Sooryavanshi | |
---|---|
Directed by | Rohit Shetty |
Screenplay by | Yunus Sajawal |
Dialogues by |
|
Story by | Rohit Shetty |
Produced by | Hiroo Yash Johar Aruna Bhatia Karan Johar Apoorva Mehta Rohit Shetty |
Starring | Akshay Kumar Katrina Kaif Jackie Shroff Ajay Devgn Ranveer Singh |
Cinematography | Jomon T. John |
Edited by | Bunty Nagi |
Music by | Score: Amar Mohile Songs: Pritam Tanishk Bagchi Pav Dharia Viju Shah Lijo George – DJ Chetas JAM8 Usha Khanna |
Production companies | |
Distributed by | PVR Pictures |
Release date |
|
Running time | 145 minutes [1] [2] |
Country | India |
Language | Hindi |
Budget | ₹160 crore [3] |
Box office | est.₹294.91 crore [4] |
Sooryavanshi is a 2021 Indian Hindi-language action drama film [2] [5] written and directed by Rohit Shetty and produced by Reliance Entertainment, Rohit Shetty Picturez, Dharma Productions and Cape of Good Films. It is the fourth instalment of the Cop Universe . The film stars Akshay Kumar in the titular role, with Ajay Devgn and Ranveer Singh returning as Singham and Simmba in cameo roles. Katrina Kaif, Jaaved Jaaferi, Vivan Bhatena, Niharica Raizada Jackie Shroff, Gulshan Grover, Nikitin Dheer, Sikandar Kher, Abhimanyu Singh and Kumud Mishra appear in pivotial supporting roles. Kumar's character was announced towards the end of Simmba that served as a character introduction.
Sooryavanshi initially locked to release on 24 March 2020 and then 2021, it was postponed due to COVID-19 pandemic in India. After several delays, it finally released theatrically on 5 November 2021 coinciding with Diwali. The film received mixed reviews from critics and went on to become the highest grossing Hindi film of 2021 with a gross of ₹294 crore after the COVID-19 pandemic. [6]
During the 1993 Mumbai blasts, Veer "Surya" Sooryavanshi loses his parents, where he becomes motivated to become an IPS officer. Years later, Bilal Ahmed, the mastermind of the blasts escapes from India, seeks refuge with dreaded terrorist Omar Hafeez at AJK in Pakistan as they begin planning more such attacks. Omar's sons Riyaaz Hafeez and Raza Hafeez return from London quiting there studies after hearing news of their eldest brother an officer in Pakistan Army was killed by Indian Soilders in Kargil War in response formed a sleeper cell network consisting of 40 terrorists, who pose as Indians, aiming to conduct more bombings after the 2008 Mumbai attacks. Surya, who is now the DCP and ATS chief, plans an operation in Jaisalmer and manages to kidnap Riyaaz, who was hiding his identity under a false identity.
Joint CP and Surya's senior officer Kabir Shroff, who was the only person able to fully solve the case, reveals about a full ton of RDX, which was brought to India, of which 400 kgs were used during the 1993 bombings and the remnant 600 kgs are still buried somewhere in the country. Surya plans to catch the sleeper cell's remaining members, while also trying to reconcile with his estranged wife Dr. Riya Gupta, with whom he separated with when his son gets shot while catching a wanted criminal, but to no avail. Surya comes across Islamic priest Kader Usmani, who is in fact a terrorist and Bilal's accomplice. Usmani meets Bilal, whose residence in Sawantwadi houses the wanted 600 kgs of RDX. They remove the buried RDX and prepare for the next bombings. Bilal reaches Mumbai using a fake identity with the help of taxi driver John Mascarenhas, who leaves for Bangkok.
Surya catches Bilal, who confesses that he undertook the bombings as revenge for his family being killed in 1993 Riots and shoots himself to death. Omar Hafiz after learing of Bilal's death now sends his younger Son Raza giving a Sri Lankan Passport to exact revenge of Bilal's Death and also finish unfinished business. Later, John is apprehended in Bangkok after a long chase between him and Surya, who learns that the bombs were being made by another member of the sleeper cell. Usmani and John are arrested; Surya plans to pretend to torture Usmani's daughters to make him confess. Usmani finally reveals that Riyaaz will meet him at his aide Rafique's residence. A suicidal bomb planted there kills Usmani, whose elder daughter helps in identifying the bombmaker Vivek a.k.a Mukhtar Ansari who also the son of Omar Hafiz right hand, who is hiding in Shivgad. Surya sends Inspector Sangram "Simmba" Bhalerao to arrest him.
