''Karthikeya'' is a 2014 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
mystery
Mystery, The Mystery, Mysteries or The Mysteries may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters
*Mystery, a cat character in ''Emily the Strange''
Films
* ''Mystery'' (2012 film), a 2012 Chinese drama film
* ''Mystery'' ( ...
thriller film
Thriller film, also known as suspense film or suspense thriller, is a broad film genre that evokes excitement and suspense in the audience. The suspense element found in most films' plots is particularly exploited by the filmmaker in this genre ...
written and directed by
Chandoo Mondeti
Chandoo Mondeti is an Indian film director and screenwriter who works in Telugu cinema. He has directed films like '' Karthikeya'' (2014), ''Premam'' (2016), ''Bloody Mary'' (2022), and ''Karthikeya 2'' (2022). For his work on ''Karthikeya'', h ...
. The film features
Nikhil Siddhartha
Nikhil Siddhartha (born 1 June 1985) is an Indian actor of the Telugu film industry. He played minor roles in various films before being cast in ''Happy Days'' (2007) as one of the four male leads. The film was successful and became his breakt ...
,
Swati Reddy
Swati may refer to:
Films
* Swati (1984 film), ''Swati'' (1984 film), a Telugu film
* Swati (1986 film), ''Swati'' (1986 film), a 1986 Bollywood romantic drama film
* ''Swati Mutyam'', a 1986 Telugu-language drama film written, directed by K. Vi ...
,
Tanikella Bharani
Tanikella Bharani (born 14 July 1954) is an Indian actor, screenwriter, poet, playwright and director who works predominantly in Telugu cinema. He has worked as an actor in more than 750 films, including some in Tamil and Hindi; while he was ...
,
Rao Ramesh
Raavu Ramesh Rao (born 25 May 1968) is an Indian actor known for his works primarily in Telugu cinema, Telugu theatre, and television. He is the son of veteran actor Rao Gopal Rao. Rao Ramesh initially appeared in ''Seema Simham'' (2002), ''Okk ...
, and
Jayaprakash
V. Jayaprakash is an Indian actor and producer who works in Tamil and Telugu-language films. He ventured into film business in the early 2000s as a producer, making several films under his banner GJ Cinema and later turned actor, with Cheran's ...
in prominent roles. The film was produced by savitru karthikeyan studying in iiitB on Magnus Cine Prime banner.
Shekar Chandra
Sekhar Chandra is an Indian music composer, Singer and director notable for his work in the Telugu cinema industry. His debut films as music director were ''Anasuya'' in Telugu and ''Ooh La La La'' in Tamil.
Personal life and career
He was bo ...
composed the film's music while
Karthik Ghattamaneni
Karthik Gattamneni is an Indian cinematographer and director known for his works in Telugu cinema. He made his debut as a cinematographer with ''Prema Ishq Kaadhal'' in 2013, and has worked in several films since his debut. He is also one of t ...
and
Karthika Srinivas
Karthika Srinivas R is an Indian film editor who predominantly works in Tollywood films. He is best known for his works in the films '' Swamy Ra Ra'' (2013), '' 1: Nenokkadine'' (2014), ''Karthikeya'' (2014), ''Antariksham 9000 KMPH'' (2018 ...
were its cinematographer and editor respectively. The film revolves around a closed
Karthikeya
Kartikeya ( sa, कार्त्तिकेय, Kārttikeya), also known as Skanda, Subrahmanya, Shanmukha (), and Murugan ( ta, முருகன்), is the Hindu god of war. He is the son of Parvati and Shiva, the brother of Ganesha ...
temple in the village of Subrahmanyapuram and showcases the life of a curious medico Karthik who investigates the mystery surrounding the temple.
An incident which happened in
Talupulamma Temple in
Kakinada district
Kakinada district is a district in the Coastal Andhra Region in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. With Kakinada as its administrative headquarters, it was proposed on 26 January 2022 to become one of the resultant List of districts of Andhra ...
of
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 ...
inspired Chandoo Mondeti to pen the story of ''Karthikeya''.
