The soundtrack was composed by Ghibran. The film began production in March 2019, and was released on 2 August 2019 to positive reviews. It was a commercial success at the box office.[7][2]
Two elderly men discover the corpse of Samyuktha, a 15-year-old school student who was brutally murdered and wrapped in a polythene bag.
Arun Kumar is an aspiring filmmaker who wants to make a movie on psychopaths. After being rejected many times despite having a good script and due to pressure from his family, he decides to become a sub-inspector with the help of his brother-in-law, Prasad, a police officer himself. He moves in with his sister Sapna, Prasad, and their daughter Siri. Siri gets into trouble when she makes Arun forge her father's signature on her report card. Her class teacher Krishnaveni figures this out and thinks that she signed it herself. Siri brings Arun to her school to pretend to be her father. Later, when Siri is caught by her parents, they transfer her to another school. Arun then meets and befriends Krishnaveni and her niece Kavya, who is speech deprived.
A teenage schoolgirl named Amrutha is abducted on her way home. Her parents then find a mutilated doll's head in a gift box attached to their dog's collar. Arun finds a similarity between Samyuktha and Amrutha, both of them being 15-year-old school students who were kidnapped while returning from school. Just like Samyuktha, the hair on the doll's forehead is uprooted, the eyes are drilled, and her mouth is damaged. Apart from that, in particular, there is a knife mark on Samyuktha's forehead, ears and nasion. The same marks were found on the doll's face. He tries to convince ACP Lakshmi, his egotistical, superior officer, that this was a psychopath at work. However, his theories are brushed off as stories.
Later, Amrutha's brutally mutilated corpse is found. The killer drilled out her eyes, broke her teeth, and uprooted her hair in patches. On top of that, her body has stab wounds made while she was alive. Arun suggests the corpses be hidden to prevent the killer from gaining attention. Initially, the officials oppose this idea owing to breaking protocol, but they eventually move the bodies to a secret facility under Dr. Kishore. Soon after, another schoolgirl named Meera is abducted. She happened to be from Siri's former school. The search leads to a teacher named Somaraj, who works at Siri's current school and is revealed to be a pedophile preying on schoolgirls. Arun encounters Somaraj trying to molest Siri and beats him up before detaining him. Somaraj admits to being a sexual predator but denies having anything to do with the murders. In a bid to escape, he holds Venkat, a policeman, at gunpoint. Arun manages to gun Somaraj down inside the lift, thereby saving Venkat.
Meanwhile, Siri is abducted from her birthday party at home. Arun and Prasad discover her mutilated body in their car trunk, implying that she was also murdered. Things worsen for Arun, as he gets suspended for his negligence for shooting Somaraj. Dejected and angry, Arun investigates the case by himself, with the help of a few policemen. Finding an audio clip from the hearing aid of Meera, he traces it back to an elderly magician named Annabella George's performance at the victim's school function. The lady used her magic show as a ruse to kidnap the girls since she impressed all the students with her magic tricks. She invites one student to volunteer in an act and then interacts with the student to gain her trust. She stalks the selected student leading to their kidnapping the day after meeting them, without any hassle. This leads Arun to the next potential victim, a schoolgirl named Sanjana. Arun soon realises that he was following the wrong girl when he learns of Sanjana having a twin sister. Sanjana gets abducted, even though she was under surveillance. Arun tracks her location to a house in the city, where he narrowly saves Sanjana from being murdered. The perpetrator escapes, but is revealed to be Mary Fernandez, who was involved in a killing a long time ago. Arun finds more about the case from the investigating officer, Jaya Prakash, a retired cop.
Mary's son Christopher had been afflicted with Werner syndrome, a hormonal disorder that caused him to look aged. He was an outcast at school, but a girl named Sophie took pity on him and befriended him. Christopher soon began to develop feelings for Sophie, but unfortunately, he is heartbroken when she turns down his love and is ridiculed at school. The next day, Mary asked Sophie to become friends again and handed her a gift. When Sophie opens the gift box, she found a mutilated doll's head, which was what Sophie gave Christopher as his birthday gift. Sophie was brutally murdered by Mary, and both Mary and her son were arrested.
