{{short description|2021 Telugu language crime drama film}} {{Use dmy dates|date=February 2021}} {{Use Indian English|date=February 2021}} {{Infobox film | name = Naandhi | image = Naandhi poster.jpg | caption = Theatrical release poster | director = Vijay Kanakamedala | producer = Satish Varma | screenplay = Vijay Kanakamedala {{Infobox | decat = yes | child = yes | label1= Dialogues by | data1 = {{Ubl |Abburi Ravi}} }} | story = Toom Venkat | based_on = | starring = Allari Naresh<br />Varalaxmi Sarathkumar | narrator = | music = Sricharan Pakala | cinematography = Siddharth J. | editing = Chota K. Prasad | studio = SV2 Entertainment | distributor = <!-- or: | distributors = --> | released = {{Film date|df=yes|2021|2|19|ref1=<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://filmyfocus.com/allari-nareshs-naandhi-release-date-confirmed/|title=Allari Naresh's Naandhi release date confirmed - Filmy Focus|first1=Filmy|last1=Focus|date=5 February 2021|access-date=6 February 2021|archive-date=13 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210213165905/https://filmyfocus.com/allari-nareshs-naandhi-release-date-confirmed/|url-status=live}}</ref>}} | runtime = 146 minutes | country = India | language = Telugu | budget = {{INR}}6 crore<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-02-24|title=Naandhi 5th Day Collection: Allari Naresh-Varalaxmi Sarathkumar's Film Box Office Rampage Continues|url=https://english.sakshi.com/news/tollywood/naandhi-5th-day-collection-allari-naresh-varalaxmi-sarathkumars-film-box-office|access-date=2021-03-01|website=Sakshi Post|language=en|archive-date=4 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210304062707/https://english.sakshi.com/news/tollywood/naandhi-5th-day-collection-allari-naresh-varalaxmi-sarathkumars-film-box-office|url-status=live}}</ref> | gross = {{Estimation}} {{INR}}9.5 crore<ref name=":2" /> }} '''''Naandhi''''' ({{translation}} Beginning) is a 2021 Indian Telugu-language legal drama film directed by debutant Vijay Kanakamedala and produced by Satish Varma. The film stars Allari Naresh and Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, while Priyadarshi, Harish Uthaman, Vinay Varma, and Praveen play supporting roles. The film has music composed by Sricharan Pakala with cinematography performed by Siddharth J.<ref>{{Cite news|date=30 June 2020|title='Naandhi' showcases a new Allari Naresh and glimpses of police brutality|language=en-IN|work=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/movies/the-teaser-of-telugu-film-naandhi-starring-allari-naresh-is-a-far-cry-from-his-comedies-and-shows-police-brutality/article31952756.ece|access-date=31 August 2020|issn=0971-751X|archive-date=3 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200703060654/https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/movies/the-teaser-of-telugu-film-naandhi-starring-allari-naresh-is-a-far-cry-from-his-comedies-and-shows-police-brutality/article31952756.ece|url-status=live}}</ref> The plot follows the life of Surya Prakash (Naresh), an undertrial prisoner who is falsely accused of murder, awaiting judgement.
Released on 19 February 2021, ''Naandhi'' opened to highly positive reviews<ref>{{Cite news|title=Allari Naresh's ''Naandhi'' release date announced - Times of India|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/telugu/movies/news/allari-nareshs-naandhi-release-date-announced/articleshow/80701872.cms|access-date=2021-02-06|website=The Times of India|language=en|archive-date=5 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210205060720/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/telugu/movies/news/allari-nareshs-naandhi-release-date-announced/articleshow/80701872.cms|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Balach|first=Logesh|title=Nani lauds Allari Naresh's performance in Naandhi. See post|url=https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/regional-cinema/story/nani-lauds-allari-naresh-s-performance-in-naandhi-see-post-1774182-2021-03-01|access-date=2021-03-01|website=India Today|date=March 2021 |language=en|archive-date=1 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210301062230/https://www.indiatoday.in/movies/regional-cinema/story/nani-lauds-allari-naresh-s-performance-in-naandhi-see-post-1774182-2021-03-01|url-status=live}}</ref> and became a commercial success, grossing over {{INR}}9.5 crore at the box office.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web |last=T2BLive.Com |date=2021-03-10 |title=Naandhi Total World Wide Collections |url=https://t2blive.com/naandhi-total-world-wide-collections/ |access-date=2022-03-14 |website=T2BLive |language=en-US |archive-date=24 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221124082222/https://t2blive.com/naandhi-total-world-wide-collections/ |url-status=live }}</ref> A Hindi remake has been announced with Ajay Devgn as the lead under the production of Dil Raju.<ref>{{Cite news|url = https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/movies/ajay-devgn-to-produce-hindi-remake-of-telugu-hit-naandhi-with-dil-raju/article34962067.ece|title = Ajay Devgn to produce Hindi remake of Telugu hit 'Naandhi' with Dil Raju|newspaper = The Hindu|date = 25 June 2021|access-date = 27 June 2021|archive-date = 27 June 2021|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210627050929/https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/movies/ajay-devgn-to-produce-hindi-remake-of-telugu-hit-naandhi-with-dil-raju/article34962067.ece|url-status = live}}</ref>
== Plot== Surya Prakash is an honest software engineer living with his parents. His only aim is to fulfill the dreams of his parents, which they sacrificed for his upbringing. Soon, Surya gets engaged to Meenakshi. Meanwhile, tensions arise in the state after the death of an honest and truthful lawyer Rajagopal. The police are under immense pressure to arrest the murderer. The in-charge of the case, CI Kishore, pulls Surya into the case, arresting him by falsely accusing him of killing Rajagopal. This is after he gets a contract, worth {{INR}}10 lakh, which Surya actually took as a loan, for buying a house. Kishore creates and plants fake evidence.