The film was launched on 10 June 2013 at Hyderabad and its
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 ...
began on 5 July 2013 which lasted until 21 February 2014. It was shot in
Visakhapatnam
, image_alt =
, image_caption = From top, left to right: Visakhapatnam aerial view, Vizag seaport, Simhachalam Temple, Aerial view of Rushikonda Beach, Beach road, Novotel, Novotel Visakhapatnam, INS Kursura (S20), INS ...
,
Araku
Araku Valley is a hill station in Alluri Sitharama Raju district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, lying 111 km west of Visakhapatnam city. This place is often referred to as ''Ooty of Andhra''. It is a valley in the Eastern Ghats inha ...
, and
Kumararama
Kumararama or ''Bhimarama'' (Chalukya Kumararama Bhimeswara Temple) is one of the five Pancharama Kshetras that are sacred to the Hindu god Shiva. The temple is located in Samalkota of Kakinada district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Th ...
temple in
Samarlakota
Samarlakota (Telugu language, Telugu:సామర్లకోట) is a town in Kakinada district of the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The town forms a part of Godavari Urban Development Authority. It was ...
in Andhra Pradesh.
Nearly half of the film was shot in
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...
including
Kumbakonam
Kumbakonam (formerly spelt as Coombaconum or Combaconum) or Kudanthai is a city municipal corporation in the Thanjavur district in the States of India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located from Thanjavur and from Chennai and is the headq ...
.
After few postponements, the film released on 24 October 2014 as a
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 ...
release to positive reviews from critics, and collected more than , on a budget of .
At the
62nd Filmfare Awards South
The 62nd Filmfare Awards South ceremony honouring the winners and nominees of the best of South Indian film industry, South Indian cinema in 2014 was an event held on 26 June 2015 at the Nehru Indoor Stadium in Chennai.
Awards and nominees
Mai ...
, the film was nominated in four categories. At the
4th South Indian International Movie Awards, the film received one win out of four nominations. Following the film's success, a sequel titled, ''
Karthikeya 2
''Karthikeya 2'' is a 2022 Indian Telugu-language mystery action-adventure film written and directed by Chandoo Mondeti. The film serves as a sequel to the 2014 film '' Karthikeya'' and stars Nikhil Siddhartha, Anupama Parameswaran, and Anu ...
'', was announced by Mondeti in late 2019 and released on 13 August 2022.
Plot
In a village called Subrahmanyapuram, an old temple belonging to
Subrahmanya Swami gets closed because of some mysterious deaths, supposedly by a snake bite. Whoever arrives to investigate this matter also gets killed. Karthikeya is a
medical student
A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, or part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (MBBS, MB ...
who does not believe in
supernatural powers
Supernatural refers to phenomena or entities that are beyond the Scientific law, laws of nature. The term is derived from Medieval Latin , from Latin (above, beyond, or outside of) + (nature) Though the corollary term "nature", has had multi ...
. He analyzes everything using science and logic. He visits Subrahmanyapuram for a
medical camp, along with his love interest Valli. Karthikeya gets curious about the closed temple and gathers some information about it to solve the mystery. Karthikeya finds a diary written by a person named Shankar, an
Endowments Department (ED) official, who previously researched about the temple and its mystery, but Shankar was killed by a snake bite in the same building where Karthikeya and his friends were currently residing for the camp.
Around the same time, the snake tries to kill Karthikeya, but Karthikeya escapes each time, and takes the snake to a
herpetologist
Herpetology (from Greek ἑρπετόν ''herpetón'', meaning "reptile" or "creeping animal") is the branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians (including frogs, toads, salamanders, newts, and caecilians (gymnophiona)) and rept ...