Simmba tells Surya that 7 bombs are to be planted at 7 locations in Mumbai. Riyaaz escapes with healp of Raza and it is revealed that the ATS's headquarters would also be bombed. Surya and his team enlist NSG's and Indian Air Force Choppers help to safely extradite the bombs via helicopters and the bombings get botched. However, Riyaaz and his team use Riya as a suicide bomber to attack the ATS headquarters keeping Surya, Simmba and the other cops as hostages. Surya's friend DCP Bajirao Singham arrives and they defuse the bomb wrapped around Ria, while killing all the terrorists. They capture Mukhtar, Riyaaz and his younger brother Raza, who taunt Singham, Simmba and Surya that they have been in India as sleeper cells for many years, carrying several attacks in Mumbai and that the police cannot harm them. Enraged, Singham, Simmba and Surya shoot them to death, thus bringing peace in Mumbai.
Sooryavanshi was announced in December 2018 through post-credit scenes of Simmba . [18] The first look posters featuring Akshay Kumar were unveiled in March 2019. Unlike earlier entries in the series, Sooryavanshi is not based on any existing work, but is an original story. [19] The scripting of the film began in Goa in 2019. [20]
Akshay Kumar was finalised as the main lead and it was announced during end credits of Simmba, conceiving the idea for the "Cop Universe". [21] Shetty stated, "In Simmba, Ajay Devgn made a special appearance in his Bajirao Singham avatar, while Ranveer Singh too played a cop. Now in Sooryavanshi, both Ranveer and Ajay will be making an appearance and it will not be surprising if they reprise their respective roles from Simmba and Singham". [22] Jacqueline Fernandez was rumoured to be the female lead opposite Kumar in the film, [23] however later in March 2019 it was confirmed that Katrina Kaif was finalised as the female lead. [24]
Miscellaneous work of the film commenced in February 2019 in Mumbai, where the film's teaser was shot. Shetty began filming early in the morning and were done in a couple of hours before leaving for Goa to complete the scripting stages. [25] Principal photography commenced in Mumbai on 6 May 2019 [26] [27] and was planned to be shot in Mumbai, Goa, Hyderabad and Thailand. [28] In June 2019, the recreated version of 'Tip Tip Barsa Paani' was shot in Mumbai, where choreographer Farah Khan had choreographed the song. [29] [30] Another schedule was shot in Hyderabad, where it was a month long schedule and majority of action sequences were filmed. [31] [32] The second schedule took place in Bangkok. [33] The shooting wrapped up on 30 November 2019 in Hyderabad. The film's last schedule wrapped in December 2019 in Mumbai. [34]
The music of the film is composed by Tanishk Bagchi, Lijo George – DJ Chetas and JAM8 while lyrics are written by Rashmi Virag, Shabbir Ahmed, Anand Bakshi, Tanishk Bagchi and Prem Dhawan. [35] The album was released through T-Series on 7 November 2021. [35]
Initially announced as an Eid 2020 release, the film was rescheduled to 27 March 2020. [36] Later, in February 2020, the makers decided to release it on 24 March 2020. [37] However, the COVID-19 pandemic in India caused it to be postponed. [38] In June 2020, Reliance Entertainment confirmed that Sooryavanshi will finally hit cinemas on Diwali, that is 13 November 2020, but due to theatre guidelines owing to the continuity of pandemic, the film was again put on hold as stated by the makers. [39] [40] In October 2020, the release was postponed to a later date, [41] possibly between January and March 2021. [42] In February 2021, sources confirmed that makers of Sooryavanshi have fixed 2 April 2021 as its new release date but that again failed to get materialised, because of night curfew or partial lockdown impose in Maharashtra announced by its government. [43] After a delay of more than one year, it was declared on 14 March 2021 that the film will finally release theatrically on 30 April 2021. [44] As of April 2021, the release date of film had been postponed indefinitely due to rise in COVID-19 cases and lockdown in Maharashtra. [45] [46] On 15 October 2021, it was announced that it will be released theatrically on 5 November 2021, coinciding with Diwali. [47]
The film's digital rights were purchased by Netflix for ₹100 crore (US$12 million), and was premiered on 3 December 2021. [48]
On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , 36% of 11 critics' reviews are positive, with an average rating of 4.8/10. [49]
Archika Khurana from The Times of India gave 3 stars out of 5 and wrote, "Rohit Shetty has tactfully expanded his Cop Universe over the years – keeping the audience engaged and die-hard fans of the genre on the edge. After the Singham series (headlined by Ajay Devgn) and then Simbaa (starring Ranveer Singh), now storms in, Sooryavanshi (Akshay Kumar), amidst much fanfare, drama, and blaring theatrics. Sooryavanshi's character was subtly announced towards the end of Simmba. The film has all the elements, attitude, style, showmanship and heavy-duty star power expected of a Rohit Shetty offering." [50]
