Wild Dog (film)

Last updated

Wild Dog
Wild Dog poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed byAhishor Solomon
Written byAhishor Solomon
Produced by S. Niranjan Reddy
K. Anvesh Reddy
Starring Nagarjuna
Dia Mirza
Saiyami Kher
Atul Kulkarni
CinematographyShaneil Deo
Edited byShravan Katikaneni
Music by S. Thaman
Production
company
Matinee Entertainment
Release date
  • 2 April 2021 (2021-04-02)
Running time
127 minutes [1]
CountryIndia
LanguageTelugu
Budget₹6 crore [2]
Box officeest.₹7 crore [3]

Wild Dog is a 2021 Indian Telugu-language action thriller film written and directed by debutant Ahishor Solomon. Produced by Matinee Entertainment, the film stars Nagarjuna Akkineni, Dia Mirza, Saiyami Kher, and Atul Kulkarni. [4] The film includes many terrorist incidents in India, including the Gokul Chat bomb blast in 2007 and the capture of Yasin Bhatkal. [5] Wild Dog released theatrically on 2 April 2021 to positive reviews. [6] [2] [3]

Contents

Plot

On 13 February 2010 at John's Bakery in Pune, a bomb explosion claims many innocent lives. Two weeks later, the Ministry of Home Affairs hands over the case to the National Investigation Agency, and its top officer Vijay Varma, also known as Wild Dog, is reenlisted by his senior friend DGP Hemanth. Through a series of investigations, Vijay and his team come across the CCTV footage of a man entering the bakery with a bag and exiting without it. Further, with the help of a survivor's testimony, they are able to create a sketch of the culprit. On the other hand, Hemanth explains to Vijay about a two-week older incident involving killings of two cops inside a truck at the Andhra–Tamil Nadu border, three days before which he had received a tip-off from the Intelligence Bureau about 50 kilograms of RDX being transported at the border. As the culprit's sketch is circulated everywhere, a shop owner quickly recognizes the suspect and explains to the cops that he let the suspect live in his house on the recommendation of a man named Mirza Baig. Vijay and his team manage to nab Baig and torture him into revealing the culprit's name: Khalid, who bombed the bakery, and his accomplice, Khatil who was supposed to blow up the Dagdusheth Temple but could not, given the tight security at the temple due to a VIP's visit.

Vijay orders a search for Khalid and sends his teammate Ali Reza undercover in prison where one of Khalid's allies, Mohammed Peerbuoy, instructs Ali to visit a library named Darul-ul-Islam in Darbhanga, Bihar under his recommendation. Through further investigating, Vijay reveals the culprit to be Khalid Bhatkal, a member of the Indian Mujahideen. On the other hand, Khalid targets Indian Premier League and enlists Khatil for the job. However, Khatil is nabbed by Vijay's team in Bihar while visiting his ailing son and provides them with Indian Mujahideen's details in exchange for his son's treatment. With his help, police nab several suspects. Asadullah, the librarian, enlists Ali to meet with a special person at Mumbai, and learning of this, Vijay believes him to be Khalid himself. In Mumbai, Khalid instructs Ali through a phone call while watching him. Vijay also keeps an eye on the movements and is about to nab Khalid as the latter prepares to meet Ali inside a taxi, but the mission is foiled by the Mumbai ATS who were following Ali due to a tip-off from the Bihar intelligence. Enraged, Vijay slaps one of the cops and is suspended from the mission. However, he continues working unofficially and through Arya, a source in Nepal, learns Khalid is hiding there. He asks for Hemanth's help, but the ministry turns them down. Vijay finally flees to Nepal along with his team to execute the covert "Operation Wild Dog".