Surya is astonished as all the people, who can prove his innocence, turn hostile after being threatened by Kishore. Surya becomes an undertrial prisoner, and Kishore tortures him to make him accept the crime, but Surya stands his ground. Surya's parents commit suicide by immolating themselves, which devastates Surya. At the funeral ground of his parents, Kishore reveals to Surya that he forced his parents to commit suicide, in exchange for not torturing Surya in prison. Surya becomes infuriated and beats up Kishore, due to which he is charged with another case. Helpless, Meenakshi leaves Surya and ends their relationship.
After four years, Surya's case is still in court, and he is a broken man. He meets Radha Prakash, a controversial YouTuber, and narrates his past. Later, advocate Aadhya comes forward and succeeds in bailing Surya, but he brutally thrashes up some imprisoned goons, who beat him up without any reason, as per Kishore's plan. Surya again ends up in prison. Radha Prakash is revealed to be Aadhya's brother, and he recorded the incident in which the goons mistreated Surya. The video gets uploaded on the Internet, resulting in a human rights office meeting Surya in prison. Upon Surya's request, his case goes to the Fast Track High Court with Aadhya as his defense lawyer.
Aadhya proves Surya's innocence, and he is acquitted of the accusations. Surya decides to take revenge on Kishore using IPC Section 211. Satyamurthy becomes Kishore's defense lawyer for the case. Surya abducts Chandraiah, Kishore's assistant, who testified against Surya in Rajagopal's murder case. Chandraiah reveals that Kishore bribed two goons to kill Rajagopal, but upon pressure from the opposition party, he decided to capture them. The goons learned of the truth and escaped, which caused Kishore to pull Surya into the case, using a co-incidence as evidence.
Chandraiah accepts to reveal the truth in court, but he is kidnapped by the henchmen of ex-Home Minister Naagender, who is revealed to be the mastermind behind Rajagopal's murder. Aadhya requests the judge to provide them more time, and he accepts. Chandraiah is killed by Kishore, who fakes a report that he died in the riots. Aadhya and Surya find out that Naagender ordered Kishore to kill Rajagopal. Before Rajagopal's death five years ago, Naagender's land scams were brought to light by the government. To divert the media's attention, Naagender got Rajagopal killed because of his popularity and good image in the state.
Aadhya and Surya nearly succeed in exposing Naagender and request permission to tap Naagender's phone calls to prove him guilty. A night before the court appearance, Surya is kidnapped by Naagender, who blackmails Aadhya to withdraw the case, but upon being inspired by Surya, Aadhya carries on with the prosecution. Though injured, Surya successfully frees himself, defeating Naagender's henchmen. He reaches the court, where he is admitted to the hospital and is saved from his injuries. Naagender and Kishore are legally proved guilty, and they receive life imprisonment and death sentence, respectively. After this, Surya is relieved that his parents' death was not in vain.
== Cast == * Allari Naresh as Bandi Surya Prakash, a software engineer ** Aakash Srinivas as Young Surya * Varalaxmi Sarathkumar as Adv. Aadhya Mullapudi, Surya's defense lawyer * Harish Uthaman as CI Kishore, a corrupt police officer * Vinay Varma as Naagender, a corrupt ex-home minister * Praveen as Santosh, Surya's best friend and helper * Priyadarshi Pulikonda as Adv. Radha Prakash, Aadhya's brother and a YouTuber * Srikanth Iyengar as Public Prosecutor Satyamurthy * C. V. L. Narasimha Rao as Adv. Rajagopal, a social activist * Navami Gayak as Meenakshi, Surya's ex-fiancée * Rajyalakshmi as Rajagopal's wife * Ananda Chakrapani as Meenakshi's father * Devi Prasad as Surya's father * Pramodini as Surya's mother * Mani Chandana as Meenakshi's mother * Krishneswara Rao as Adv. Chandraiah, Kishore's close confident.