. The herpetologist reveals that the snake was hypnotized by someone to kill Karthikeya. Karthikeya meets Valli's father, who happens to be a priest at the temple, to find out about the history of the temple. They leave for
Tanjavur
Thanjavur (), also Tanjore, Pletcher 2010, p. 195 is a city in the Indian state of Tamil Nadu. Thanjavur is the 11th biggest city in Tamil Nadu. Thanjavur is an important center of South Indian religion, art, and architecture. Most of the Gr ...
to find out that the temple is built very uniquely by the great architect
Viswakarma
Vishvakarma or Vishvakarman ( sa, विश्वकर्मा, Viśvakarmā, all maker) is a craftsman deity and the divine architect of the devas in contemporary Hinduism. In the early texts, the craftsman deity was known as Tvastar and the ...
and the family
heirloom
In popular usage, an heirloom is something that has been passed down for generations through family members. Examples are a Family Bible, antiques, weapons or jewellery.
The term originated with the historical principle of an heirloom in ...
of the king that ruled that area, a
diamond
Diamond is a Allotropes of carbon, solid form of the element carbon with its atoms arranged in a crystal structure called diamond cubic. Another solid form of carbon known as graphite is the Chemical stability, chemically stable form of car ...
was placed at the feet of the Lord in such a way that on
Karthika Pournami, the moon's rays fall on the feet of the Lord and the diamond reflects it back with 1000 times more intensity.
Karthikeya returns to the village and finds out that Tayattu, a cook/helper in his temporary residence at Subrahmanyapuram, was a part of the gang trying to kill him. Tayattu tries to escape, but is later killed, where Karthikeya goes into the temple at night, which is coincidentally also the night of Karthika Pournami. He finds an ED officer named Prudhvi Raj in the temple and realises that he is the mastermind behind the whole conspiracy. Prudhvi tries to attack Karthikeya, but at the same time, the diamond reflects the moon's rays and the whole village realises that the Lord is still in the temple. Karthikeya, along with his friends, interrogates Prudhvi, who reveals that the temple had attracted some foreigners who had learnt about the diamond in the temple.
Prudhvi Raj decides to steal the diamond from the temple by making everyone believe that a curse is laid on the temple in which everyone will die due to the snake bite. He sought Tayattu's help to develop a snake venom shot and had used snake hypnosis to strike fear into the villagers' hearts. Prudhvi Raj is arrested by the police, but later dies in prison due to snake bite. Karthikeya returns to
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 ...
where he completes his graduation and receives his
MBBS
Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery ( la, Medicinae Baccalaureus, Baccalaureus Chirurgiae; abbreviated most commonly MBBS), is the primary medical degree awarded by medical schools in countries that follow the tradition of the United King ...
degree at the convocation, where he leaves for
Goa
Goa () is a state on the southwestern coast of India within the Konkan region, geographically separated from the Deccan highlands by the Western Ghats. It is located between the Indian states of Maharashtra to the north and Karnataka to the ...
with his friends to investigate about a cave.
Cast
*
Nikhil Siddhartha
Nikhil Siddhartha (born 1 June 1985) is an Indian actor of the Telugu film industry. He played minor roles in various films before being cast in ''Happy Days'' (2007) as one of the four male leads. The film was successful and became his breakt ...
as Karthikeya "Karthik" Kumaraswamy
*
Swati Reddy
Swati may refer to:
Films
* Swati (1984 film), ''Swati'' (1984 film), a Telugu film
* Swati (1986 film), ''Swati'' (1986 film), a 1986 Bollywood romantic drama film
* ''Swati Mutyam'', a 1986 Telugu-language drama film written, directed by K. Vi ...
as Srivalli "Valli"
*
Tanikella Bharani
Tanikella Bharani (born 14 July 1954) is an Indian actor, screenwriter, poet, playwright and director who works predominantly in Telugu cinema. He has worked as an actor in more than 750 films, including some in Tamil and Hindi; while he was ...
as Valli's father
*
Rao Ramesh
Raavu Ramesh Rao (born 25 May 1968) is an Indian actor known for his works primarily in Telugu cinema, Telugu theatre, and television. He is the son of veteran actor Rao Gopal Rao. Rao Ramesh initially appeared in ''Seema Simham'' (2002), ''Okk ...