At the rendezvous point, they are attacked by armed men, before Arya arrives and helps them fight off the attackers. Hemanth is suspected for blowing their cover since he was the only one aware of the mission. Laxman, a senior inspector at Nepal Intelligence, reveals they were attacked by the henchmen of a don named Bomzan, who is ambushed and reveals he was ordered to kill them by Abdullah, an MP working for the ISI. Vijay executes Bomzan before ordering him to lie to Abdullah about killing them. Vijay and his team fail to capture Khalid at the wedding of Abdullah's son but later succeed following a shootout with the Maoists guarding him. Laxman betrays them by revealing to Abdullah their escape in an ambulance, but Vijay improvises the route. Khalid awakens and attacks Vijay, who overpowers him as the ambulance reaches the border. Two of Vijay's teammates disguised as Indian Embassy officials request the ambulance's entry for a "VIP's operation". Vijay's defibrillation experiment involving Khalid works and seeing his life in danger, the ambulance is allowed to pass through the borders. It is further revealed that Vijay secretly texted Hemanth about a traitor in the agency and it was discovered to be Hemanth's friend Vinod, who was assisting with the operation. Vijay hands over Khalid to Hemanth and salutes the tricolor along with his team.

Cast

Production

Development

The film was announced in December 2019. Based on true events, Nagarjuna Akkineni is cast as a National Investigation Agency officer with Saiyami Kher in pivotal role. [7] S. Thaman has composed the film's score. [8]

Filming

The filming took place in Hyderabad and Goa for 20 days and a schedule was planned in Thailand. [9] Nearly 70% of the shoot was complete by February 2020, before being halted due to COVID-19 pandemic in India. [4] [10] The shooting is resumed in September 2020. [11] [12] After filming crucial sequences in Leh, Manali and Jammu the production was wrapped up in November 2020. [13]

Release

The film was originally reported to release as a Netflix Original film. [14] However, in March 2021 the producers and team of Wild Dog announced that they have withdrawn the digital deal with Netflix in order to opt for a theatrical release. [15] The date later on was announced as 2 April 2021 by Niranjan Reddy at the press meet.

Home Media

The film's digital rights were sold to Netflix. [16] The film's digital premiere took place on Netflix on 22 April 2021, after 20 days of its theatrical run in Telugu along with dubbed versions in Kannada, Malayalam, and Tamil languages. [17]

Reception

Neeshitha Nyayapati of The Times of India rated the film 3 stars of 5 and wrote, "Wild Dog is a simple story that doesn’t veer much beyond the tale of a team looking to nab a terrorist. Ahishor Solomon must be lauded for attempting to make an action film that’s devoid of any commercial elements." [18] The Hindu critic Sangeeth Devi Dundoo felt that with more attention writing in the first hour, Wild Dog could have raised the bar higher. On technical aspects, she wrote, "The film benefits from its able technical crew and special mentions are due to action director David Ismalone, cinematographer Shaneil Deo and Thaman for his background score." [19]

In his review for Firstpost , Hemanth Kumar gave the film 3/5 and stated: "Despite its packaging and pace, Wild Dog presents an overwhelming sense of familiarity in terms of characters and their motivations, leaving not much room for surprises." [20] A reviewer from The Hans India appreciated the approach to this story which did not deviate with unnecessary commercial elements. However, they opined that the screenplay could have been tighter. [21]

The Indian Express journalist Manoj Kumar R stated that Wild Dog feels "more or less it feels like a television film." He added, "Solomon’s writing is the saving grace of the film. His no-frills approach works but only to an extent." [22]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nagarjuna (actor)</span> Indian actor and film producer (born 1959)

Akkineni Nagarjuna Rao, known mononymously as Nagarjuna, is an Indian actor and film producer who works predominantly in Telugu, Hindi and Tamil films. One of the highest paid South Indian actor, Nagarjuna has appeared in over 90 films. He is a recipient of two National Film Awards for Ninne Pelladata (1996) and Annamayya (1997), ten state Nandi Awards and three Filmfare Awards South.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Annapurna Studios</span> Indian film studio and production company

Annapurna Studios is an Indian film studio facility founded in 1976 by the Telugu actor Akkineni Nageswara Rao. It is located on a 22-acre (8.9 ha) site in Banjara Hills, Hyderabad. The studio provides comprehensive production and post-production services.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amala Akkineni</span> Indian actress

Amala Akkineni is an Indian actress, Bharatanatyam dancer, and activist. She has predominantly worked in Tamil films, in addition to Telugu, Hindi, Malayalam, and Kannada-language films. She was a leading actress in the Tamil film industry from 1986 to 1992 and has appeared in many blockbusters in Tamil and other languages. She has won two Filmfare Awards South, namely Best Actress – Malayalam for the 1991 film Ulladakkam and Best Supporting Actress – Telugu for the 2012 film Life Is Beautiful. Amala is the co-founder of Blue Cross of Hyderabad, a non-government organisation (NGO) in Hyderabad, India, which works towards the welfare of animals and preservation of animal rights in India.

