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''DJ Tillu'' is a 2022 Indian
Telugu Telugu may refer to: * Telugu language, a major Dravidian language of India *Telugu people, an ethno-linguistic group of India * Telugu script, used to write the Telugu language ** Telugu (Unicode block), a block of Telugu characters in Unicode S ...
-language romantic
crime comedy film Crime films, in the broadest sense, is a film genre inspired by and analogous to the crime fiction literary genre. Films of this genre generally involve various aspects of crime and its detection. Stylistically, the genre may overlap and combine ...
directed by debutant Vimal Krishna who co-wrote the film with
Siddhu Jonnalagadda Siddharth "Siddhu" Jonnalagadda is an Indian actor, screenwriter, playback singer and editor who works in Telugu cinema. He debuted in a lead role with the film '' Life Before Wedding'' (2011). Jonnalagadda went onto to co-write and star in film ...
. Produced by Sithara Entertainments, the film stars Jonnalagadda as the
title character The title character in a narrative work is one who is named or referred to in the title of the work. In a performed work such as a play or film, the performer who plays the title character is said to have the title role of the piece. The title of ...
alongside
Neha Shetty Neha Shetty is an Indian actress and model who primarily appears in Telugu films. Shetty made her debut with the Kannada film '' Mungaru Male 2'' in 2016, and went on to star in Telugu films such as ''Mehbooba'', '' Gully Rowdy'' and ''DJ Till ...
,
Prince Cecil Prince Cecil is an Indian actor who appears in Telugu films. He is best known for his film '' Bus Stop''. He was one of the contestants on the reality TV show ''Bigg Boss Telugu''. Career Prince Cecil was studying B.Tech at Baba institute of t ...
, and
Brahmaji Brahmaji (born 25 April 1965) is an Indian actor best known for his work in Telugu cinema. He is a regular actor in director Krishna Vamsi's films. Brahmaji appeared in an important role in Krishna Vamsi's debut film as a director, '' Gulabi''. ...
. The film was announced in October 2020 under the title ''Narudi Brathuku Natana.'' Principal photography began in February 2021 with filming taking place in
Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part ...
. The film's music is scored by
S. Thaman Ghantasala Sai Srinivas Thaman (born 16 November 1983), known professionally as Thaman S, earlier as S S Thaman, is an Indian music composer, professional drummer, and playback singer who predominantly works in Telugu films and Tamil films. Th ...
while the soundtrack is composed by
Sricharan Pakala Sricharan Pakala is an Indian music composer who works in the Telugu films. Early life and career Pakala was born in Visakhapatnam into a Telugu-speaking family. Pakala entered the film industry as a music director with the Telugu film ''KISS' ...
and
Ram Miriyala Ram Miriyala is an Indian playback singer, record producer, music composer, film scorer, promo producer and songwriter. Career Ram Miriyala initially worked in the corporate sector. He has also learned carnatic music for two years and could ...
. Initially scheduled to be released on 14 January 2022, it was postponed due to the
COVID-19 pandemic in India The COVID-19 pandemic in India is a part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). As of , according to Indian government figures, India has the second-highest n ...
. ''DJ Tillu'' was released theatrically on 12 February 2022. Despite mixed reviews from critics, the film was successful at the
box office A box office or ticket office is a place where ticket (admission), tickets are sold to the public for admission to an event. Patrons may perform the transaction at a countertop, through a hole in a wall or window, or at a Wicket gate, wicke ...
. A
sequel A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the same ...
, titled TilluSquare, is scheduled to begin its production in August 2022.


