Principal photography began in May 2019, after the film's official announcement, and was shot predominantly across Hyderabad, Mumbai and Thailand, before the shooting wrapped in January 2020. The film's score is composed by S. Thaman, with the soundtrack album being composed by Amit Trivedi. The cinematography is handled by P. G. Vinda and editing done by Marthand K. Venkatesh.
After a scheduled theatrical release of 25 March 2020, coinciding with Ugadi, was postponed indefinitely due to COVID-19 pandemic, V was released on Amazon Prime Video on 5 September 2020, thus becoming the first mainstream Telugu film to have a digital release.[8] The film received mixed reviews from critics with praise for its cast performances (especially Nani & Sudheer Babu), soundtrack and cinematography, but criticised its script and pace. However, the film was the most watched Telugu film in a streaming platform in 2020.[9] The film was re-released on 1 January 2021 following its digital release.[10] Sudheer Babu won the Critics Choice Award for Best Actor – Telugu, at the 9th SIIMA award for his performance.
Plot
DCP Aditya handles a communal riot in Hyderabad. He is awarded a gallantry medal a year later, for solving various cases. The following night, Prasad, an Inspector, is grotesquely murdered by an unnamed killer who leaves a note challenging Aditya to catch him. Aditya suspects Apoorva, an aspiring crime novelist who he met the previous night, to have some link with the killer as she was in contact with Prasad. However, Apoorva only met Prasad for her research, during which she overhears Prasad telling a realtor named Mallik that their lives are under threat.
Meanwhile, the killer calls Aditya, challenging him to prevent four more murders, failing which he shall give up his medals and resign. Aditya accepts the challenge. On deducing that the killer's name starts with "V", Aditya arrests a person Vicky, based on the history between him and Prasad. Vicky tells Aditya about a man who enquired about Prasad and Mallik. On knowing Mallik could be the next target, Aditya rushes to save him, only to see that he is already killed. The killer, this time, leaves a clue hinting next location of the target. Aditya and Apoorva crack the clue, and Aditya heads to Mumbai.
The killer escapes narrowly, upon killing his target. He later sends Aditya an image of Aditya's school days, which makes Aditya suspect Vishnu, his fellow schoolmate, and a popular student-athlete. He learns from his school in Vizag that Vishnu is an ex-INA soldier with an impeccable record of eliminating terrorists. Aditya visits a colleague of Vishnu who tells their past.
Past: Vishnu loved and married Saheba, who he met when he was off-duty. However, when Saheba is pregnant, Vishnu, unable to get leave to visit her, was forced to attend his duty in Jammu and Kashmir. When Vishnu and his colleague are off to a mission, the bus they travel is bombed, falling into an adjacent river. Vishnu is last seen being washed away. Saheba, too is killed in the communal riots which Aditya handled, but there is no record of Saheba's death.
Present: Upon investigation, Aditya learns that Saheba was last seen going to a jewelry shop to buy a gift for Vishnu, who was supposed to return soon. Aditya tries to retrieve the shop's CCTV footage, but it's missing. Aditya suspects the manager and asks his team to follow him. And they trace out a lady who reveals to them the conspiracy behind the riot. The lady ran a girls Hostel, but she would pimp the girls, often by force. One night, a girl finds her friend being raped and films the incident where she takes the video to a local don Sadik Hassan, whom she believes would help him. But Sadik Hassan finds an opportunity to blackmail the Home Minister, whose son Ranjith is also behind the murders. The minister conspired to kill Sadik Hassan and retrieve the video.
Aditya, who learns that people who are involved in the conspiracy are being killed, fails to protect the fourth target as well. The final target of the killer, the home minister's son, Ranjith, is in Thailand. Aditya travels to Thailand to save Ranjith, but Ranjith is beheaded by Vishnu, who leaves a note reading he shall meet soon. Later, Aditya resigns from his job, accepting his defeat. The police save their face by blaming and killing an innocent pickpocketer named Vamsi, and the case is closed. Days later, Vishnu and Aditya meet, where Aditya reveals that he indeed helped Vishnu by killing the guards of Ranjith, thus isolating him to be killed by Vishnu. He does so because his team is infiltrated on instruction to kill both Vishnu and Aditya.