<i>Sisindri</i> 1995 Indian film

Sisindri is a 1995 Indian Telugu-language comedy film directed by Siva Nageswara Rao and produced by Nagarjuna. The film stars Nagarjuna's son Akhil Akkineni. Nagarjuna Akkineni, Giri Babu, Tanikella Bharani, Sudhakar, Aamani, Sarath Babu and Subhalekha Sudhakar play supporting roles. Music is composed by Raj, his debut film. The film is inspired by the American film Baby's Day Out (1994).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Naga Chaitanya</span> Indian actor (born 1986)

Nagapandi Ayyasamy, professionally known as Nagar Chaitanya is an actor in Telugu cinema. He has received several accolades including one Filmfare Award South and one Nandi Award for his work.

<i>Sudigundalu</i> 1968 Indian film

Sudigundalu (transl. Whirlpools) is a 1968 Indian Telugu-language philosophical film, produced by Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Adurthi Subba Rao under the Chakravarthy Chitra banner and directed by Adurthi Subba Rao. It stars Akkineni Nageswara Rao, and has music composed by K. V. Mahadevan. It was released on 28 June 1968. The film won the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Telugu, The Nandi Award for Best Feature Film, and the Filmfare Award for Best Film – Telugu. It marked the debut of Nageswara Rao's son Nagarjuna as child artist in a cameo. The cult classic film was screened at the Tashkent Film Festival, and the International Film Festival of India.

Syed Mohammed Ahmed Zarar Siddibappa, known as Yasin Bhatkal, is a convicted Indian Islamist terrorist, who was the co-founder and leader of the proscribed terrorist organisation Indian Mujahideen (IM). Yasin along with Riyaz Bhatkal and Iqbal Bhatkal, among others, founded the terrorist organisation around 2005. The jihadist group has carried out several attacks against civilian targets in India and Yasin was notably personally involved in the 2010 Pune bombing, 2010 Bangalore stadium bombing, 2011 Mumbai bombings, 2012 Pune bombings and the 2013 Hyderabad blasts.

<i>Bhai</i> (2013 film) 2013 Indian film

Bhai (transl. Brother) is a 2013 Indian Telugu-language action comedy film, produced by Nagarjuna Akkineni under Annapurna Studios and directed by Veerabhadram Chowdary in association with Reliance Entertainment. It stars Nagarjuna Akkineni and Richa Gangopadhyay, with music composed by Devi Sri Prasad.

The Akkineni–Daggubati family is a prominent Indian film family with a history predominantly in Telugu cinema. Akkineni Nageswara Rao and Daggubati Ramanaidu are the prominent heads of both families. Members of the family include actors, film directors, and producers.

<i>Manam</i> (film) 2014 film written and directed by Vikram Kumar

Manam (transl. Us) is a 2014 Indian Telugu-language fantasy drama film written and directed by Vikram Kumar, and produced by the Akkineni Family under the Annapurna Studios banner. The film stars Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Nagarjuna, Naga Chaitanya, Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Shriya Saran. The film is set in various time periods, over the course of a hundred years up until 2013, and deals with the concepts of rebirth and eternal love. The plot features a wealthy businessman, Nageswara Rao (Nagarjuna), attempting to bring a young couple together resembling his deceased parents and the elderly Chaitanya's attempts to bring the businessman and a doctor together. They resemble Chaitanya's deceased parents, who died because of a mistake committed by him in his childhood.