Plot

Bala Gangadhar Tilak alias DJ Tillu, is a young man who wants be a DJ. One day, he meets Radhika in a club and asks her for a drink to which she agrees. After the drinks, Tillu drops Radhika at her apartment. While walking towards her apartment, she calls her boyfriend, Rohit, but she hears the sound of another girl with him and confirms that he is cheating on her. She decides to pay back her boyfriend and begins a relationship with Tillu. A few weeks later, On Tillu's birthday, Rohit shows images of Radhika and Tillu together and decides to expose them. On the other hand, Radhika leaks about the affair that Rohit was having and decides to leave the apartment. She then goes into her room to pack her luggage and an enraged Rohit tries to assault her. In self-defense, Radhika pushes Rohit, which causes him to hit his head on the wall and die from the injury. Radhika calls Tillu and tells him to come her apartment. Tillu arrives and sees all the photos in the room with Rohit and also Rohit's dead body. Tillu, being scared, tells Radhika that he wants to call the police. However, Radhika does not want to call the police as she is afraid that she will be sentenced to prison for killing Rohit. She explains everything to Tillu and they decide to bury the body somewhere. When they were burying Rohit's body, a drunk man named Chandrakant saw them bury the body and filmed the entire process. Chandrakant stops Tillu and Radhika, and blackmails them to provide 25 lakh in two days in order for the video not to be leaked. Radhika suggests that she knows a club and the club's owner Shannon, does illegal business and can obtain the money from him. She then manages to seduce Shannon and steals 2 crore. Frustrated on how Radhika obtained the money and seeing the way she seduced Shannon, Tillu gets into an argument Radhika about it. Seeing the fight ensure, CI Rao stops Tillu and Radhika. To escape from the situation, Radhika tells that she does not know Tillu and that she needs to be dropped at her house. Tillu is later found by Shannon at a tea stall and ask him about the money. Tillu tells that it was in his car and gets Shannon to drive to the spot earlier, but the car and the money are missing. He then finds the car and Radhika at the spot where they buried Rohit and Shannon finds his money. Radhika explains that Rao actually came into her apartment and found blood and threatened that he would get her arrested and attempts to assault her, but manages to escape. Later, they are chased by Rao and Shannon is thrown out of the car. However, Tillu and Radhika escape and reaches a hotel with the money. Radhika explains to Tillu that she tried to give the money to Chandrakant, but he also tried to assault her, which made her to leave the premises. Tillu goes to the restroom and in this timespan, Radhika leaves the hotel with the money. Shannon and Rao find Tillu in the hotel room and beat him to the point where he goes into a coma and loses his memory. Tillu is then admitted to the hospital, where Shannon and Rao interrogate Tillu for the money and the cop's phone. With Tillu not remembering what happened, the cop files a case in court with Radhika and attempts to get them both arrested for the murder. At court, it is revealed that Tillu actually bribed Chandrakant and Rao's colleague with a video and manages to get both Radhika and Rao arrested. A month later, Tillu visits Radhika in prison and explains that he never lost his memory and made a plan to find Radhika and obtains the money by bribing a music director, who behaved rudely with Radhika. He manages to issue a bail order and gets Radhika released. Tillu explains that he only helped her, because he felt bad for her. Later, Shannon calls Tillu and asks for his money, where Tillu tells him that the money is in
Paris Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. S ...
and that the story would continue from there.


Cast

*
Siddhu Jonnalagadda Siddharth "Siddhu" Jonnalagadda is an Indian actor, screenwriter, playback singer and editor who works in Telugu cinema. He debuted in a lead role with the film '' Life Before Wedding'' (2011). Jonnalagadda went onto to co-write and star in film ...
as Bala Gangadhar Tilak a.k.a. "DJ Tillu" *
Neha Shetty Neha Shetty is an Indian actress and model who primarily appears in Telugu films. Shetty made her debut with the Kannada film '' Mungaru Male 2'' in 2016, and went on to star in Telugu films such as ''Mehbooba'', '' Gully Rowdy'' and ''DJ Till ...
as M. Radhika *
Prince Cecil Prince Cecil is an Indian actor who appears in Telugu films. He is best known for his film '' Bus Stop''. He was one of the contestants on the reality TV show ''Bigg Boss Telugu''. Career Prince Cecil was studying B.Tech at Baba institute of t ...
as Shannon Gonzales, club owner *
Brahmaji Brahmaji (born 25 April 1965) is an Indian actor best known for his work in Telugu cinema. He is a regular actor in director Krishna Vamsi's films. Brahmaji appeared in an important role in Krishna Vamsi's debut film as a director, '' Gulabi''. ...
as Inspector Rao *
Fish Venkat Fish Venkat is a film actor who works in the Telugu film industry. He was born in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. He is also a comedy actor and he strongly uses a Telangana dialect The term dialect (from Latin , , from the Ancient Greek word , ...
as Head Constable Fish *
Pragathi Pragathi Mahavadi (born April 17, 1975) is Indian film and television actress who has acted in Telugu, Tamil, and Malayalam languages. Personal life Pragathi was born in Ongole, Andhra Pradesh. Career Pragathi started her career as a model fo ...
as Judge I. Sharada Devi * Narra Srinivas as Chandrakant *
Raja Ravindra Raja Ravindra is an Indian actor predominantly appears in Telugu films and TV serials. Apart from Telugu films, he has acted in several Tamil films and a few Kannada and Malayalam movies. He started his career with TV serials and entered into fi ...
as Music Director *
Kireeti Damaraju Kireeti Damaraju is an Indian Telugu film actor. He has learned acting and done Theatre before venturing into films. He has played supporting and well noted roles in films such as ''Uyyala Jampala'' (2013), ''Yevade Subramanyam'' (2015), ''Vun ...
as Photographer Rohit, Radhika's boyfriend * Praneeth Reddy Kallem as Marcus, Tillu's friend