Anuj Kumar from The Hindu equated the film with a pandemic. He opined that the film "planted seeds of suspicion against a particular community". However, he praised the action sequences and performances of the cast. He summed up the film as, "Deepawali cracker that lights up the sky but covers the soul with soot." [51] Taran Adarsh of Bollywood Hungama gave 4.5 stars out of 5 on Twitter and called "Fantastic" made for mass action entertainment. Writing on the website Bollywood Hungama, he further stated that: "SOORYAVANSHI has it all: stars, scale, action and entertainment. Rohit Shetty presents a Blockbuster package this Diwali." [52] [53]
Shubhra Gupta from The Indian Express gave 2 stars and called, "It is only when the trio of Akshay Kumar, Ranveer Singh and Ajay Devgn come together, the Rohit Shetty movie gives us what it promises, three for the price of one." [54]
Nandini Ramnath of Scroll.in gave 2 out of 5 stars and said, "The gist of the 145-minute movie is contained in the extended climactic action sequence." [55] Monika Rawal Kukreja of Hindustan Times said, "Sooryavanshi isn't driven by a great script neither does it have any extraordinary suspense that could bring nail-biting moments. Yet, it keeps you on the edge for the sheer joy of watching that over-the-top action." [56] Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV gave the film 2.5 stars rating and wrote, "Akshay's gait is stunt in itself: a cross between a model in the middle of catwalk and a superhero about to take flight. Just like Simmba had provided a glimpse of what was to come in the next instalment, Sooryavanshi indicates what the future might hold for the Rohit Shetty cop universe." [57]
Himesh Mankad of Pinkvilla gave the film a rating of 3 stars out of 5 and wrote, "Sooryavanshi has its share of flaws, but also has enough going in its favor to entertain the audience on the big screen. It's a vehicle driven by Akshay Kumar, who gets support from Ajay Devgn and Ranveer Singh in the finale, resulting in a Diwali Dhamaka. It's unlike any Rohit Shetty film to date, rather, among his aesthetically sound directorial, which just deserved a little better writing and editing." [58] Pradeep Menon from Firstpost gave the film 3 out of 5 stars rating and wrote, "Sooryavanshi doubles and triples down on its Hindu-Muslim unity message every instance it gets. It is not always done with nuance or understanding of complex religious dynamics, but the intentions are clear. This is a filmmaker reacting to the times he is living in. Keeping all of that aside, Sooryavanshi is a competent action film that sticks to lane, and delivers at least as much over-the-top entertainment as it promises." [59]
Joginder Tuteja from Rediff.com gave the film 4.5 stars out of 5 and stated, "Sooryavanshi isn't the kind of masala entertainment that many film-makers have tried to force feed the audience. It is pure big screen entertainment, something that truly works right through its near two and a half hour duration. It's remarkable to notice how there is no dull moment in this two-and-a-half hour film, showing yet again that a long movie can work if made with conviction and loads of exciting sequences, just like Manmohan Desai used to do in his films with one highlight every 10 minutes." [60] Deccan Herald gave a rating of 2.5/5 and said, "The best part of Sooryavanshi is when Simmba Bhalerao (Ranveer Singh) and Bajirao Singham (Ajay Devgn) join Veer Sooryavanshi (Akshay Kumar) in a high-octane clash against terrorists. The final 15-20 minutes is fun as the trio revels in slick action and whacky comedy." [61]
Among international critics, Devika Girish of The New York Times criticised the film for uncritical jingoism and said "'Sooryavanshi' is weighed down by such endless, didactic soapboxing, while the rest of this erratic film devotes itself to juvenile jokes [...] and sultry songs that offer the film's female lead, Katrina Kaif, her only meaningful screen time." [62]
According to Indian publication The Quint, Sooryavanshi "criminalises normal Muslim behaviour" and associates "things that a large number of Indian Muslims feel, say or do in their daily life" with terrorists. [63] [64] Washington Post columnist Rana Ayyub said that the movie stoked "Islamophobic tropes" and compared the film to propaganda films from Nazi Germany. [65]
Sooryavanshi earned ₹26.29 crore (US$3.2 million) at the domestic box office on its opening day. On the second day, the film collected ₹23.85 crore (US$2.9 million). On the third day, the film collected ₹26.94 crore (US$3.2 million), taking total weekend domestic collection to ₹77.08 crore (US$9.2 million). [4]
As of 20 December 2021 [update] , the film grossed ₹233.33 crore (US$28 million) in India and ₹61.58 crore (US$7.4 million) overseas, for a worldwide gross collection of ₹294.91 crore (US$35 million). [4] It emerged as the highest-grossing Hindi films of the year.