It is then revealed that both Mary and Christopher were in an accident, and she is still alive, murdering with the same vengeance. Jaya Prakash finds a clue in the files but is killed by Mary before meeting Arun. On being found at the scene of the crime, Arun is detained and kept handcuffed at the station. He discovers that Jaya Prakash was trying to reveal that the person who had been performing the magic show in the school had six fingers on the right hand, and by a piece of photo evidence, it is known that it was Christopher who has six fingers. Since only Mary died in the accident, the murderer is not the lady - it is her son Christopher, who has taken advantage of his aged appearance. Before Arun can act on this, Christopher attacks Krishnaveni and abducts Kavya. While trying to apprehend Christopher, Venkat is killed. Kavya escapes and is found by Kishore, who tries to hide her in the facility, but Kishore dies trying to protect her. Arun tracks down Christopher to the facility, and after a prolonged fight, manages to kill him and save Kavya.
The movie ends with the media reporting the chain of events and an end to the murders by the psychopath. It is then revealed that Arun gets a chance to make a movie about a psychopath, fulfilling his dream.
The success of the film Ratsasan put high expectation amongst audiences.[8] Due to this reason the remake rights price for this film went high. After the stiff competition, Koneru Satynarayana, the chairman of the educational university KL University Vijayawada bagged the Telugu remake rights of the film. The makers started this remake on Feb 2019 and completed it in June. This remake is directed by Ramesh Varma Penmetsa who has been previously directed films like Ride, Veera, etc., music by Ghibran and produced by Koneru Satynarayana under the production of A Studios Havish Koneru. This movie was distributed worldwide by famous producer Abhishek Nama under Abhishek Pictures.
Rakshasudu was initially scheduled to release on 18 July 2019,[10] but was pushed to August release.[11] The film was released on 2 August 2019.[12]
Reception
Box office
Rakshasudu collected ₹3.9 Crores gross and ₹2.3 Crores share worldwide on the opening day.[13] In the first weekend movie collected ₹8.76 Crores gross and ₹5.48 Crores share in the Telugu speaking states (Andhra Pradesh & Telangana)[14] and ₹13.6 Crores gross and ₹6.8 Crores share worldwide.[15] In the first week movie collected ₹17.1 Crores gross and ₹9 Crores share worldwide.[16]
Critical response
Rakshasudu received positive reviews from audiences and critics, The Times of India gave 3.5 out of 5 stars stating "Rakshashudu keeps viewers on the edge of their seats. The screenplay is spot on and adds to the intrigue of watching the film and makes sure the suspense is impactful. Director Ramesh Varma avoids the temptation to over indulge. Bellamkonda puts in one of his best performances till date".[17]Firstpost gave 3.5 out of 5 stars stating, "The biggest strength of Rakshasudu lies in its staging and how well-knit the whole narrative is. Editing by Amar Reddy is another major asset and there is hardly a boring moment in the film. For Sreenivas, film is a major shot in the arm and huge improvement compared to his recent performances".[18]India Today gave 3 out of 5 stars stating "Bellamkonda Sai Sreenivas'sRakshasudu is a frame-to-frame remake of Tamil film Ratsasan. While the cop-thriller shows lazy film-making in parts, it still keeps you engrossed in the proceedings. Ghibran's haunting score, which speaks volumes".[19]
Jeevi of Idlebrain.com gave 3 out of 5 stars stating, "Plus points are performances, story and screenplay. On the flipside, there is a bit of Tamil flavour (lacking Telugu nativity) in casting some of the actors and in some of the scenes. The dark approach of describing gruesome nature and killing techniques is not recommended for everybody".[20]Great Andhra gave 3 out of 5 stars stating "Rakshasudu is Sreenivas's better act among all his movies. Musical background score by Ghibran and the sound design have actually elevated the movie. The sound is terrific. Production values are perfect".[21]Sify gave 3 out of 5 stars stating "Rakshasudu is a fairly captivating serial-killer thriller with some edge of the seat moments. Aided by Ghibran's music and sound design, the film provides enough thrills".[22]
Home media
The Satellite and Digital rights of the film were sold to Gemini TV and Sun NXT for ₹6 Crores, and Hindi dubbing rights were sold for ₹12.5 Crores.[23]
Related Research Articles
Es geschah am hellichten Tag is a 1958 German-language thriller film directed by Ladislao Vajda. The original screenplay was written by Friedrich Dürrenmatt, a Swiss playwright and novelist, and the first incarnation of the film is still acclaimed by critics.