Production


Development and casting

Vimal Krishna narrated the storyline of the film to actor Jonnalagadda in 2019, but got delayed in further production due to
COVID-19 pandemic in India The COVID-19 pandemic in India is a part of the worldwide pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 () caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (). As of , according to Indian government figures, India has the second-highest n ...
. The film was announced in October 2020 under the title ''Narudi Brathuku Natana.'' Director
Trivikram Srinivas Trivikram Srinivas (born Akella Naga Srinivasa Sarma; 7 November 1971), often credited as Trivikram, is an Indian film director and screenwriter who works in Telugu cinema. In 2021, he became one of the highest-paid directors in Cinema of South ...
also guided Krishna and the team in designing the story and screenplay of the film. In an interview with ''
The New Indian Express ''The New Indian Express'' is an Indian English-language broadsheet daily newspaper published by the Chennai-based Express Publications. It was founded in 1932 as ''The Indian Express'', under the ownership of Chennai-based P. Varadarajulu Naid ...
'', Vimal Krishna revealed about the Tillu's character that, "During my initial days in Hyderabad, I happened to meet and interact with a few DJs and was really bowled over by their conversations, attitude and body language. They carry a different persona and each one is his own boss. I have infused these characteristics and developed Tillu's character". In January 2021, the film was then officially launched under the same title''.'' The film's title was then changed to ''DJ Tillu'' in an uncited reason. About his character 'Tillu' in the film, Jonnalagadda told ''
The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It began as a weekly in 1878 and became a daily in 1889. It is one of the Indian newspapers of record and the secon ...
'' that "I grew up in areas near Padmarao Nagar (in
Hyderabad Hyderabad ( ; , ) is the capital and largest city of the Indian state of Telangana and the ''de jure'' capital of Andhra Pradesh. It occupies on the Deccan Plateau along the banks of the Musi River (India), Musi River, in the northern part ...
). Youngsters in
Warasiguda Warasiguda is one of the neighborhoods in Secunderabad, India. It is named by Waris nawab. Etymology The name ''Warisguda'' was derived from two words, Waris and guda. ''Waris Khan'', who got this land as gift from Nizams of Hyderabad has ...
and
Chilkalguda Chilakalguda is a residential neighbourhood of Secunderabad, India. It is predominantly a middle-class neighbourhood with rich of culture, and is located half kilometer away from the Secunderabad Railway Station. Residential Quarters for Emp ...
talk like Tillu (the Hyderabadi Telangana dialect). We wanted Tillu to reflect on how these youngsters speak and how they handle things. Each one is his own boss and for no reason, there is the rivalry between gangs from each street. These boys are also more chilled out than those in, say,
Banjara Hills Banjara Hills is an urban commercial centre and one of the most affluent neighbourhoods in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. This is an upmarket locality close to Jubilee Hills. This area was a hilly forest and was least inhabited in the past. Only ...
."


Filming

Principal photography Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production. Personnel Besides the main film personnel, such as actor ...
for the film began in February 2021 but was then later stopped due to the second lockdown in India. Filming was then resumed in June 2021.