Vishnu tells Aditya that Saheba, on the day of the riots, tried to save the girl with the video, only to be murdered by the goons. Vishnu, who was luckily saved after the accident, receives the video recorded and e-mailed by Saheba minutes before she was killed. He then decides to avenge her death. Vishnu initially believed that Aditya was also part of the conspiracy, but upon being impressed by his integrity, Vishnu hands over the video to Aditya, to expose the criminals. Aditya later releases it to the press and regains his job. Days later, Apoorva writes a novel about the events, titled Saheba. Vishnu, who receives a copy, sees that it has been dedicated to V.
Originally, Mohana Krishna Indraganti planned a sequel for his 2016 film Gentleman, with Nani and Sharwanand in the lead roles.[11] In December 2018, Dulquer Salmaan was approached to star in the film soon after Sharwanand's exit,[12][13] but, however, he could not act in the film due to prior commitments.[14]Sudheer Babu was later confirmed to play a lead role, marking his second collaboration with Indraganti after Sammohanam (2018). In March 2019, sources claimed that Nani's film is not a sequel to Gentleman, but a neo-noir crime thriller with a fresh script.[15] The actor was reported to play a character with negative shades,[16] whereas Babu will be seen as a cop.[17]
In March 2019, Aditi Rao Hydari signed to be a part of the lead cast.[18] The film marked Hydari's second collaboration with Babu and Indraganti after Sammohanam.[19]Nivetha Thomas' presence was confirmed in April 2019.[20]Bollywood composer Amit Trivedi signed in to score music for the film, the very same month, marking his second Telugu film after Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy (2019).[21] On 29 April 2019, the makers announced the titular poster of the film, being titled as V,[22] also marking Nani's 25th film, featuring him in a negative role for the first time.[23][24]
Filming
Principal photography of began in April 2019 while its second schedule started on 12 June 2019 with Babu and other artists.[25] Babu allotted a call sheet of 30 days, for the second schedule.[25] Nani started shooting for the film on 11 August 2019.[26][27] In September 2019, filming location changed to Thailand where major scenes were shot with Babu and Nani,[28] with the former being hurt while filming an action sequence.[29] The makers shot few action sequences at a forest located at Phuket, which was wrapped up in October 2019.[30] The shooting of the film was wrapped up in January 2020.[31]
123Telugu reviewed "The album of V is quite modern and at the same time has a classical touch to it. The emotion and mood of the film are carried through the songs and Amit Trivedi has done a solid job with the songs. Manasu Maree and Vastunna Vacchestunna are already solid hits but the other songs are also good making this a foot-tapping album. You will like them, even more, when the film is out."[34]
The film was initially scheduled to release on 25 March 2020 coinciding with Ugadi,[35] but was postponed due to the COVID-19 lockdown in India.[36] In June 2020, Nani refuted rumours of a direct release, through over-the-top media services, and confirmed that the film is scheduled for a theatrical release.[37] In August 2020, the makers decided to release the film directly on a streaming platform,[38] after the uncertainty over the reopening of theatres, which were closed due to the lockdown.[39]
On 20 August, the makers officially announced that the film would be released through Amazon Prime Video on 5 September 2020.[40] The release date coincided with Nani's debut in the film industry, after his 2008 film Ashta Chamma,[41] which is also directed by Mohana Krishna Indraganti.[42] The film became one of the first major Telugu films, to be released directly on a streaming platform.[43]
Amazon Prime Video premiered the film eventually on 4 September,[8] ahead of the scheduled release date,[44] and it was dubbed in Tamil, Malayalam and Kannada, which had a release on the same day.[45] The makers re-released the film in theatres on 1 January 2021, coinciding with New Year's Day.[46] The Hindi dubbed version began streaming on Prime Video from 4 April 2021.[47]
Reception