Sooryavanshi was the first major release post COVID-19 pandemic era, which revived the exhibition sector for Hindi cinema. Earlier, few films including Akshay Kumar's other film Bell Bottom got limited release, though it did almost ₹30 crore, but unable to revive. Sooryavanshi proved to be the ice breaker for the box office business in Bollywood. [66] [67]
Rohit Shetty said after the success of the film:
We fought for almost 19 months, where everyone told me my decision was wrong. Even till Thursday a lot of people were like, ‘He has gone mad, nobody is going to come to theatres.’ But there was a belief that they would come. We analysed a lot of things – the Ganesh Utsav, Navratri, how schools and malls started opening up, and how people started going back to work.
When all of this was happening, I knew people would come to the theatres. Someone had to take the first step. I knew I had to take the risk and now I think it was worth taking. It was not just about me but the livelihood of all those connected to the theatrical business. [68] [69]
Akshay Kumar reprised his role as Sooryavanshi in Singham Again . This crossover continues Rohit Shetty's interconnected Cop Universe, linking characters and storylines across his films. [70]
Vishal Veeru Devgan, known professionally as Ajay Devgn, is an Indian actor, film director, and producer who works primarily in Hindi cinema. One of the most prolific actors of Hindi cinema, Devgn has appeared in over 100 films and has won numerous accolades, including four National Film Awards and four Filmfare Awards. In 2016, he was honoured by the Government of India with the Padma Shri, the country's fourth-highest civilian honour.
Rohit Shetty is an Indian filmmaker, stuntman, writer, producer and television personality who works in Hindi cinema. A notable director of Hindi cinema, his movies often mix the genres of action comedy and masala films.
Suhaag is a 1994 Indian Hindi-language action film directed by Kuku Kohli starring Ajay Devgn, Akshay Kumar, Karisma Kapoor and Nagma in lead roles. Suhaag was one of the highest-grossing Bollywood films of 1994 and was the first film where actors Ajay Devgn and Akshay Kumar shared screen space. The duo went on to appear in Khakee (2004), Insan (2005) and in Rohit Shetty's Cop Universe films Sooryavanshi (2021) and Singham Again (2024).
Ajay Devgn is an Indian actor, director and producer who works in Hindi films. He debuted as an actor in Phool Aur Kaante (1991), which won him the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut. Devgn then played a kickboxer in the martial arts film Jigar (1992) and a blind in Vijaypath (1994) and starred in Suhaag (1994), Dilwale (1994), Diljale (1996), Jaan (1996), Ishq (1997), Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha (1998), and Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999). He garnered Filmfare Best Actor nominations for Naajayaz and Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam and also won his first National Film Award for Best Actor for his performance in Zakhm (1998). In 2000, Devgn started Ajay Devgn FFilms, producing and headlining the commercially unsuccessful Raju Chacha. He received a Filmfare Best Supporting Actor nomination for enacting a dacoit in the ensemble film Lajja (2001).
Ranveer Singh Bhavnani is an Indian actor who works in Hindi films. He is the recipient of several awards, including five Filmfare Awards. He is among the highest-paid Indian actors and has been featured in Forbes India's Celebrity 100 list since 2012.
Singham is a 2011 Indian Hindi-language action film directed by Rohit Shetty and produced by Reliance Entertainment, based on a script by writers Yunus Sajawal and Farhad-Sajid. It serves as the first installment of Shetty's Cop Universe. A remake of the 2010 Tamil film of the same title by Hari, the film stars Ajay Devgn in the lead role as a police officer named Bajirao Singham alongside Kajal Aggarwal and Prakash Raj, who reprises him from the original.
Sidharth Malhotra is an Indian actor who works in Hindi films. He began his career as a fashion model, but left it to pursue acting as an assistant director to Karan Johar in My Name Is Khan (2010). He had his first lead role in Johar's teen film Student of the Year (2012).
Akshay Kumar is an Indian actor, television presenter, and film producer who works in Hindi-language films. He had a minor role in the 1987 Indian film Aaj. He debuted in a leading role with the film Saugandh (1991) before his breakthrough with Khiladi (1992), first film of the Khiladi series. In 1994, Kumar featured in 14 releases, including the successful Elaan, Mohra, Main Khiladi Tu Anari, Suhaag and the romantic drama Yeh Dillagi, which earned him a Filmfare Award for Best Actor nomination. He also found success with Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi (1996) and Dil To Pagal Hai (1997), which earned him a Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor nomination. However, several other of his 1990s releases performed poorly at the box office, leading to a brief setback in his film career.