as Prudhvi Raj
*
Jayaprakash
V. Jayaprakash is an Indian actor and producer who works in Tamil and Telugu-language films. He ventured into film business in the early 2000s as a producer, making several films under his banner GJ Cinema and later turned actor, with Cheran's ...
as Dr. Prakash
*
Kishore as Sahadev
*
Tulasi
''Ocimum tenuiflorum'', commonly known as holy basil, ''tulsi'' or ''tulasi'', is an aromatic perennial plant in the family Lamiaceae. It is native to the Indian subcontinent and widespread as a cultivated plant throughout the Southeast Asian ...
as Karthik's mother
*
Praveen as Ravi, Karthik's friend
*
Satya
''Satya'' (Sanskrit: सत्य; IAST: ''satya)'' is a Sanskrit word loosely translated as truth, essence. A. A. Macdonell, ''Sanskrit English Dictionary'', Asian Educational Services, , pp. 330–331 It also refers to a virtue in Indian relig ...
as Satya, Karthik's friend
*
Shankar Melkote
Shankar Melkote is an Indian comedian, supporting actor who appears in Telugu films and CEO of a marketing company in Hyderabad. He started his film career with Jandhyala's ''Srivariki Premalekha'' and went on to appear in 180 films. He is one o ...
as Principal
*Jogi Naidu as Thaayattu
*
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 ED Officer Shankar
*
Chatrapathi Sekhar
Chandra Sekhar, known professionally as Chatrapathi Sekhar, is an actor who primarily works in Telugu-language films and TV serials. He is known for his frequent collaborations with S. S. Rajamouli.
Career
Sekar is a regular in S. S. Rajamo ...
Production
Development
An incident which happened in
Talupulamma Thalli Temple in
Kakinada district
Kakinada district is a district in the Coastal Andhra Region in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. With Kakinada as its administrative headquarters, it was proposed on 26 January 2022 to become one of the resultant List of districts of Andhra ...
of Andhra Pradesh inspired Chandoo Mondeti to pen the story of ''Karthikeya''.
After ''
Swamy Ra Ra'',
Nikhil Siddhartha
Nikhil Siddhartha (born 1 June 1985) is an Indian actor of the Telugu film industry. He played minor roles in various films before being cast in ''Happy Days'' (2007) as one of the four male leads. The film was successful and became his breakt ...
signed his next film to be directed by his friend Chandoo Mondeti in which he was supposed to play "a smart, well educated, suave young man studying
MBBS
Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery ( la, Medicinae Baccalaureus, Baccalaureus Chirurgiae; abbreviated most commonly MBBS), is the primary medical degree awarded by medical schools in countries that follow the tradition of the United King ...
".
Venkat Srinivas agreed to produce the film under his Magnus Cine Prime banner.
Swati Reddy
Swati may refer to:
Films
* Swati (1984 film), ''Swati'' (1984 film), a Telugu film
* Swati (1986 film), ''Swati'' (1986 film), a 1986 Bollywood romantic drama film
* ''Swati Mutyam'', a 1986 Telugu-language drama film written, directed by K. Vi ...
was signed as the lead actress considering her popularity in Tamil and she also appeared in ''Swamy Ra Ra''.
Tanikella Bharani
Tanikella Bharani (born 14 July 1954) is an Indian actor, screenwriter, poet, playwright and director who works predominantly in Telugu cinema. He has worked as an actor in more than 750 films, including some in Tamil and Hindi; while he was ...
revealed that he would be seen as Swati's father.
The principal cast of the film further consists of
Rao Ramesh
Raavu Ramesh Rao (born 25 May 1968) is an Indian actor known for his works primarily in Telugu cinema, Telugu theatre, and television. He is the son of veteran actor Rao Gopal Rao. Rao Ramesh initially appeared in ''Seema Simham'' (2002), ''Okk ...
