''Sindhooram'' () is a 1997 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 crime film written and directed by

Krishna Vamsi Pasupuleti Venkata Bangarraju, know professionally as Krishna Vamsi, is an Indian film director, producer and choreographer known for his work in Telugu cinema. Vamsi started his career as an assistant director to Ram Gopal Varma. He made his d ...

. The film stars

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''. ...

and

Sanghavi Sanghavi (born Kavya Ramesh) is an Indian actress and a model known for her work predominantly in Telugu and Tamil language films. She was one of the leading actresses in South Indian cinema for a decade from 1993 to 2004. In her career spannin ...

, with

Ravi Teja Bhupatiraju Ravi Shankar Raju (born 26 January 1968), known professionally as Ravi Teja, is an Indian film actor and producer who predominantly works in Telugu cinema. He is known for his roles in action comedy films. He is one of the highest- ...

and Soundarya in supporting roles. The film dealt with the intricacies of Naxalism in

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 ...

. The film and the soundtrack has received positive reviews upon release, and gathered cult following. The film has garnered the

National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Telugu The National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Telugu is one of the National Film Awards presented annually by the Directorate of Film Festivals, the organisation set up by Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, India. It is one of several ...

and was screened at the

International Film Festival of India The International Film Festival of India (IFFI), founded in 1952, is one of the most significant film festivals in Asia. Held annually, currently in the state of Goa, on the western coast of the country, the festival aims at providing a common pla ...

. The film also won five

Nandi Awards The Nandi Awards are the awards that recognise the excellence in Telugu cinema, Telugu theatre and Telugu television, and Lifetime achievements in Indian cinema. Presented annually by the Government of Andhra Pradesh, the award is named after ...

Plot

A cadre of police constables on their way home from election duty. As they discuss their lives, their van is blown up by a gang of Naxals. Bulliraju is in training to become a police officer. He is hot blooded and has a strong sense of justice. Buliraju is from a small village close to the Godavari river. Chanti, Bairagi, Satipandu and others are wayward youth who reside in the same village. They spend their time playing cards, drinking and teasing girls. They are all friends with Bulliraju. Few of them are also naxals and pass information of the ongoings of the village to Naxalites who live in the nearby forest. The Naxals use this information to fight injustice. Baby and Lakshmi are girls in the same village. Baby is in love with Bulliraju and Lakshmi is in love with Chanti. Also in the village are various other characters such as landlords, policemen, doctors, farmers and day laborers. Bulliraju returns in the middle of his police training to find that the local policemen act more like the henchmen of the rich rather than defenders of the people and justice. When Satipandu is suspected of being a closet Naxal and is picked up by the police, Bulliraju too is picked up too as he tries to defend his friend. The SI shoots and kills Satipandu and later in an altercation, Bulliraju accidentally shoots the SI. Buliraju is thus branded a Naxal and eventually becomes the leader of the group, despite having no interest in Communism/Maoism or Vigilantism. Bulliraju brings a different approach to naxalism, as he is more focused on delivering justice to the people than spread a communist/Maoist ideology. In a way, he turns the Naxal gang into a vigilante gang. To the police however, they are all the same, as they have taken the law into their own hands. He becomes a symbol of law and order in the 30 surrounding villages and is seen as a form of alternate government. Bulliraju's training officer is designated the task of wiping Naxalism from the area. He sees Bulliraju as an outlaw who joined police training to learn their secrets. He vows to bring Bulliraju to justice. One day, Bairagi is betrayed by an illegal arms dealer and is captured. Bulliraju kidnaps the local minister in an effort to get Bairagi back. Bulliraju's gang is already decimated by various forces such as poisoned water, police encounters, weather and the elements of the forest. They fight on even though that they are running out of ammunition. The police is on their trail for the kidnapping of the minister. Eventually, the police catch up to them and most of them die with heavy casualties on both sides. The overall message of the movie is that when people have nothing to lose, they will not shy away from taking the law into their own hands. When the common man is denied justice from official channels, he will seek justice from whoever will give it to him. Justice is as important to the sustenance of a society as food and water. When justice becomes a luxury, society turns to chaos and death becomes a way of life. When a government doesn't provide the kind of justice that society needs, society will try to snatch it as a drowning man will grasp for air.

Cast

Soundtrack

The soundtrack of this film was composed by Srinivasa Chakravarthy and all the lyrics except "Hai re hai" (by Chandrabose) were written by Sirivennela. The soundtrack received positive reviews.

Awards

;

National Film Awards The National Film Awards is the most prominent film award ceremony in India. Established in 1954, it has been administered, along with the International Film Festival of India and the Indian Panorama, by the Indian government's Directorat ...

(1997) ;

(in

) * Second Best Feature Film - Silver -

& Mohan Mullapudi * Best Dialogue Writer -

K. N. Y. Patanjali K. N. Y. Patanjali was a noted writer, journalist from Andhra Pradesh. He worked in various news papers like Eenadu, Andhra Bhoomi, Udayam, Andhra Prabha. He was also the editor of Sakshi (newspaper), Sakshi news paper. He wrote many novels and ...

* Best Supporting Actor -

Surya Surya (; sa, सूर्य, ) is the sun as well as the solar deity in Hinduism. He is traditionally one of the major five deities in the Smarta tradition, all of whom are considered as equivalent deities in the Panchayatana puja and a m ...

* Best 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 ...

* Best Character Actor - Paruchuri Venkateswara Rao

References

External links

* {{Pasupuleti Krishna Vamsi 1997 films Films shot in Telangana Films about Naxalism Indian avant-garde and experimental films 1997 crime thriller films Indian crime thriller films Films set in forests Films directed by Krishna Vamsi Indian political thriller films 1990s Telugu-language films Fictional portrayals of police departments in India Fictional portrayals of the Andhra Pradesh Police Best Telugu Feature Film National Film Award winners 1990s avant-garde and experimental films 1990s political thriller films Films set in Andhra Pradesh