Soundtrack

Sricharan Pakala Sricharan Pakala is an Indian music composer who works in the Telugu films. Early life and career Pakala was born in Visakhapatnam into a Telugu-speaking family. Pakala entered the film industry as a music director with the Telugu film ''KISS' ...
and
Ram Miriyala Ram Miriyala is an Indian playback singer, record producer, music composer, film scorer, promo producer and songwriter. Career Ram Miriyala initially worked in the corporate sector. He has also learned carnatic music for two years and could ...
composed the film's soundtrack. The audio rights were acquired by
Aditya Music Aditya Music India Private Limited is a music company in India, which owns the label Aditya Music. It produces music for the Telugu cinema industry and is headquartered at Hyderabad, Telangana. Overview The company was founded by Umesh Gup ...
. In early-January 2022,
S. Thaman Ghantasala Sai Srinivas Thaman (born 16 November 1983), known professionally as Thaman S, earlier as S S Thaman, is an Indian music composer, professional drummer, and playback singer who predominantly works in Telugu films and Tamil films. Th ...
joined the production to compose the
film score A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film. The score comprises a number of orchestral, instrumental, or choral pieces called cues, which are timed to begin and end at specific points during the film in order to ...
. Soon after, the first song "Tillu Anna DJ Pedithe" was released on 6 January 2022. Sung and composed by
Ram Miriyala Ram Miriyala is an Indian playback singer, record producer, music composer, film scorer, promo producer and songwriter. Career Ram Miriyala initially worked in the corporate sector. He has also learned carnatic music for two years and could ...
, the song became an instant chartbuster. The second song "Pataas Pilla" sung by
Anirudh Ravichander Anirudh Ravichander (born 16 October 1990), also known Mononymous person, mononymously as Anirudh, is an Indian film scorer music composer music producer singer and instrumentalist who primarily works in Tamil films. He is the son of actor Ra ...
, was released on 24 January 2022. The third song "Nuvvala" sung by Jonnalagadda, was released on 7 February 2022. While the female version of the song later released through the album on 9 February 2022.


Release

The film was initially scheduled to release on 14 January 2022 coinciding with the festival of
Sankranthi Makar(a) Sankranti (), also referred to as Uttarayana, Maghi, or simply Sankranti, is a Hindu observance and a festival. Usually falling on the date of January 14 annually, this occasion marks the transition of the Sun from the zodiac of Sag ...
due to the postponement of films such as ''
RRR RRR may refer to: Art and entertainment * ''RRR'' (film), an Indian Telugu film Industry film ** ''RRR'' (soundtrack), soundtrack album of the film of the same name * RRRecords, a record label * '' Roots Rock Riot'', a 2007 album by Skindred * ...
'' and ''
Radhe Shyam ''Radhe Shyam'' is a 2022 Indian period romantic drama film written and directed by Radha Krishna Kumar. Produced by UV Creations and T-Series, the film was shot simultaneously in Telugu and Hindi languages and stars Prabhas and Pooja Hegde. It ...
''. However due to the restrictions on cinema due to COVID-19 pandemic in India the film was postponed. It was later decided that the film was going to release on 11 February 2022 along with ''Khiladi''. In order to avoid the clash with ''Khiladi'', ''DJ Tillu'' was then postponed to 12 February 2022. The film's theatrical distribution rights were sold for .


Home media

The post-theatrical digital streaming rights were acquired by Aha. It was premiered on 4 March 2022. Later the film's satellite rights were acquired by
Star Maa Star Maa (formerly Maa TV) is an Indian Telugu language general entertainment pay television channel owned by Disney Star, a subsidiary of The Walt Disney Company India. The channel telecasts Telugu language programmes such as serials, reality ...
.