,
Jayaprakash
V. Jayaprakash is an Indian actor and producer who works in Tamil and Telugu-language films. He ventured into film business in the early 2000s as a producer, making several films under his banner GJ Cinema and later turned actor, with Cheran's ...
,
Kishore and
Tulasi
''Ocimum tenuiflorum'', commonly known as holy basil, ''tulsi'' or ''tulasi'', is an aromatic perennial plant in the family Lamiaceae. It is native to the Indian subcontinent and widespread as a cultivated plant throughout the Southeast Asian ...
.
Shekar Chandra
Sekhar Chandra is an Indian music composer, Singer and director notable for his work in the Telugu cinema industry. His debut films as music director were ''Anasuya'' in Telugu and ''Ooh La La La'' in Tamil.
Personal life and career
He was bo ...
was announced as the film's music composer.
Nikhil noted in an interview, "When I was young, films like ''
Bhairava Dweepam
''Bhairava Dweepam'' () is a 1994 Indian Telugu-language high fantasy film directed by Singeetam Srinivasa Rao who co-wrote the film with Raavi Kondala Rao. It is produced by B. Venkatarama Reddy under the Chandamama Vijaya Pictures banner. The ...
'' and ''
Aditya 369
''Aditya 369'' is a 1991 Indian Telugu-language science fiction film written and directed by Singeetam Srinivasa Rao. The film stars Nandamuri Balakrishna and Mohini while Amrish Puri, Tinnu Anand, and Suthivelu play supporting roles. The music i ...
'' fascinated me. Later I liked watching
Sherlock Holmes
Sherlock Holmes () is a fictional detective created by British author Arthur Conan Doyle. Referring to himself as a " consulting detective" in the stories, Holmes is known for his proficiency with observation, deduction, forensic science and ...
. That character was curious and inquisitive. ''Karthikeya'' is all about mystery and adventure; it’s a light-hearted subject." For his role, Nikhil had to gain 10
kgs weight. His research for the role involved spending time with medical students and doctors before the shooting. He also had to overcome his fear of injections and blood to pull off the character.
Filming
![Kumararama, Samarlakota](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/53/Kumararama%2C_Samarlakota.jpg)
The film was launched on 10 June 2013 in Hyderabad with
N. Lingusamy
Nammalvar Lingusamy, (born 14 November 1967), is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and film producer in Tamil cinema based in Chennai. Lingusamy made his directorial debut with ''Aanandham'' in 2001 and followed by '' Run'' (2002), '' S ...
,
Sudheer Varma
Sudheer Varma was an Indian film director and writer who worked predominantly in Telugu cinema. He made his directorial debut with the film '' Swamy Ra Ra'' (2013). He later directed films such as ''Dochay'' (2015), ''Keshava'' (2017), and ...
and
Parasuram
Parashurama (), also referred to as Rama Jamadagnya, Rama Bhargava and Veerarama, is the sixth avatar among the Dashavatara of the preserver god Vishnu in Hinduism. He is believed to be one of the ''Chiranjeevis'' (Immortals), who will appea ...
in attendance. The makers also unveiled the title and film's logo the same day during the launch, with the team further announced that majority of the film will be shot in
Visakhapatnam
, image_alt =
, image_caption = From top, left to right: Visakhapatnam aerial view, Vizag seaport, Simhachalam Temple, Aerial view of Rushikonda Beach, Beach road, Novotel, Novotel Visakhapatnam, INS Kursura (S20), INS ...
,
Araku
Araku Valley is a hill station in Alluri Sitharama Raju district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh, lying 111 km west of Visakhapatnam city. This place is often referred to as ''Ooty of Andhra''. It is a valley in the Eastern Ghats inha ...
, and
Kumararama
Kumararama or ''Bhimarama'' (Chalukya Kumararama Bhimeswara Temple) is one of the five Pancharama Kshetras that are sacred to the Hindu god Shiva. The temple is located in Samalkota of Kakinada district in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. Th ...
temple in
Samarlakota
Samarlakota (Telugu language, Telugu:సామర్లకోట) is a town in Kakinada district of the States and union territories of India, Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. The town forms a part of Godavari Urban Development Authority. It was ...
in Andhra Pradesh.
