''Yevadu'' () 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
action thriller film
Action film is a film genre in which the protagonist is thrust into a series of events that typically involve violence and physical feats. The genre tends to feature a mostly resourceful hero struggling against incredible odds, which include life ...
co-written and directed by
Vamsi Paidipally
Paidipally Vamshidhar Rao (born 27 July 1979), better known as Vamshi Paidipally, is an Indian film director and screenwriter who works primarily in Telugu cinema. He is best known for directing mainstream film works such as '' Munna'' (2007), ' ...
. The film stars
Ram Charan
Konidela Ram Charan Teja (born 27 March 1985) is an Indian actor, producer, and entrepreneur who works predominantly in Telugu films. One of the highest-paid Telugu film actors, he is the recipient of three Filmfare Awards and two Nandi Awa ...
,
Shruti Haasan
Shruti Haasan (born 28 January 1986) is an Indian actress and playback singer who works predominantly in Telugu, Tamil and Hindi films. Born in the Haasan family, she is the daughter of actor-filmmaker Kamal Haasan and actress Sarika Thakur.
...
, and
Amy Jackson
Amy Louise Jackson (born 31 January 1992) is a British actress and model known for her work in Indian films, predominantly in Tamil, Hindi, and Telugu languages. A former Miss Teen World, Jackson has appeared in over fifteen films. She made he ...
while
Allu Arjun
Allu Arjun (born 8 April 1982) is an Indian actor who works in Telugu films. One of the highest paid actors in India, Arjun is also known for his extraordinary dancing skills. He is a recipient of several awards, including six Filmfare Award ...
and
Kajal Aggarwal in cameo roles with
Jayasudha
Jayasudha Kapoor (born Sujatha Nidudavolu) is an Indian actress and politician known for her works predominantly in Telugu cinema. She has also worked in few Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, and Hindi films. Known as natural actress, she received fiv ...
,
Sai Kumar,
Rahul Dev
Rahul Dev (born 27 September 1968) is an Indian actor and former model who predominantly works in Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam language films and few Marathi, Bengali, Bhojpuri, Gujarati, Punjabi and Odia flims.
Early life
Ra ...
and
Brahmanandam
Kanneganti Brahmanandam (born 1 February 1956), known mononymously as Brahmanandam, is an Indian actor, comedian, impersonator, and voice actor known for his works predominantly in Telugu cinema. He is particularly known for his comic perfor ...
play supporting roles. The film was produced by
Dil Raju
Velamakucha Venkata Ramana Reddy (born 17 December 1970), known professionally as Dil Raju, is an Indian film producer and distributor known for his works in Telugu cinema. He has also financed some Tamil and Hindi films and owns the production ...
under the banner
Sri Venkateswara Creations.
Devi Sri Prasad
Devi Sri Prasad (; born 2 August 1979) is an Indian film composer, lyricist, singer-songwriter and performer. Popularly known by his initials DSP, he is best known for his work in Telugu-language films, and has also worked in a few Tamil films ...
composed the film's music, while
Marthand K. Venkatesh
Marthand K. Venkatesh is an Indian film editor who mostly works for Telugu films, and is the winner of four Nandi Awards.
Life and career
Venkatesh is son of noted Telugu film editor K. A. Marthand. He used to assist his father in editing for ...
was the film's editor.
Vakkantham Vamsi
Vakkantham Vamsi is an Indian screenwriter and director in Telugu cinema. His notable screenwriting credits include ''Kick'' (2009), ''Yevadu'' (2014), ''Race Gurram'' (2014), and ''Temper'' (2015).
Early life and career
He was born in Arikela ...
co-wrote the film's script with Paidipally.
The core plot was partially inspired by
John Woo
John Woo Yu-Sen SBS (; born September 22, 1946) is a Hong Kong filmmaker, known as a highly-influential figure in the action film genre. He was a pioneer of heroic bloodshed films (a crime action film genre involving Chinese triads) and the gun fu ...
's 1997 American film ''
Face/Off
''Face/Off'' is a 1997 American science fiction action thriller film directed by John Woo, written by Mike Werb and Michael Colleary, and starring John Travolta and Nicolas Cage.
The first Hollywood film in which Woo was given major creativ ...
'', and revolves around two strangers, Satya and Charan. The film was made on a budget of 35 crore, and was officially launched on 9 December 2011.
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 27 April 2012 and lasted until 22 July 2013. The majority of the film 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 ...
and
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 ...
, mostly in
Ramoji Film City
Ramoji Film City is an integrated film studio facility located in Hyderabad, India. Spread over 1,666 acres (674 ha), it is the largest film studio complex in the world and as such has been certified by the Guinness World Records. It was estab ...
, while two songs were shot in
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
and
Bangkok
Bangkok, officially known in Thai language, Thai as Krung Thep Maha Nakhon and colloquially as Krung Thep, is the capital and most populous city of Thailand. The city occupies in the Chao Phraya River delta in central Thailand and has an estima ...