Reception


Critical reception

''DJ TIllu'' opened to mixed reviews with some critics praising the "madcap fun moments" and while others criticised the narration. Thadhagath Pathi of ''
The Times of India ''The Times of India'', also known by its abbreviation ''TOI'', is an Indian English-language daily newspaper and digital news media owned and managed by The Times Group. It is the third-largest newspaper in India by circulation and largest ...
'' gave the film 3/5 and wrote "DJ Tillu relies heavily on dialogue and less on the actual story at hand. Such films usually end up being the perfect weekend watch, so this one's for you if you enjoy humour". ''
Pinkvilla Pinkvilla is an Indian entertainment and lifestyle platform. As of June 2022, Pinkvilla has over 5,00,00,000 visitors on its website and app. Overview Pinkvilla covers entertainment and lifestyle stories. Its coverage extends to Bollywood, H ...
'' gave the film a rating of 3/5 and wrote "DJ Tillu has more 'mass' in it than the introductory songs for top stars in mass masala movies. And Thaman's background music hits the ball out of the park, designed to make the scenes look like they have been choreographed to enable the BGM composer have a blast in the studio. The editing is solid, making the shots look consummately etched". ''123Telugu'' gave the film a rating of 3 out of 5 and wrote "DJ is a timepass comedy which has standout performance by Siddhu Jonnalagadda. You will love his character and the comedy that he generates. The film has no strong storyline and rushed situations but when the hero's character is so strong and the situations give you ample entertainment, you should give this film a shot and have a good weekend". ''
Deccan Chronicle ''Deccan Chronicle'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper founded by Rajagopal Mudaliar in the 1930s & currently owned by Samagrah Commercial Pvt Limited. It is published in Hyderabad, Telangana, by Deccan Chronicle Holdings Limited ( ...
'' gave the film a rating of 3 outof 5 and wrote "DJ Tillu is a breezy entertainer that has elements of fun and quirkiness. The writing was cool, but goes overboard towards the end. Watch out for Siddu's characterisation and performance". ''
The Hans India ''The Hans India'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper published in the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana as well as in New Delhi. The newspaper was started on 15 July 2011 and belongs to Hyderabad Media House Ltd., which also owns ...
'' gave the film a rating of 2.5 out of 5 and wrote "Vimal tried to keep the audience to sit with his narration. Thaman's background score is an asset. He keeps the tempo with his techno sounding. The songs are neat. The cinematography is adequate. Dialogue writing is a huge plus for this romantic crime thriller".''
News18 Network18 Media & Investments Limited, (formerly SGA Finance and Management Service and Network18 Fincap Limited) commonly referred to as the Network18 Group and sometimes as the Network18–Eenadu Group, is an Indian media conglomerate owned b ...
'' stated "Director Vimal Krishna did well, though he could’ve stretched his limits more, experts say. The movie is a one-time watch for a few laughs in the first half". Sangeetha Devi Dundoo of ''
The Hindu ''The Hindu'' is an Indian English-language daily newspaper owned by The Hindu Group, headquartered in Chennai, Tamil Nadu. It began as a weekly in 1878 and became a daily in 1889. It is one of the Indian newspapers of record and the secon ...
'' stated "Director Vimal Krishna helms a laughter riot populated with quirky, morally ambiguous characters".


Box office

''DJ Tillu'' grossed worldwide on its opening day, with coming from
Andhra Pradesh Andhra Pradesh (, abbr. AP) is a state in the south-eastern coastal region of India. It is the seventh-largest state by area covering an area of and tenth-most populous state with 49,386,799 inhabitants. It is bordered by Telangana to the ...
and
Telangana Telangana (; , ) is a States and union territories of India, state in India situated on the south-central stretch of the Indian subcontinent, Indian peninsula on the high Deccan Plateau. It is the List of states and union territories of India b ...
. It collected a worldwide share of and grossed until 5 March 2022. According to ''
Pinkvilla Pinkvilla is an Indian entertainment and lifestyle platform. As of June 2022, Pinkvilla has over 5,00,00,000 visitors on its website and app. Overview Pinkvilla covers entertainment and lifestyle stories. Its coverage extends to Bollywood, H ...
'', the film emerged as the first commercially successful Telugu film of 2022.


Sequel

In February 2022 before the film's release, Jonnalagadda stated that they were planning a sequel for the film. "There are no limits to Tillu's character and I think, this can be explored and stretched to any length," he added. ''DJ Tillu'' sequel was officially announced in June 2022 by producer Naga Vamsi. Mallik Ram, of ''
Naruda Donoruda ''Naruda Donoruda'' is a 2016 Indian Telugu-language romantic comedy film, directed by Mallik Ram and produced by Supriya Yarlagadda and John Sudheer Pudhota. The film is a remake of the 2012 Hindi film ''Vicky Donor''. It stars Sumanth and Pall ...
'' and '' Adbhutham'' fame, was announced as the director, replacing Vimal Krishna. Principal photography of the sequel is scheduled to begin in August 2022. On
Diwali Diwali (), Dewali, Divali, or Deepavali ( IAST: ''dīpāvalī''), also known as the Festival of Lights, related to Jain Diwali, Bandi Chhor Divas, Tihar, Swanti, Sohrai, and Bandna, is a religious celebration in Indian religions. It is ...
2022, the title of the sequel was revealed as ''Tillu Square'' and it is scheduled to release in March 2023.


References


External links

* {{IMDb title, id=tt13245502, title=DJ Tillu 2020s Telugu-language films 2022 films Indian romantic comedy films 2022 romantic comedy films Films scored by Sricharan Pakala Films scored by Ram Miriyala Film productions suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic Films set in Hyderabad, India Films shot in Hyderabad, India Films scored by Thaman S 2022 directorial debut films Romantic crime films