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 ...
began on 5 July 2013 with the first schedule of the film took place the same day and completed within 31 July.
The film's second schedule took place on 4 August and was wrapped up by 29 August 2013, with scenes on the lead pair including two songs were shot. In early October 2014, the film was shot in and around
Kumbakonam
Kumbakonam (formerly spelt as Coombaconum or Combaconum) or Kudanthai is a city municipal corporation in the Thanjavur district in the States of India, Indian state of Tamil Nadu. It is located from Thanjavur and from Chennai and is the headq ...
including a Subramanya Swamy temple there. By then 70% of the film's shoot was wrapped up.
The film's final schedule commenced on 15 November 2013 on whose completion the film's shoot was expected to end. The film was also shot in
Bobbili
Bobbili is a town in Vizianagaram district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh.
Geography
Bobbili is located at . It has an average elevation of 103 metres (337 feet).
History
The town of Bobbili was founded during the 17th ce ...
and
Pondicherry
Pondicherry (), now known as Puducherry ( French: Pondichéry ʊdʊˈtʃɛɹi(listen), on-dicherry, is the capital and the most populous city of the Union Territory of Puducherry in India. The city is in the Puducherry district on the sout ...
.
On 4 February 2014 a press release confirmed that the filming is complete except for one song. Filming ended nearly on 21 February 2014 and
post-production
Post-production is part of the process of filmmaking, video production, audio production, and photography. Post-production includes all stages of production occurring after principal photography or recording individual program segments.
The ...
work began.
CG works were in progress during mid-April 2014.
In July 2014, it was known that nearly 50% of the film was shot in and around
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu (; , TN) is a States and union territories of India, state in southern India. It is the List of states and union territories of India by area, tenth largest Indian state by area and the List of states and union territories of India ...
.
Music
Shekar Chandra
Sekhar Chandra is an Indian music composer, Singer and director notable for his work in the Telugu cinema industry. His debut films as music director were ''Anasuya'' in Telugu and ''Ooh La La La'' in Tamil.
Personal life and career
He was bo ...
composed the film's soundtrack and background score. Lyrics for the Telugu version of the soundtrack were written by
Ramajogayya Sastry
Ramajogayya Sastry (born 24 August 1970) is an Indian film lyricist, known for his works in Telugu cinema and music.
Early life
Ramajogayya Sastry was born in Arepalli Muppalla, Ipuru Mandal near Narasaraopet of Guntur district. His father, S ...
,
Vanamali
Mani Gopal (Telugu: మణిగోపాల్ ), popularly known by his pen name, Vanamali (Telugu: వనమాలి) is a Telugu lyricist and poet. He is the recipient of the Filmfare Best Lyricist Award. His works include the musical hit ...
and
Krishna Chaitanya
Chaitanya Mahaprabhu (; born Vishvambhar Mishra) was a 15th-century Indian saint who is considered to be the combined avatar of Radha and Krishna by his disciples and various scriptures. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu's mode of worshipping Krishna ...
, whilst the soundtrack of its dubbed Tamil version ''Karthikeyan'', had lyrics written by
Na. Muthukumar
Nagarajan Muthukumar (12 July 1975 – 14 August 2016) was a Tamil poet, lyricist, and author. Best known for his Tamil language film songs, he received the most Filmfare Awards for Best Lyricist in Tamil and was a two-time recipient of the Nat ...
, Mani Amudhavan and Nandhalala. The soundtrack of the Telugu version was launched at
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 ...
on 28 May 2014. The soundtrack of the Tamil version was launched at
Chennai
Chennai (, ), formerly known as Madras ( the official name until 1996), is the capital city of Tamil Nadu, the southernmost Indian state. The largest city of the state in area and population, Chennai is located on the Coromandel Coast of th ...
on 18 June 2014. Both the versions were marketed 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 ...