.
''Yevadu'' was released on 12 January 2014 during 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 ...
after several delays. It received positive reviews from critics, and was commercially successful; it grossed more than 47 crore and collected a
distributor share of 20 crore, becoming one of the
highest grossing Telugu films of 2014.
Plot
Satya and Deepthi are lovers living 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 ...
where a dreaded don, Veeru Bhai, who has a crush on Deepthi. When Deepthi's parents are killed by Veeru Bhai, she and Satya escape and board a bus 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 ...
, but the bus is stopped unexpectedly and boarded by three men: Veeru's henchman Deva, his brother Ajay and his henchman
Inspector
Inspector, also police inspector or inspector of police, is a police rank. The rank or position varies in seniority depending on the organization that uses it.
Australia
In Australian police forces, the rank of inspector is generally the ne ...
Sravan. Deva slit Deepthi's throat infront of Satya and He also stab Sathya. Satya suffers an almost-fatal stab wound. Before the three leave, they set fire to the bus, leaving Satya to his death.
However, Dr. Sailaja saves Satya by
transplanting a new face, which bring a new life, along with a new face and skin. 10 months later, Satya awakes from his coma, which shocks him as he has a different facial identity. Under the
pseudonym
A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name (orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individua ...
as Ram, Satya returns to Visakhapatnam where he meets a model named Sruthi, whom Veeru likes. Befriending Sruthi, he takes advantage of his new unknown face, and lures Deva to a under-constructed apartment where Satya kills him with electric shock. A photo of Deva is discovered by
ACP Ashok Varma, which has been marked as ''1''.
Satya files a report on Deepthi with the police, stating that she has been missing for ten days. Since Sravan knows that Deepthi was killed ten months earlier, he becomes suspicious of Satya in his new persona, and follows him to a mall, where Satya kills him by hanging with a rope. During the investigation on Sravan's death, Satya presents himself to Varma as an eyewitness. When asked to provide a description of the killer, Satya describes his former face. Satya then manipulates Ajay to fall for Sruthi and gets the two of them to pose in compromising positions for some pics, under the pretense that they will be used as a promotion to assist Sruthi in getting an opportunity to audition for the female lead in a film.
Instead, Satya sends copies of the pics to Veeru, in order to turn him against both Ajay and Sruthi. Satya then convinces Ajay that the only way to save Sruthi from Veeru's ire is to kill Veeru, which would also allow Ajay to gain his brother's position. However, Veeru's henchmen kill Ajay and Veeru gets killed by Satya after revealing himself. He apologizes to Sruthi for using her and departs from Visakhapatnam. On the way, a mysterious person named Raja attacks Satya, but is later killed. Suspecting that the attack might have something to do with his new face, Satya visits Dr. Sailaja. When they meet, Sailaja confesses that she has given Satya the face of her deceased son, Charan; she then goes on to explain the circumstances surrounding Charan's death.
Past: Charan is a happy-go-lucky rich graduate who hangs out with his friends and girlfriend Manju. One of his friends, Shashank, questions the local don, Dharma, regarding his illegal acquisition of lands by exploiting the neighbourhood. Threatened, Dharma kills Shashank, after which Charan begins to raise support among the local population to revolt against Dharma. Again threatened, Dharma approaches another one of Charan's friends, Sharath, promising to establish his
political career if he kills Charan.
Charan and Sharath go to Visakhapatnam to attend a wedding. On their return, they board the same bus as Satya and Deepthi. When the bus was stopped, Sharath pulls a knife on Charan and the two engage in a fight. Veeru's men simultaneously enter the bus. Deepthi is killed inside the bus while Charan and Sharath's struggle has led them outside the bus, where Charan is stabbed to death. Charan's body is sent to Sailaja, who after observing Satya's urge to live decides to transplant her son's face onto Satya, rather than simple plastic surgery. Before Sailaja could inform Satya about Charan, Satya had left the hospital.
Present: Leaving Sailaja, Satya visits the neighbourhood, under the guise of Charan. After meeting the locals, he decides to avenge Charan's death. First, he meets Sharath in a political meeting and, using the shock of Charan seemingly being alive, makes him kill Dharma. Satya makes the slum people follow Sharath to Dharma's house. Sharath stabs Dharma, who in turn kills Sharath. However, the villagers followed by Satya, teamup and kills Dharma. Later, Satya meets Manju, who is shown living in a distant land, mourning Charan's death.
Cast
Production
Development
Dil Raju
Velamakucha Venkata Ramana Reddy (born 17 December 1970), known professionally as Dil Raju, is an Indian film producer and distributor known for his works in Telugu cinema. He has also financed some Tamil and Hindi films and owns the production ...
wanted to produce a technically driven film and selected a script written by
Vamsi Paidipally
Paidipally Vamshidhar Rao (born 27 July 1979), better known as Vamshi Paidipally, is an Indian film director and screenwriter who works primarily in Telugu cinema. He is best known for directing mainstream film works such as '' Munna'' (2007), ' ...