<i>Oka Laila Kosam</i> 2014 Indian Telugu-language film

Oka Laila Kosam is a 2014 Indian Telugu-language romantic comedy film written and directed by Vijay Kumar Konda. Produced by Nagarjuna on his home banner Annapurna Studios, the film features Naga Chaitanya and Pooja Hegde. Anoop Rubens composed the music for this film while I. Andrew and Praveen Pudi handled the cinematography and editing departments respectively. The film released worldwide on 17 October 2014. This film marked the Telugu debut of Pooja Hegde. Despite the collections being affected due to Cyclone Hudhud, the film was a commercial success at the box office.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saiyami Kher</span> Indian acteess

Saiyami Kher is an Indian actress who primarily works in Hindi and Telugu films. Kher made her acting debut with the Telugu film Rey (2015) and her Hindi debut with Mirzya (2016), for which she received Stardust Award for Superstar of Tomorrow – Female. Kher has since appeared in Mauli (2018), Choked (2020), Wild Dog (2021) and Ghoomer (2023). She has also starred in the streaming series Special OPS (2020) and Faadu (2022).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nagarjuna filmography</span>

Nagarjuna is an Indian actor and producer who works in the Telugu cinema. He has acted in over 90 films as a lead actor as well as playing supporting and cameo roles, including Hindi and Tamil cinema. He has received nine state Nandi Awards, three Filmfare Awards South, and one Special Mention at the National Film Awards. The 1996 film Ninne Pelladata which he produced, was declared the Best Telugu film of the year at the National Film Awards.

<i>Oopiri</i> 2016 film by Vamshi Paidipally

Oopiri (transl. Breath) is a 2016 Indian Telugu-language comedy-drama film directed by Vamshi Paidipally and produced by PVP Cinema. The film is shot simultaneously in Telugu and Tamil languages; the latter titled Thozha (transl. Friend). It stars Nagarjuna, Karthi and Tamannaah Bhatia while Prakash Raj, Ali, Vivek, Jayasudha, Kalpana and Tanikella Bharani playing supporting roles. The narrative focuses on the lives of Vikramaditya, a quadriplegic billionaire, and Seenu, his ex-convict caretaker, highlighting their realisation of the importance of life and relationships over money and disability.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Akhil Akkineni</span> Indian actor (born 1994)

Akhil Akkineni is an Indian-American actor based in India, who works primarily in Telugu cinema. Akhil was born in San Jose, California, United States, and was raised in Hyderabad, India. Akhil debuted as a child artist in the film Sisindri (1994), for which he won a Filmfare Special Award. He is also the captain of Telugu Warriors cricket team that competes in Celebrity Cricket League.

<i>Raju Gari Gadhi 2</i> 2017 Indian Telugu-language film

Raju Gari Gadhi 2 is a 2017 Indian Telugu-language comedy horror film directed by Ohmkar and produced by Prasad V. Potluri under PVP Cinema, Matinee Entertainment, and OAK Entertainments banner. The film is a sequel to Raju Gari Gadhi (2015), the second installment in Raju Gari Gadhi franchise, and a remake of the Malayalam film Pretham (2016). It stars Nagarjuna Akkineni, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Seerat Kapoor, and Ashwin Babu, while Abhinaya, Vennela Kishore, Praveen, and Rao Ramesh playing supporting roles. The music is composed by S. Thaman with cinematography by R. Diwakaran and editing by Madhu. The film released on 13 October 2017.

<i>Bigg Boss</i> (Telugu TV series) season 3 Reality TV game show – Telugu language

Bigg Boss 3 is the third season of the Telugu-language version of the Indian reality television series Bigg Boss.. It premiered on 21 July 2019 on Star Maa. Nagarjuna was the host of the season. Ramya Krishnan was guest host for Week 6 instead of Nagarjuna who was then in Spain for celebrating his 60th birthday.

<i>Agent</i> (film) 2023 Indian Telugu-language film

Agent is a 2023 Indian Telugu-language spy action thriller film directed by Surender Reddy and produced by Anil Sunkara and Rambrahmam Sunkara under AK Entertainments. The film stars Mammootty and Akhil Akkineni in the lead roles along with Dino Morea, Sakshi Vaidya and Vikramjeet Virk in supporting roles. The film marks the debut of Sakshi Vaidya and Dino Morea in Telugu cinema.