.
Reviewing the soundtrack ''
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 ...
'' wrote "All in all, Shekhar Chandra tunes are youthful and fresh. The tunes can easily generate interest among music lovers" and rated the album 3 out of 5. ''IndiaGlitz'' wrote "Shekar Chandra's new album lives up to the expectations. Karthikeya, starring Swathi and Nikhil, has six songs in total and has a range of singers regaling us with their renditions. Ramajogayya Sastry and Krishna Chaitanya pen the songs and the lyrics are as good as the vocals."
Release
The film was initially slated for a December 2013 release. But due to extensive production delays, the film was postponed to 1 August 2014. After being delayed due to several reasons, the makers announced 10 October 2014 was announced as the release date. It was finally postponed to 24 October 2014 clashing with the Telugu dubbed versions of ''
Poojai
''Poojai'' () is a 2014 Indian Tamil-language action film written and directed by Hari, and produced by Vishal, who also played the lead role alongside an ensemble cast featuring Shruti Haasan, Sathyaraj, Raadhika, Mukesh Tiwari, and Soori. Yu ...
'', ''
Happy New Year'', ''Ishq Wala Love'' and also with a Telugu film ''I Am In Love'' making it a
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 ...
release.
The film released in 350 screens in its first week and 30-40 screens were added in early November 2014 while the shows in
Prasads IMAX were increased to 10 from 3 with effect from 29 October 2014. Meanwhile, Nikhil said that the release date of the Tamil version ''Karthikeyan'' will be announced soon, although not being released in Tamil. 150 Additional screens were added from its second Friday, 31 October.
N. Lingusamy
Nammalvar Lingusamy, (born 14 November 1967), is an Indian film director, screenwriter, and film producer in Tamil cinema based in Chennai. Lingusamy made his directorial debut with ''Aanandham'' in 2001 and followed by '' Run'' (2002), '' S ...
bought the film's Tamil rights while a
Malayalam
Malayalam (; , ) is a Dravidian language spoken in the Indian state of Kerala and the union territories of Lakshadweep and Puducherry (Mahé district) by the Malayali people. It is one of 22 scheduled languages of India. Malayalam was des ...
dubbed version was planned.
The satellite rights were sold to
Gemini TV
Gemini TV is an Indian Telugu language general entertainment pay television channel. It was launched on 9 February 1995 by Gemini Group, owned by A. Manohar Prasad (grandson of L. V. Prasad), in association with Sun TV Network. In 1996-97, Sun ...
for an amount of 1.5 crore.
Marketing
A 90 seconds teaser was launched on 1 December 2013 at Hyderabad. The first look poster featuring Nikhil Siddhartha and the temple was unveiled on 5 February 2014. The first look posters of Tamil version titled ''Karthikeyan'' were unveiled on 5 March 2014. On 18 October 2014 the making video of the film's posters was released. On 21 October 2014, Nikhil and the film's unit conducted a publicity tour in five towns viz. Guntur, Vijayawada, Eluru, Rajahmundry and Kakinada to paste the first release posters of the movie respectively. Nikhil, Swati and Chandoo promoted the film on the talk show ''Ali Talkies'' hosted by comedian
Ali
ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib ( ar, عَلِيّ بْن أَبِي طَالِب; 600 – 661 CE) was the last of four Rightly Guided Caliphs to rule Islam (r. 656 – 661) immediately after the death of Muhammad, and he was the first Shia Imam. ...
.
Reception
Critical reception
The film received generally positive reviews from critics. Hemanth Kumar 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 ...