. Raju announced the project officially in early October 2011, as well as announcing that
Ram Charan
Konidela Ram Charan Teja (born 27 March 1985) is an Indian actor, producer, and entrepreneur who works predominantly in Telugu films. One of the highest-paid Telugu film actors, he is the recipient of three Filmfare Awards and two Nandi Awa ...
would star as the film's protagonist. The project would be produced under the banner
Sri Venkateswara Creations, with the details, including its cast and crew, announced shortly thereafter. Before sharing the script with Charan, Paidipally worked on it for nearly two months, choosing the action genre after having directed family dramas like ''
Brindavanam'' (2010).
Devi Sri Prasad
Devi Sri Prasad (; born 2 August 1979) is an Indian film composer, lyricist, singer-songwriter and performer. Popularly known by his initials DSP, he is best known for his work in Telugu-language films, and has also worked in a few Tamil films ...
was confirmed as the film's music director in early November 2011, marking his first collaboration with both Paidipally and Charan. The music sittings were held at
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 ...
.
The film's production was officially launched on 9 December 2011, in Hyderabad; the film's title was announced as ''Yevadu'' and a first look poster was unveiled on the same day. Paidipally based his screenplay from a story written by
Vakkantham Vamsi
Vakkantham Vamsi is an Indian screenwriter and director in Telugu cinema. His notable screenwriting credits include ''Kick'' (2009), ''Yevadu'' (2014), ''Race Gurram'' (2014), and ''Temper'' (2015).
Early life and career
He was born in Arikela ...
.
Anand Sai was the film's art director and completed his work by September 2013.
Abburi Ravi
Abburi Ravi is an Indian screenwriter who works in Telugu language, Telugu films. He received Nandi Award for Nandi Award for Best Dialogue Writer, Best Dialogue Writer for ''Bommarillu'' (2006).
Early life
Ravi was born and brought up in B ...
contributed to the dialogues. C. Ram Prasad was the film's cinematographer, while
Marthand K. Venkatesh
Marthand K. Venkatesh is an Indian film editor who mostly works for Telugu films, and is the winner of four Nandi Awards.
Life and career
Venkatesh is son of noted Telugu film editor K. A. Marthand. He used to assist his father in editing for ...
was the film's editor.
Casting
Ram Charan
Konidela Ram Charan Teja (born 27 March 1985) is an Indian actor, producer, and entrepreneur who works predominantly in Telugu films. One of the highest-paid Telugu film actors, he is the recipient of three Filmfare Awards and two Nandi Awa ...
was signed as the protagonist in the film in October 2011.
Allu Arjun
Allu Arjun (born 8 April 1982) is an Indian actor who works in Telugu films. One of the highest paid actors in India, Arjun is also known for his extraordinary dancing skills. He is a recipient of several awards, including six Filmfare Award ...
was cast for a crucial
cameo appearance
A cameo role, also called a cameo appearance and often shortened to just cameo (), is a brief appearance of a well-known person in a work of the performing arts. These roles are generally small, many of them non-speaking ones, and are commonly eit ...
along with Kajal, in a role which would bring a twist in the film; the producers wanted an energetic and spirited actor in the part.
Samantha Ruth Prabhu was selected to play the female lead to be paired with Charan, and was expected to join the production in October 2012. For the other pairing with Charan, in his alter-ego role,
Amy Jackson
Amy Louise Jackson (born 31 January 1992) is a British actress and model known for her work in Indian films, predominantly in Tamil, Hindi, and Telugu languages. A former Miss Teen World, Jackson has appeared in over fifteen films. She made he ...
was selected to play the role of Sruthi. This marked her debut in Telugu cinema, and she participated in various workshops to prepare herself for the role before joining the shoot. Jackson revealed that she was afraid to be seen as a glamorous young woman aiming to be an actress; she worked hard to get her diction right and called the workshop an orientation programme to get her used to the Telugu language. For her role, she practised yoga, functional training, and went for jogs in and around Bandra bandstand in Mumbai, before rejoining the film's sets in Hyderabad.
Kajal Aggarwal was signed for a cameo appearance and was paired with Arjun. Her inclusion was in doubt due to scheduling conflicts, but she eventually accepted the role, calling it a short and sweet one.
Shweta Bhardwaj
Shweta Bhardwaj is an Indian actress and model who has acted in Hindi and South Indian films. She made her debut in the 2008 action film ''Mission Istanbul'', starring Vivek Oberoi & Zayed Khan. She has been a Gladrags Model.
Background
Born a ...
was approached to perform an
item number
In Indian cinema, an item number or item song is a musical number inserted into a film that may or may not have any relevance to the plot. The term is commonly used within Indian films (Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, Kannada, Punjabi, and Be ...
in early May 2012, which she confirmed the news at the time, but added that although she was approached, she was not officially cast in the film. Scarlett Mellish Wilson was selected for an item number, which was supposed to be her first in Telugu; However the film, ''
Cameraman Gangatho Rambabu
''Cameraman Gangatho Rambabu'' () is a 2012 Indian Telugu-language political action film written and directed by Puri Jagannadh. The film stars Pawan Kalyan, Tamanna, and Gabriela Bertante, Prakash Raj and Kota Srinivasa Rao. Mani Sharma co ...
