aswini Dutt by Jeevi". Idlebrain. 2 July 2002. Retrieved 17 December 2024.
  9. ↑ "Telugu Cinema Etc - Idlebrain.com" . Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  10. ↑ "Cycle Stand - Telugu cinema - Indra release centers - Chiranjeevi, Sonali Bendre, Arti Agrawal - B Gopal". Archived from the original on 3 April 2016. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  11. ↑ "Indra Review". Idlebrain.com . Retrieved 24 January 2013.
  12. ↑ Moviebuzz. "Review: Indra". Sify . Archived from the original on 7 January 2005.
  13. ↑ "Cycle Stand - Chiranjeevi Indra records". Idlebrain.com . Archived from the original on 27 July 2016. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  14. ↑ "Cycle Stand - Telugu cinema - Indra 50 days centers - Chiranjeevi, Sonali Bendre, Arti Agrawal - B Gopal". Archived from the original on 3 April 2016. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  15. ↑ "Cycle Stand - Telugu cinema - Indra 100 days centers - Chiranjeevi, Sonali Bendre, Arti Agrawal - B Gopal". Archived from the original on 3 April 2016. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  16. 1 2 "CineGoer.com - Box-Office Records And Collections - Chiranjeevi's 175-Day Centres List". Archived from the original on 14 August 2012. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  17. ↑ "Oora Mass Records Of 'Indra', One Of The Most Electrifying Movie In Megastar's Career". Archived from the original on 27 July 2016. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  18. ↑ "Manikchand Filmfare Awards: Sizzling at 50". BSNL. Archived from the original on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 19 October 2009.
  19. ↑ "Nandi Film Awards G.O and Results 2002". APFTVTDC. Retrieved 11 August 2020.
  20. ↑ "Telugu CineMaa Awards 2002". Idlebrain. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.