<i>Bangarraju</i> 2022 film by Kalyan Krishna Kurasala

Bangarraju is a 2022 Indian Telugu-language supernatural drama film directed by Kalyan Krishna Kurasala. Produced by Annapurna Studios and Zee Studios, Bangarraju is a sequel to the 2016 film Soggade Chinni Nayana and stars Nagarjuna, Naga Chaitanya, Ramya Krishna, and Krithi Shetty.

<i>The Ghost</i> (2022 film) 2022 film directed by Praveen Sattaru

The Ghost is a 2022 Indian Telugu-language action thriller film written & directed by Praveen Sattaru. The film stars Nagarjuna, alongside Sonal Chauhan, alongside Gul Panag, Anikha Surendran, Manish Chaudhari, Ravi Varma and Srikanth Iyengar.

References

  1. ↑ "Wild Dog". British Board of Film Classification . 2 April 2021. Retrieved 21 April 2021.
  2. 1 2 "Wild Dog: The Akkineni Nagarjuna starrer ends up as a colossal flop". The Times of India . Retrieved 18 April 2021.
  3. 1 2 Vyas (17 April 2021). "Closing Collections: Akkineni Nagarjuna's Wild Dog!". The Hans India . Retrieved 23 April 2021.
  4. 1 2 K., Janani (29 August 2020). "Nagarjuna turns 61: Wild Dog team unveils new poster on actor's birthday". India Today. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  5. ↑ "Wild Dog trailer: Akkineni Nagarjuna as NIA offer will leave no stone unturned to avenge the killing of terrorists". The Times of India.
  6. ↑ "Nagarjuna's Wild Dog to be released in theatres this April". Cinema Express . Retrieved 1 March 2021.
  7. ↑ "Nagarjuna's upcoming Telugu cop thriller titled Wild Dog, see first-look poster". Hindustan Times. 28 December 2019. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  8. ↑ "Nagarjuna Akkineni's Wild Dog to hit big screens on April 2; Actor REVEALS why they broke OTT release deal". PINKVILLA. March 2021. Retrieved 1 March 2021.
  9. ↑ "Wild Dog: Shooting of Akkineni Nagarjuna's film postponed due to the outbreak of coronavirus? - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  10. ↑ kavirayani, suresh (16 June 2020). "Safety is priority, says Solomon". Deccan Chronicle. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  11. ↑ "Nagarjuna becomes the first Telugu superstar to return to the sets in Unlock 4.0 with Ahishor Solomon's Wild Dog - Times of India". The Times of India. Retrieved 29 August 2020.
  12. ↑ "'Wild Dog' shooting recommenced". Telangana Today. Retrieved 17 October 2020.
  13. ↑ "Nagarjuna completes shooting for Wild Dog with Himalayan schedule, see pics". Hindustan Times. 6 November 2020. Retrieved 10 November 2020.
  14. ↑ "Nagarjuna Akkineni's 'Wild Dog' to release on OTT?". The News Minute. 5 January 2021. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  15. ↑ Q & A with Media | Team #WildDog | Akkineni Nagarjuna | Ahishor Solomon. Matinee Entertainment. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  16. ↑ "Nagarjuna's Wild Dog Digital Rights Sold To Netflix?". Sakshi Post. 2 April 2021. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  17. ↑ "Wild Dog | Netflix". www.netflix.com. Retrieved 22 April 2021.
  18. ↑ "Wild Dog Movie Review: The cast keeps you hooked in this clinical action-drama". The Times of India . 2 April 2021. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  19. ↑ Dundoo, Sangeetha Devi (2 April 2021). "'Wild Dog' movie review: Nagarjuna Akkineni packs a punch". The Hindu. ISSN   0971-751X . Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  20. ↑ "Wild Dog movie review: Nagarjuna's film skips on inventive storytelling for a no-frills action thriller". Firstpost. 2 April 2021. Retrieved 2 April 2021.
  21. ↑ "Wild Dog Movie Review & Rating {2.75/5}". The Hans India. 2 April 2021.
  22. ↑ "Wild Dog movie review: This Nagarjuna film fails to hit the bull's eye". The Indian Express. 2 April 2021. Retrieved 2 April 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.