'', was released earlier, making it her debut.
Samantha walked out of the project in mid-November 2012 due to creative differences. She was subsequently replaced by
Shruti Haasan
Shruti Haasan (born 28 January 1986) is an Indian actress and playback singer who works predominantly in Telugu, Tamil and Hindi films. Born in the Haasan family, she is the daughter of actor-filmmaker Kamal Haasan and actress Sarika Thakur.
...
, who was reportedly paid a remuneration of 60
lakh
A lakh (; abbreviated L; sometimes written lac) is a unit in the Indian numbering system equal to one hundred thousand (100,000; scientific notation: 105). In the Indian 2,2,3 convention of digit grouping, it is written as 1,00,000. For ex ...
, but her participation was delayed due to scheduling problems.
P. Sai Kumar
Pudipeddi Sai Kumar (born 27 July 1960) is an Indian actor, dubbing artist and television presenter who works predominantly in Telugu language, Telugu, Kannada, in addition to a few Tamil language, Tamil films.
He has received three state Film ...
was signed as the main antagonist. Lyricist
Sirivennela Seetharama Sastry
Sirivennela Seetharama Sastry (born Chembolu Seetharama Sastry; 20 May 1955 – 30 November 2021) was an Indian poet and lyricist known for his works in Telugu cinema and Telugu theatre. He acquired the stage name Sirivennela after writing the ...
's second son, Raja, was signed for a supporting role. Arjun's character in the film was reported to be severely injured in a fight and was to be presented as Charan after repeated plastic surgeries to his face. His character's name was revealed as Sathya, and it was speculated that he would be a police officer in the film.
Murali Sharma
Murali Sharma (born 9 August 1972) is an Indian actor who works predominently in Telugu and Hindi films. Sharma has starred in over 130 feature films, including Telugu, Hindi, Tamil, Marathi and Malayalam cinema.
Sharma gained wide recognition ...
was selected for a supporting role.
Shashank and
Prabhas Sreenu
Prabhas Sreenu is an Indian actor
An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and televisio ...
were seen in cameo roles.
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 ...
began on 27 April 2012. Ram Charan was involved in two projects simultaneously, ''Yevadu'' and ''
Zanjeer'' (2013). After completing initial filming on ''Zanjeer'', Charan joined the cast and crew of Yevadu on 8 May 2012, to shoot the
item number
In Indian cinema, an item number or item song is a musical number inserted into a film that may or may not have any relevance to the plot. The term is commonly used within Indian films (Malayalam, Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, Kannada, Punjabi, and Be ...
, as well as scenes featuring him, Amy Jackson, and others. After this first phase of production, Charan was scheduled to go back to Bangkok to complete the filming schedule of ''Zanjeer'', before rejoining the ''Yevadu'' production on 7 August 2012. Filming continued in Hyderabad until mid-September 2012 after which production moved to
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 ...
on 14 September 2012. By early October 2012, 40 percent of the film was completed, consisting mostly of the first half. Shruti Haasan joined the film's sets on 24 January 2013.
After a short break, filming recommenced on 5 March 2013, and by the end of the month, 90 percent of the film's speaking sequences were completed. Several action sequences were shot at Ramoji Film City in mid April 2013, under the supervision of
Peter Hein. By then, the portions containing Arjun and Aggarwal were almost complete. The film's team left for Switzerland on 20 May 2013, to film a song sequence. Charan and Haasan were on location in Zurich, Switzerland to film one of the songs, which was completed by 27 May 2013.
Primary filming recommenced on 29 May 2013, in Hyderabad, with Amy Jackson rejoining the production. The filming was expected to be wrapped up by 20 June 2013. In mid-June 2013, a song featuring Charan was shot at Keesara Stretch, Ramoji Film City. Later, a song choreographed by Shekhar, and featuring Charan and Haasan was shot at Annapurna 7 Acres Studio. Meanwhile, a song featuring Charan and Jackson was shot in Bangkok. The song Freedom which was choreographed by Johnny, was shot in early July 2013 at Ramoji Film City.
Principal photography came to an end on 22 July 2013 after the completion of Haasan's scenes. However, in mid-August 2013, some parts of the film were reportedly re-shot and new scenes were added, in an effort to speed up the pace of the film, after the completion of censor formalities.
Themes and influences
Despite the film's writer,
Vamsi
Vamsy is an Indian film director, screenwriter and music director known for his works in Telugu cinema. In 1985, he received the National Film Award for ''Sitaara''. Vamsy has his own style of making the movie with art like the director Bap ...