Twenty:20 is a 2008 Indian Malayalam-language action thriller film written by Udayakrishna-Siby K. Thomas, directed by Joshiy, produced and distributed by Dileep through Graand Production and Manjunatha Release. The film stars Mohanlal, Mammootty, Suresh Gopi, Jayaram and Dileep. The film was produced on behalf of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artists (AMMA) as a fundraiser to financially support actors who are struggling in the Malayalam cinema. All the actors in AMMA worked without payment in order to raise funds for their welfare schemes.
Thenkasipattanam is a 2000 Indian Malayalam-language action comedy film written and directed by Rafi Mecartin, produced by Lal, and starring Suresh Gopi, Lal and Dileep as male leads and Samyuktha Varma, Geethu Mohandas and Kavya Madhavan as female leads with Salim Kumar and Spadikam George in supporting roles.
Jaya Janaki Nayaka is a 2017 Indian Telugu-language romantic action drama film directed by Boyapati Srinu and produced by Miryala Ravinder Reddy under Dwaraka Creations. The film stars Bellamkonda Sreenivas and Rakul Preet Singh, alongside Jagapathi Babu, Tarun Arora, Pragya Jaiswal, Sarath Kumar, Nandu, Suman, Jayaprakash and Vani Viswanath. The music was composed by Devi Sri Prasad, while cinematography and editing were handled by Rishi Punjabi and Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao.
Ghibran Vaibodha formerly known as M. Ghibran, is an Indian composer. He has composed music for Indian films, advertising films and television commercial jingles in different languages.
Bellamkonda Sai Sreenivas is an Indian actor who works in Telugu films. Son of film producer Bellamkonda Suresh, he made his debut with the action comedy film Alludu Seenu (2014) which won him Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut – South. He made his Hindi debut with the remake of the 2005 Telugu movie Chatrapathi in 2023.
Speedunnodu is a 2016 Indian Telugu romantic comedy film directed by Bhimaneni Srinivasa Rao. It is produced by Bheemineni Sunitha under her production company Good Will Cinema, Speedunnodu features Bellamkonda Sreenivas, Sonarika Bhadoria, and Prakash Raj in the lead roles while Kabir Duhan Singh plays the antagonist. Production commenced in April 2015, and the film's principal photography was completed by January 2016. The film released worldwide on 5 February 2016. This film is a remake of the 2012 Tamil movie Sundarapandian.
Anupama Parameswaran is an Indian actress who primarily works in Telugu, Malayalam and Tamil films. Anupama made her debut with the successful Malayalam film Premam (2015) and is known for her work in Kodi (2016), Jomonte Suvisheshangal (2017), Vunnadhi Okate Zindagi (2017), Natasaarvabhowma (2019), Karthikeya 2 (2022) and Tillu Square (2024).
Ratsasan is a 2018 Indian Tamil-language crime thriller film directed by Ram Kumar. The film stars Vishnu Vishal, Amala Paul, and Saravanan, while Ammu Abhirami, Kaali Venkat, Vinodhini Vaidyanathan, and Ramdoss play supporting roles. The film features music and a background score composed by Ghibran, cinematography by P. V. Shankar, and editing by San Lokesh. It tells the story of an aspiring film director who becomes a police officer after his father's death and tries to track down a serial killer.
Agnyaathavaasi is a 2018 Indian Telugu-language action drama film written and directed by Trivikram Srinivas. The film stars Pawan Kalyan, Aadhi Pinisetty, Keerthy Suresh and Anu Emmanuel in lead roles. The film began its principal photography in April 2017 which ended in November 2017. Anirudh Ravichander composed the film's score and soundtrack.