'' rated the film 3.5 out of 5 stars and wrote, "The good thing about the film is that it sticks to its storyline and everyone seems to know what they are doing. Karthikeya is one of the finer films made in the recent past and in times like these, that in itself is like a big compliment." ''123Telugu.com'' rated it 3.5 out of 5 stars and stated, "On the whole, Karthikeya is one of the most refreshing films in the recent past. Novel concept, gripping screenplay, Nikhil’s performance and cleverly designed suspense elements make this film different from others, and ends up as quite an engaging watch this weekend." Jeevi of ''
Idlebrain.com'' rated it 3.25 out of 5 stars wrote, "Actor Nikhil and producer should be appreciated for agreeing to do a film that is different from regular Telugu movies. Supported by a neat screenplay and a bit of comedy, debutant director Chandoo Mondeti delivers a decent movie. Additional plus point of the movie is runtime. The minus points of the movie are slow-paced narration. The family drama and romance didn’t work well. On a whole, Karthikeya is a different yet interesting movie." Suresh Kavirayani of ''
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 ( ...
'' rated the film 3 out of 5 stars and wrote, "Despite its drawbacks ‘Karthikeya’ is a very refreshing film and Chandu Mondeti's debut can be termed a success. It is a thriller with tight screenplay a new story. Whoever feels bored with the regular song-dance
masala film
Masala films of Indian cinema mix multiple genres into one work. Masala films emerged in the 1970s and are still created as of the 2020s. Typically these films freely mix action, comedy, romance, and drama or melodrama. They also tend to be ...
s, should watch this thriller for a change." ''
Oneindia Entertainment
Oneindia.com is an Indian website established in January 2006 by BG Mahesh. The website provides news updates, information on sports, events, travel, entertainment, business, lifestyle, videos, and classifieds in seven different Languages of Ind ...
'' and ''IndiaGlitz'' both rated it 3 out of 5 stars and called the film a one time watch.
''
Sify
Sify Technologies Limited (formerly Satyam Infoway) is an Indian information and communications technology company providing end-to-end ICT solutions including telecom services, data center services, cloud & managed services, transformation in ...
'' wrote "Overall Karthikeya is different from regular commercial movies that dot the Telugu screen. Like we said it is a suspense thriller that mixes bhakti and rational thinking quite well to large extent and we do appreciate the producer and the actor Nikhil for attempting something novel". Y. Sunita Chowdary 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 ...
'' wrote, "The narration is good, keeps the curiosity factor alive. There is sufficient humour and romance to keep the film balanced and the story is about the crime but about the mindset of the criminal who uses a clever mix of science and religion to plan a brilliant murder".
Box office
''Karthikeya'' got a brilliant opening at the worldwide box office on its first day. The film collected approximately at the Indian box office in the first weekend of 3 days and at USA box office taking its three-day total to nett thus recovering more than 50% of its production cost.
The film collected in its first week at the Global Box office and entered profit zone. The film cashed in on the mixed response for ''
Current Theega
''Current Theega'' () is a 2014 Indian Telugu-language romantic comedy action film produced by Manchu Vishnu on 24 Frames Factory banner and directed by G. Nageswara Reddy. It stars Manchu Manoj, Rakul Preet Singh and Jagapathi Babu. The fil ...
'' and managed to collect a total of in 9 days at the Global box office.
Despite new releases, the film stood strong by the end of its third weekend and grossed in 17 days.
Awards and nominations
Sequel
A sequel, ''Karthikeya 2'' was announced in 2019 by the director of the film
Chandoo Mondeti
Chandoo Mondeti is an Indian film director and screenwriter who works in Telugu cinema. He has directed films like '' Karthikeya'' (2014), ''Premam'' (2016), ''Bloody Mary'' (2022), and ''Karthikeya 2'' (2022). For his work on ''Karthikeya'', h ...
. The shooting of the film was launched in March 2020 and was paused for five months due to
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...
in India.
The film stars the actors from this film along with some new actors.
References
External links
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{{Chandoo Mondeti
2014 directorial debut films
Indian supernatural thriller films
Films shot in Tamil Nadu
Films shot in Andhra Pradesh
Films set in Andhra Pradesh
2010s Telugu-language films
Indian mystery thriller films
2010s mystery thriller films
2010s supernatural thriller films