, denying it in early June 2013, many critics believed the film was heavily inspired from
John Woo
John Woo Yu-Sen SBS (; born September 22, 1946) is a Hong Kong filmmaker, known as a highly-influential figure in the action film genre. He was a pioneer of heroic bloodshed films (a crime action film genre involving Chinese triads) and the gun fu ...
's 1997 action film, ''
Face/Off
''Face/Off'' is a 1997 American science fiction action thriller film directed by John Woo, written by Mike Werb and Michael Colleary, and starring John Travolta and Nicolas Cage.
The first Hollywood film in which Woo was given major creativ ...
'', as well as bearing similarities to the Telugu films ''
Chatrapathi'' (2005) and ''
Vikramarkudu
''Vikramarkudu'' is a 2006 Indian Telugu-language action film directed by S. S. Rajamouli who co-wrote the film with V. Vijayendra Prasad. The film stars Ravi Teja and Anushka Shetty. It follows a thief who discovers a girl insisting he is her ...
'' (2006), both directed by
S. S. Rajamouli
Koduri Srisaila Sri Rajamouli ( ; born 10 October 1973) is an Indian film director and screenwriter who primarily works in Telugu cinema. He is the highest paid director in India, and is known for his action, fantasy, and epic genre films. T ...
.
While critic Sangeetha Devi Dundoo called the film a combination of ''Face/Off'' and ''Vikramarkudu'',
another critic, Karthik Pasupulate, wrote, "This movie this isn't a rip off of ''Face/Off''. We don't have filmmakers who have the required creativity and technical know how to make half decent adaptation of that 1997 action thriller. The director just borrows the central idea to dish out another silly revenge drama."
Music
Devi Sri Prasad
Devi Sri Prasad (; born 2 August 1979) is an Indian film composer, lyricist, singer-songwriter and performer. Popularly known by his initials DSP, he is best known for his work in Telugu-language films, and has also worked in a few Tamil films ...
composed the film's soundtrack, which consists of six songs.
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 ...
penned the lyrics for two songs, while
Sirivennela Seetharama Sastry
Sirivennela Seetharama Sastry (born Chembolu Seetharama Sastry; 20 May 1955 – 30 November 2021) was an Indian poet and lyricist known for his works in Telugu cinema and Telugu theatre. He acquired the stage name Sirivennela after writing the ...
,
Chandrabose,
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 ...
and
Sri Mani
Shree Mani (born 15 September 1988), also known as SriMani, is an Indian lyricist well known for his works in Telugu cinema and his unique style of lyrics. He won Filmfare Award for Best Lyricist – Telugu for the film ''Attarintiki Daredi'', p ...
each wrote the lyrics for one song.
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 ...
acquired the audio rights. The release of the soundtrack was postponed multiple times, due to the delay in the film's release. Later, the audio was officially launched at
Shilpakala Vedika
Shilpakala Vedika is a terracotta auditorium and convention centre located in Hyderabad, Telangana, India. The auditorium is in area.
"Shilpa" means sculpture, ''kala'' means art, and ''vedika'' means platform. Hence it is an art sculpture p ...
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 ...
on 27 September 2013 where the star crew of the film attended the launch with
Chiranjeevi
Chiranjeevi (born Konidela Sivasankara Varaprasad; 22 August 1955) is an Indian actor, film producer and former politician, who predominantly works in Telugu cinema. Chiranjeevi starred in over 150 feature films in Telugu language, Telugu, as ...
as the main guest.
The audio received positive reviews. ''
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 a review stating "Devi Sri Prasad has come up with an album that is high on the beat and low on melody, but plays to the galleries unabashedly, blending multiple genres. Though there isn't one stand-out song, the album has an overriding happy vibe about it. It isn't a record that you will cherish for long, but might just swing along while it lasts" and rated the album 3/5. ''
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 ...
'' gave a review stating "Devi Sri Prasad has composed some of the youthful and fresh tunes for the soundtracks. Having meaningful lyrics, some of the songs are very melodious and trendy. Devi Sri Prasad has used western instruments as well as rustic beats for them. A couple of songs offer a chance to Ram Charan Teja to show his dancing skills. Like his previous music albums, the composer has played it safe and all his songs are decent and appealing."
Track listing
Release
Theatrical
The film was initially slated for a 14 July 2013 release, which was Charan's first wedding anniversary. After few delays, the film's release date was announced as 31 July 2013 to coincide with the fourth anniversary of Ram Charan's 2009 film ''
Magadheera
''Magadheera'' () is a 2009 Indian Telugu-language fantasy action film directed by S. S. Rajamouli and produced by Allu Aravind's Geetha Arts, on a story by V. Vijayendra Prasad. The film stars Ram Charan, Srihari, Kajal Aggarwal and Dev Gil ...
''. After several delays, the film was rescheduled to open the same day as
Pawan Kalyan
Pawan Kalyan (born Konidela Kalyan Babu; 2 September is an Indian actor, filmmaker, and politician. His films are predominantly in Telugu cinema. Kalyan is the younger brother of actor-ex.politician Chiranjeevi, and made his debut in the 1996 ...