Sangeetha Devi Dundoo of The Hindu, wrote that "V could have benefited with a far more engaging story. As it stands now, it’s a pale story that doesn’t make you root for its prime characters."[48] Hemanth Kumar of the Firstpost, who rated the film 2.5 out of five, also noted "V is a Telugu film, and if a top star is portrayed as an anti-hero, he cannot be a diabolical person at any cost."[49] Haricharan Pudipeddi of The Hindustan Times reviewed "V is a major misfire from Indraganti, whose intent to go big fails gloriously. For Nani, who had bet a lot on this film, it will go down as a big disappointment. If only Nani took some inspiration in storytelling from his last production venture, HIT, a gripping investigative thriller, V could have been a far better film."[50]
Manoj Kumar of The Indian Express granted the film 2.5 stars out of five and wrote, "Indraganti has gone the extra mile while writing scenes for Vishnu...However, Mohana doesn’t show an equal amount of love for other key characters", and gave a verdict "V is not the popcorn movie that we deserve but the one we need right now."[51] Janaki K. of India Today who also rated 2.5 out of five, wrote that "Director Mohan Krishna Indraganti’s V had a solid premise that could have been made into a slick thriller. With shortcomings in the screenplay, V doesn’t excite you as it intended to. Nonetheless, certain moments will make it an interesting watch."[52]
Neetishta Nyayapati of The Times of India, gave 3 out of 5 and wrote, "Mohan Krishna Indraganti takes a gamble and tries to show that he can do more than make feel-good dramas. And the film he shows, despite the predictability, definitely has the potential to be more. If only it rose beyond the usual tropes. This is not an unwatchable film by any measure, because it definitely has its moments that will make you want to know what comes next."[53] Gauthaman Bhaskaran of News18 gave the film 1.5 out of 5 stating, "The film lacks a thoughtful approach on the director's part. In its runtime of 140-minutes, V hardly offers anything to look forward to."[54]Baradwaj Rangan of Film Companion wrote "This super-predictable film, like V's cigarettes, is a hash. It’s a movie about murders that’s impossible to take seriously. It’s a comedy of terrors."[55]Sify gave the film 3 out of 5 and stated "V is a revenge drama that has weak writing. Clichéd and predictable later portions have marred the mood."[56]
Legal issues
On 2 March 2021, the Bombay High Court ordered Amazon Prime Video to take down all versions of the film until they removed the image of Mumbai-based actress Sakshi Malik used without her consent.[57] On 4 March 2021, the court allowed the film's re-release after Malik confirmed that the deletion was satisfactory.[58]
↑ Awards, festivals and organizations are in alphabetical order.
↑ Date is linked to the article about the awards held that year, wherever possible.
Related Research Articles
Mohana Krishna Indraganti is an Indian director known for his works predominantly in Telugu cinema. His debut directorial venture Grahanam (2005) fetched him eleven awards including the National Film Award for Best First Film of a Director, the Nandi Award for Best First Film of a Director and the Gollapudi Srinivas Award for Best First Film of a Director. The film was also showcased in the Indian panorama section of the 2005 International Film Festival of India. He holds a Master of Fine Arts degree from York University.
Aditi Rao Hydari is an Indian actress who works primarily in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu films. Born into the Tyabji–Hydari family, she made her film debut with the Malayalam film Prajapathi (2006). She received attention for her roles in Delhi 6 (2009) and Yeh Saali Zindagi (2011), for which she won her first Screen Award. She subsequently appeared in Rockstar (2011), the horror film Murder 3 (2013), Boss (2013), and the thriller Wazir (2016), as well as the period drama Padmaavat (2018), which was commercially successful and earned her an IIFA Award.
Ghanta Naveen Babu, known professionally as Nani, is an Indian actor and producer who predominantly works in Telugu cinema. Nani is a recipient of several accolades including two Nandi Awards, three Filmfare Awards South and four South Indian International Movie Awards.