Saakshyam (transl. Witness) is a 2018 Indian Telugu-language fantasy action film written and directed by Sriwass, and produced by Abhishek Pictures. It stars Bellamkonda Sreenivas, Pooja Hegde and Jagapathi Babu. The plot follows, Vishwa, a rich NRI who falls in love with Soundarya Lahari follows her to India and gets tangled in issues involving her family. however, he realise that it’s nature which brought him back to his native place to accomplish a mission.
Savyasachi (transl. Ambidextrous) is a 2018 Indian Telugu-language action thriller film written and directed by Chandoo Mondeti. The film features Naga Chaitanya, R. Madhavan, Niddhi Agerwal and Bhumika Chawla. It was produced by Naveen Yerneni, C.V. Mohan, and Y. Ravi Shankar under the banner of Mythri Movie Makers. Savyasachi was made with a budget of ₹24 crore as per Mythri Movie Makers. The film has received mixed reviews.
Kavacham (transl. Armour) is a 2018 Indian Telugu-language action thriller film directed by Sreenivas Mamilla. It stars Bellamkonda Sreenivas, Neil Nitin Mukesh, Kajal Aggarwal, Mehreen Pirzada and Harshvardhan Rane. Set in Vizag, the plot revolves around a police officer, who becomes a fugitive after being framed for a kidnapping, and must race against time in order to get his name cleared and catch the actual perpetrator.
Penmetsa Ramesh Varma is an Indian film director, producer, and screenwriter, who works predominantly in Telugu cinema.
Abhirami , widely known as Ammu Abhirami, is an Indian actress who has appeared in Tamil and Telugu films. She made her silver screen debut with Bairavaa (2017) and did pivotal roles in Ratsasan (2018), Thambi (2019), Asuran (2019) and attained popularity. Abhirami debuted as Lead in Adavi (2020) Tamil Film.
Arjun Suravaram is a 2019 Indian Telugu-language action thriller film written and directed by T. Santhosh. The film stars Nikhil Siddharth and Lavanya Tripathi. It is produced by Rajkumar Akella, and presented by B. Madhu on the Movie Dynamix banner. Sam C. S. composed the film's music, while Naveen Nooli handled the editing and Suryaa handled the cinematography. It is a remake of the director's own Tamil film Kanithan (2016). The film released on 29 November 2019. It received positive reviews from critics and was commercially successful.
Chikati Gadilo Chithakotudu is a 2019 Indian Telugu-language adult comedy horror film directed by Santhosh P. Jayakumar and starring Adith Arun, Nikki Tamboli, Sayantani Guhathakurta, and Bhagyashree Mote. This film is a remake of the director's own Tamil film Iruttu Araiyil Murattu Kuththu (2018) and much of the crew from the original are retained for the remake. This film marks the Telugu debut of Guhathakurta. Rajendran, Jangiri Madhumitha, and K. S. G. Venkatesh, who were a part of the original film, also star. The film released on 21 March 2019.
Alludu Adhurs is a 2021 Indian Telugu-language action comedy film written and directed by Santosh Srinivas and produced by Gorrela Subrahmanyam. The film stars Bellamkonda Sreenivas, Nabha Natesh, Anu Emmanuel, Sonu Sood and Prakash Raj. The film was released on 15 January 2021 coinciding with Sankranthi. The film received negative reviews from critics and audiences and became a box office flop.
Maestro is a 2021 Indian Telugu-language black comedy crime thriller film directed by Merlapaka Gandhi. The film stars Nithiin, Tamannaah Bhatia, Nabha Natesh and Jisshu Sengupta. A remake of the 2018 Hindi film Andhadhun, it follows a blind piano player who unwittingly becomes embroiled in the murder of a former actor.
Chatrapathi is a 2023 Indian Hindi-language action film directed by V. V. Vinayak and produced by Jayantilal Gada of Pen India Limited. It is a remake of the 2005 Telugu film of the same name. The film stars Bellamkonda Sreenivas in his Hindi film debut playing the titular role with Nushrat Bharucha, Bhagyashree, Sharad Kelkar, Freddy Daruwala, Karan Singh Chhabra, Rajendra Gupta and Rajesh Sharma play supporting roles.
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.