's ''
Attarintiki Daredi
''Attarintiki Daredi'' () is a 2013 Indian Telugu-language action comedy film written and directed by Trivikram Srinivas. Produced by Sri Venkateswara Cine Chitra and Reliance Entertainment, the film stars Pawan Kalyan, Samantha and Pranith ...
'', but was postponed again to 21 August 2013. The
Central Board of Film Certification
The Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) is a statutory film-certification body in the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting of the Government of India. It is tasked with "regulating the public exhibition of films under the provision ...
gave the film an 'A' certificate because of its violent action sequences. However, due to
protests in Seemandhra over the Telangana State formation, the release of both the films were delayed. Raju scheduled the release on either Diwali or Christmas 2013, again postponing the release from 10 October to avoid another release conflict with ''Attarintiki Daredi''. Due to piracy issues, ''Attarintiki Daredi'' released on 27 September 2013 which forced ''Yevadu'' to enter the theatres as a December release.
Dil Raju confirmed that the film's original and Malayalam dubbed version would release simultaneously on 19 December 2013. Regarding the film's release, Dil Raju said "I'm planning to release the film on Dec 19 if the Telangana bill is not passed. I haven't decided on postponing the film, but if the bill is passed and it is likely create some agitation, then I plan to release the film during Sankranti next year in January". The makers announced that the movie would release on 10 January 2014, however during the theatrical trailer launch, the makers announced the new release date as 12 January 2014 a Sankranti release clashing with ''
1: Nenokkadine'', ''
Veeram'' and ''
Jilla
''Jilla'' () is a 2014 Indian Tamil-language action drama film written and directed by R. T. Neason and produced by R. B. Choudary through the company Super Good Films. Starring Mohanlal and Vijay athe film revolves around the conflict betwe ...
'' at the worldwide box office. Sathyam Cinemas distributed the film in Chennai, where it released in 16 screens. A special paid premier show was held on 11 January 2014 at 9:00 PM and the money made from the premier show was donated to the construction of Lord Venkateswara Swamy temple in Mallepally.
Bhadrakali Prasad acquired the film's Tamil dubbing rights under his banner Bhadrakali Films. The Tamil dubbed version was titled ''Magadheera'' after the 2009 Telugu film of the
same name. The film's dubbing activities commenced in July 2015.
Marketing
The
film posters
A film poster is a poster used to promote and advertise a film primarily to persuade paying customers into a theater to see it. Studios often print several posters that vary in size and content for various domestic and international markets. The ...
were designed by Anil and Bhanu of AB Core Design. The first-look poster was unveiled on 24 March 2013, featuring Charan with a rugged look. The first-look teaser of 36 seconds was unveiled on 27 March 2013. The theatrical trailer was launched on 27 September, along with the film's soundtrack, and received a positive response from the audience. The promos for the songs "Nee Jathaga Nenundali", "Oye Oye" and "Pimple Dimple" were released on 10, 25 and 31 October 2013, respectively. The 16 second promo for the song "Freedom" was unveiled on 31 December 2013, which received positive reviews.
Dil Raju started the film's promotional activities 12 days before the film's release, and planned an advertisement campaign on television, newspapers, magazines, and movie portals. Charan released the second trailer of 85 seconds on 3 January 2014, at the Sandhya 70MM theatre in
RTC X Roads
RTC X roads or RTC cross roads is a road and one of the major commercial centers in Hyderabad, Telangana, India.
Commercial area
RTC x roads is known for the presence of the major movie theaters. All the major Tollywood new releases open here. ...
.
Hindustan Unilever
Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) is a consumer goods company headquartered in Mumbai, Maharashtra. It is a subsidiary of Unilever, a British company. Its products include foods, beverages, cleaning agents, personal care products, water puri ...
became associated with the film by paying 1 crore for co-branding activity in terms of hoardings, television, radio, and print.
MediaCorp
Mediacorp Pte. Ltd., doing business as Mediacorp and stylised as mediacorp, is a media conglomerate in Singapore. Owned by Temasek Holdings—the holding company of the Government of Singapore—it owns television, radio, and digital media prope ...
did the marketing tie-ups for the film. The film's official app was launched on 5 January 2014. While promoting the film, Shruti Haasan was admitted to the Apollo Hospital in Hyderabad, and underwent treatment for suspected food poisoning. The promo of the song "Cheliya Cheliya" was unveiled on 7 January 2014.
The film's crew visited
Tirumala Temple
Tirumala is a spiritual town in Tirupati district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is one of the suburbs of the Tirupati urban agglomeration. The town is a part of Tirupati Urban Development Authority and located in Tirupati (rural ...
on 17 January 2014, and made obeisance to
Venkateswara
Venkateswara, also known by various other names, is a form of the Hinduism, Hindu god Vishnu. Venkateswara is the presiding deity of the Tirumala Venkateswara Temple, located in Tirupati, Sri Balaji District, Andhra Pradesh, India.