Nivetha Thomas is an Indian actress who appears in Telugu, Malayalam and Tamil language films. She made her film debut as a child artist in the 2008 Malayalam film Veruthe Oru Bharya, for which she won the Kerala State Film Award for Best Child Artist.
Posani Naga Sudheer Babu is an Indian actor and former professional badminton player. He works primarily in Telugu films. Debuted as a lead actor in Shiva Manasulo Shruti (2012), Babu's successful films include Prema Katha Chitram (2013), Baaghi (2016), and Sammohanam (2018). He won SIIMA Special Jury award for his performance in Sammohanam.
Sridevi Movies(Telugu: శ్రీదేవి మూవీస్) is an Indian film production and distribution company established in 1987 by Sivalenka Krishna Prasad, nephew of veteran Telugu film actor Chandra Mohan. The company is based in Hyderabad and has produced films in Telugu and Tamil languages. The production house is known for projects like Aditya 369 which was one of India's first science-fiction movie starring Nandamuri Balakrishna released in the year 1991 under the direction of filmmaker Singeetam Srinivasa Rao.
Nani Gentleman is a 2016 Indian Telugu-language romantic thriller film directed by Mohan Krishna Indraganti who wrote the film with R.David Nathan. Produced by Sivalenka Krishna Prasad's Sridevi Movies, Gentleman stars Nani in double role alongside Surbhi, Nivetha Thomas, Tanikella Bharani, Srinivas Avasarala and Vennela Kishore. The film narrates the story of two women, Aishwarya and Catherine, whose respective lovers, Jayaram and Gautham, are lookalikes. When Gautham dies in an accident, Catherine suspects Jai's role in it and spies on him, which reveals further truths about Jai and the people around him, including Gautham.
Nivetha Pethuraj is an Indian actress who appears in Tamil and Telugu films. She made her acting debut with the Tamil film Oru Naal Koothu (2016). She then made her Telugu debut with Mental Madhilo (2017). Her notable productions include Chitralahari (2019), Paagal (2020), Das Ka Dhamki (2023) and the crime thriller television series Paruvu.
SIIMA Award for Best Actor – Telugu is presented by Vibri media group as part of its annual South Indian International Movie Awards, for the best acting done by an actor in Telugu films. The award was first given in 2012 for films released in 2011. Mahesh Babu is the most nominated with 8 nominations and most awarded, winning four times.
Nani is an Indian actor, film producer and television presenter who works predominantly in Telugu films and appears in a few Tamil films. He made his acting debut with Mohana Krishna Indraganti's 2008 comedy film Ashta Chamma, an Indian adaptation of Oscar Wilde's play The Importance of Being Earnest. After Ashta Chamma's commercial success, Nani played the lead roles in three Telugu films in the next two years: Ride (2009), Snehituda (2009) and Bheemili Kabaddi Jattu (2010). In 2011, Nani collaborated with B. V. Nandini Reddy on the romantic comedy film Ala Modalaindi which was profitable. The same year, he made his Tamil cinema debut with Anjana Ali Khan's Veppam, a crime drama set in the backdrop of North Chennai. The following year, Nani collaborated with S. S. Rajamouli and Gautham Vasudev Menon on the Telugu-Tamil bilingual Eega and the romance film Yeto Vellipoyindhi Manasu respectively. The former, which was about a murdered man reincarnating as a housefly and avenging his death, earned Nani an award in the Best Hero category at the 2013 Toronto After Dark Film Festival. He received the Nandi Award for Best Actor for his performance in Yeto Vellipoyindhi Manasu.
Sammohanam (transl. Enchantment) is a 2018 Indian Telugu-language romantic drama film written and directed by Mohana Krishna Indraganti. Produced by Sivalenka Krishna Prasad, it features Sudheer Babu and Aditi Rao Hydari in the lead roles. The music was composed by Vivek Sagar with cinematography by P. G. Vinda. Aditi made her Telugu debut through this film. This film is the first film of Mohana Krishna's Cinema Trilogy.
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