Singham Returns is a 2014 Indian Hindi-language action film written-directed by Rohit Shetty and produced by Ajay Devgn FFilms, Reliance Entertainment and Rohit Shetty Picturez. It serves as a sequel to the 2011 film Singham and the second installment in Shetty's Cop Universe. Ajay Devgn reprises his role as Bajirao Singham, while Kareena Kapoor Khan plays the female lead, replacing Kajal Aggarwal.
Devgn Films, formerly known as Ajay Devgn FFilms, is an Indian film production and distribution company established by actor Ajay Devgn and his father Veeru Devgn in 1999. Based in Mumbai, it mainly produces and distributes Hindi films. In 2000, Devgn Films released its first film, Raju Chacha. The film starred Devgn and Kajol. Raju Chacha received mixed reviews but grossed ₹82.5 million at the box office. In 2015, Devgn started a visual effects company, NY VFXWAALA.
Golmaal is an Indian comedy film series directed by Rohit Shetty, with four installments to date, the first three produced by Dhilin Mehta, the fourth by Shetty and Sangeeta Ahir and the fifth which is a spin off is produced by Shetty with Bhushan Kumar. The first film Golmaal: Fun Unlimited released in 2006 and was followed by 3 direct sequels:Golmaal Returns (2008), Golmaal 3 (2010) and Golmaal Again (2017). All four films starred Ajay Devgn, Arshad Warsi, Tusshar Kapoor, Sanjay Mishra, Vrajesh Hirjee and Mukesh Tiwari, with Shreyas Talpade, Ashwini Kalsekar and Murali Sharma appearing in three and Kareena Kapoor, Kunal Khemu and Johnny Lever appearing in two. The series also has a spin-off named Cirkus was released on 23 December 2022.
Simmba is a 2018 Indian Hindi-language action comedy film directed by Rohit Shetty and produced by Rohit Shetty Picturez, Reliance Entertainment and Dharma Productions. The third installment of Shetty's Cop Universe, it stars Ranveer Singh, Sonu Sood and Sara Ali Khan with Ajay Devgn reprising his role of Singham in a cameo role. A remake of the 2015 Telugu film Temper, the film follows Sangram "Simmba" Bhalerao, a corrupt police officer hailing from the same town as Singham, who is forced to lead a more righteous path after tragedy strikes those near him.
The Cop Universe or Copverse is an Indian media franchise and shared universe created by Rohit Shetty. It consists of media that focuses on police officers. The franchise includes films, animated series, video games and television series. The universe was established by crossing over common plot elements, settings, cast, and characters.
Cirkus is a 2022 Indian Hindi-language period comedy-drama film directed and produced by Rohit Shetty. The film is jointly produced by Rohit Shetty Pictures and T-Series. The film stars Ranveer Singh and Varun Sharma in dual roles alongside Pooja Hegde, Jacqueline Fernandez, Johny Lever, Sanjay Mishra. In the film, two sets of identical twins mixed up at birth encounter each other as adults.
Singham Again is a 2024 Indian Hindi-language action film written and directed by Rohit Shetty, who also co-produced it under Rohit Shetty Picturez, alongside Reliance Entertainment, Jio Studios and Devgn Films. The film stars Ajay Devgn in the title role, alongside Akshay Kumar, Ranveer Singh, Tiger Shroff, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Deepika Padukone, and Arjun Kapoor. It is the fifth installment of Shetty's Cop Universe franchise.
Indian actor Ranveer Singh made his acting debut with Yash Raj Films' romantic comedy Band Baaja Baaraat, opposite Anushka Sharma. He won the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut for his performance. He then appeared opposite Sharma again the company's Ladies vs Ricky Bahl (2011). In 2013, Singh received critical acclaim for playing a melancholic thief in Lootera, and emerged a star with in Sanjay Leela Bhansali's romantic drama Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela, alongside Deepika Padukone.
Sooryavanshi is the soundtrack album to the 2021 film of the same name directed by Rohit Shetty, which is the fourth instalment in Shetty's Cop Universe, starring Akshay Kumar in the titular role, alongside Katrina Kaif and featured Ranveer Singh and Ajay Devgn, reprising their roles from the previous films. The album featured five songs composed by Tanishk Bagchi, Lijo George–DJ Chetas and JAM8 while lyrics are written by Rashmi Virag, Shabbir Ahmed, Anand Bakshi and Bagchi. The album was released through T-Series label on 7 November 2021.
Made on a staggeringly high budget of Rs. 160 cr.