Etymology ...
, before interacting with the audience at Group Theatres. A press meet addressing the audience was held at Vijayawada on the next day, with Vamsi, Dil Raju, Sai Kumar, Shashank, L. B. Sriram, Raja and others in attendance. The promo of the song "Ayyo Paapam" was unveiled on 13 March 2014.
Controversy
The All India Film Employees Confederation mandated that all regional film productions employ at least 70 per cent local stuntmen. When the Chennai stunt masters,
FEFSI Vijayan
FEFSI Vijayan simply known as ''Vijayan'' is an Indian action choreographer, stunt coordinator, actor who works in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Hindi language films. He has the record of being the youngest stunt master in the Indian film indust ...
and
Stunt Silva
Stunt Silva is an Indian stunt actor, action director and stunt co-ordinator who has worked in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Marathi, Hindi and Sinhala films. He made his debut with the 2005 Telugu film '' Chatrapathi'', directed by S. S ...
, failed to comply with this mandate, Andhra Pradesh stuntmen obstructed the film's production.
K. Nagendra Prasad, a former councillor of
Yemmiganur in
Kurnool
Kurnool is a city in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India. It formerly served as the capital of Andhra State (1953–1956). The city is often referred to as "The Gateway of Rayalaseema".Kurnool is also known as The City of Gem Stones. It also se ...
district, lodged a complaint with the police regarding a poster, alleging that it featured an image of a half-nude Amy Jackson. Suits were filed, naming Ram Charan, Amy Jackson, Dil Raju, the film's presenter Anitha, co-producer Sirish, the photographer, and the owner of the Raghavendra theatre which screened the film, citing section 292 of the IPC, as well as section 3 of the Indecent Representation of Women (Prohibition) Act of 1986. Vamsi defended that Jackson's still used in the poster was from a song sequence which had no obscenity in it and called the charges baseless. Justice K. G. Shankar of the High Court stayed the criminal cases on 28 July 2014.
Just before the release of ''
Race Gurram
''Race Gurram'' () is a 2014 Indian Telugu-language action comedy film directed by Surender Reddy and produced by Nallamalupu Srinivas under his banner Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Productions. The film stars Allu Arjun and Shruti Haasan while Shaa ...
'' (2014), stills of Shruti Haasan from the song ''Pimple Dimple'', taken from obscene angles, were leaked on the internet. Shruti received huge criticism for the photos, while some called it a cheap publicity stunt. Regarding them, she said that those stills were neither pre-approved by the production house nor her and were shot during a song shoot and called the leakage a breach of trust. She filed a
FIR in Hyderabad.
CID
CID may refer to:
Film
* ''C.I.D.'' (1955 film), an Indian Malayalam film
* ''C.I.D.'' (1956 film), an Indian Hindi film
* ''C. I. D.'' (1965 film), an Indian Telugu film
* ''C.I.D.'' (1990 film), an Indian Hindi film
Television
* ''CID'' ( ...
began investigation in May 2014. They questioned administrators of the websites which uploaded the photos, and the photographers who reportedly supplied the photos to them. However, it was uncertain whether uploading the photographs, since they were taken in a public place, could be termed as illegal, and sought a legal opinion on how to go about the investigation.
Home media
The film's television 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 ...
for an undisclosed price. The film registered a TRP rating of 10.14 during its television premiere. The television rights of the dubbed
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 ...
version, ''Bhaiyya My Brother'', were sold to
Mazhavil Manorama
Mazhavil Manorama is an Indian Free-to-air Malayalam general entertainment television channel operated and owned by Malayala Manorama Television (MMTV), the publisher of the widely circulated ''Malayalam Manorama'' daily, and the Malayalam wom ...
for 65 lakh, which was the highest price ever paid for a Telugu film dubbed in Malayalam. The Indian DVD and Blu-ray were marketed by
Aditya Videos, and were released in June 2014. ''Yevadu'' was also dubbed in
Hindi
Hindi (Devanāgarī: or , ), or more precisely Modern Standard Hindi (Devanagari: ), is an Indo-Aryan language spoken chiefly in the Hindi Belt region encompassing parts of northern, central, eastern, and western India. Hindi has been de ...
and released in 2015 by Goldmines Telefilms. The television rights for the Hindi version were sold to
Sony Max
Sony Max (known popularly as Set Max) is an Indian pay television entertainment channel which is a sister channel to Sony Entertainment Television, operated by Culver Max Entertainment. The channel started broadcasting on 20 July 1999 and is a ...
.
Reception
Box office
India
The film became the biggest opener for Ram Charan by collecting 8.65 crore on its first day, making the film with the fourth highest opening day grosses of all time, surpassing ''
1: Nenokkadine''. While the film's trade witnessed a drop on its second day, earning 4 crore, it improved on its third day, earning 4.5 crore, bringing its three-day total to 17.38 crore, overtaking the totals of ''
1: Nenokkadine'' and ''
Ramayya Vasthavayya
''Ramayya Vasthavayya'' () is a 2013 Indian Telugu-language action film written and directed by Harish Shankar. It was produced by Dil Raju and stars N. T. Rama Rao Jr., Shruti Haasan and Samantha Ruth Prabhu. The soundtrack was composed by S. ...
'' (2013).
The film collected a distributor share of 20 crore in four days at AP Box office. The film collected 27.85 crore in six days, surpassing the first week share of ''
Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu
''Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu'' (), also known by the initialism ''SVSC'', is a 2013 Indian Telugu-language family drama film written and directed by Srikanth Addala. It was produced by Dil Raju's Sri Venkateswara Creations, and stars V ...
'', and was expected to surpass its first week worldwide share of 33.5 crore.
The film also established a first week record in Nellore, and the east and west areas of Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka, by collecting 1.63 crore, 2.67 crore, 2.22 crore and 4.06 crore, respectively. However, it missed a first week record in Ceded and Visakhapatnam by a small margin. It also took the second spot in the list of the top 10 films with highest first week shares from AP.
The film collected 33.75 crore in 9 days, and more than 6 crore from other areas, including Karnataka, the rest of India, and overseas territories, enabling it to cross the 40 crore mark at the worldwide Box office, becoming Ram Charan's fourth film to cross that mark. The film grossed 35.5 crore in 11 days. The film collected 36.32 crore by the end of its second week at the AP Box office and 44 crore worldwide. The film collected 37.6 crore in 16 days at AP Box office, and was expected to reach the 50 crore mark worldwide. The film completed a 25-day run in early February 2014, collecting more than 38 crore at the AP Box office. The film collected 39.34 crore at the AP Box office and 47.1 crore worldwide during its lifetime, and was declared as one of the Ram Charan's biggest hits.
Other territories
According to
Taran Adarsh
Taran Adarsh (born 13 June 1965) is an Indian film critic and trade analyst. He is best known for giving trade figures and box office updates on social media.
Career
Taran Adarsh started his journalism career at the age of 15 with ''Trade Gui ...
, the film collected 1.46 crore in its opening weekend in the United States. In its first five days in the US, the film collected 2.2 crore. By the end of its second week, the film's performance was disappointing; and it only collected a total of $330,000 as of 20 January 2014, while ''1: Nenokkadine'' collected $1 million during that same span of time. Overseas, the film grossed a total of 1.7 crore share during its lifetime.
Critical response
According to ''
International Business Times India'', the film received "decent feedback" from critics.
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 ...
'' felt that the film was made only for the mass audience. She criticised the film's revenge sequences, calling them "non-stop and prolonged" but praised Devi Sri Prasad's music and C. Ram Prasad's cinematography.
Sridhar Vivan of ''
Bangalore Mirror
''Bangalore Mirror'' is a daily English-language newspaper published in Bangalore, India. It is a deputed newspaper and is the second-largest circulating English newspaper in the city
''Vijay Times''
''Vijay Times'' was an English newspaper st ...
'' gave the film 3 out of 5 stars and wrote, "For those watching ''Yevadu'', the first half ends quite shockingly as the director tries to wrap up the movie in the first leg itself. It is a treat for Cherry's fans and for others, it's strictly average stuff". He felt that the violence, lack of comedy and a predictable turn of events affected the film's narration.
''IndiaGlitz'' rated the film 3 out of 5 and wrote, "''Yevadu'' has not one but two revenge stories. The first revenge story has not much going for it — perhaps the director deemed it fit not to take it seriously. Followed by this no-brainer, there comes the film's actual story, giving us respite and much-needed entertainment in good measure".
''
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 ...
'' also rated the film 3 out of 5 and wrote, "''Yevadu'' provides novelty in the beginning episodes promising a different commercial film but ends up as a regular revenge drama. Has many clichéd moments but it is also a film that works to some extent. A masala fare".
Karthik Pasupulate 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 ...
'' was yet another to rate the film 3 out of 5, but he criticised its blatant similarities to ''Face/Off''. He added that the action choreography was "undecipherable" and called Sai Kumar's character as "one of the most over the top villain characters ever" adding that he would certainly "break the outer limit of the human hearing threshold".
Shekhar of ''Oneindia Entertainment'' rated the film 3 out of 5 as well, stating, "''Yevadu'' is a good action entertainer with all commercial ingredients. Ram Charan Teja is the showman in the film. If you are looking for entertainment without any message, it is good treat for you this Sankrathi".
References
External links
*
{{Vamshi Paidipally
2014 films
2010s Telugu-language films
2014 action thriller films
Indian films about revenge
2014 masala films
Films scored by Devi Sri Prasad
Films directed by Vamsi Paidipally
Indian action thriller films
Body swapping in films
Fiction about body swapping
Films shot in Switzerland
Films shot at Ramoji Film City
Films shot in Thailand
Films directed by Vamshi Paidipally
Sri Venkateswara Creations films