== Production ==
=== Development === The film is Vijay Kanakamedala's directorial debut.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Dundoo|first=Sangeetha Devi|date=2021-02-17|title=Vijay Kanakamedala: 'Naandhi is in a realistic space'|language=en-IN|work=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/movies/vijay-kanakamedala-discusses-his-debut-directorial-film-naandhi/article33860049.ece|access-date=2021-02-23|issn=0971-751X|archive-date=24 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210224041938/https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/movies/vijay-kanakamedala-discusses-his-debut-directorial-film-naandhi/article33860049.ece|url-status=live}}</ref> Allari Naresh, who is known for his comic roles, is cast as an undertrial prisoner. Varalaxmi Sarathkumar is seen as an advocate that helps the falsely convicted victims. Srikanth Iyengar is a crooked lawyer, while Priyadarshi is seen as a controversial YouTuber.{{Citation needed|date=November 2021}}
=== Principal photography === Principal photography of the film began in January 2020 at Ramanaidu Studios in Hyderabad with the first schedule completed by February 2020.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Pecheti|first=Prakash|date=20 January 2020|title=Allari Naresh tries a new genre with Naandi|url=https://telanganatoday.com/allari-naresh-tries-a-new-genre-with-naandi|access-date=31 August 2020|website=Telangana Today|language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|last=Hymavathi|first=Ravali|date=2020-02-15|title=Allari Naresh 'Naandhi' Completed Its First Schedule|url=https://www.thehansindia.com/cinema/tollywood/allari-naresh-naandhi-completed-its-first-schedule-605223|access-date=2020-08-31|website=The Hans India|language=en|archive-date=21 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211021061832/https://www.thehansindia.com/cinema/tollywood/allari-naresh-naandhi-completed-its-first-schedule-605223|url-status=live}}</ref> Filming also took place in an Aluminum factory in the city.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Reddy|first=Satish|date=27 August 2020|title=అల్లరి నరేష్ మూవీ టీంలో కరోన కలకలం.. క్లారిటీ ఇచ్చిన చిత్రయూనిట్|url=https://telugu.asianetnews.com/entertainment/allari-naresh-naandi-team-gives-clarity-about-movie-shooting-qfq8mk|access-date=31 August 2020|website=Asianet News|language=te|archive-date=21 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200921192523/https://telugu.asianetnews.com/entertainment/allari-naresh-naandi-team-gives-clarity-about-movie-shooting-qfq8mk|url-status=live}}</ref> Nearly 80% of the shoot was completed by June 2020.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web|date=29 June 2020|title=Allari Naresh Goes Naked for 'Naandhi'|url=https://english.sakshi.com/news/entertainment/fir-allari-nareshs-naandhi-will-surely-create-impact-120811|access-date=31 August 2020|website=Sakshi Post|language=en|archive-date=15 September 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200915134854/https://english.sakshi.com/news/entertainment/fir-allari-nareshs-naandhi-will-surely-create-impact-120811|url-status=live}}</ref>
== Soundtrack == The music is composed by Sricharan Pakala.
{{Infobox album | name = Naandhi | type = soundtrack | artist = Sricharan Pakala | cover = | alt = | released = | recorded = 2020–2021 | venue = | studio = Jubilee10 Studios<br/>(Hyderabad)<br/>St. Luke's Studio<br/>(Visakhapatnam) | genre = Feature film soundtrack | length = {{Duration|m=|s=}} | language = Telugu | label = Lahari Music | producer = Sricharan Pakala | prev_title = Maa Vintha Gaadha Vinuma | prev_year = 2020 | year = 2021 | next_title = Thimmarusu | next_year = 2021 | chronology = | misc = }}
{{Track listing | headline = Track listing | length4 = 3:18 | note2 = Backing Vocals: Sricharan Pakala, S. Anant Srikar | note3 = Backing Vocals: Sricharan Pakala | lyrics4 = Chaitanya Prasad | extra4 = Kareemulla | extra3 = Anurag Kulkarni | lyrics3 = Kittu Vissapragada | all_writing = | title3 = Devathalantha | length3 = 3:45 | title4 = Gundelona | total_length = | length2 = 3:20 | lyrics2 = Chaitanya Prasad | extra2 = Vijay Prakash | title2 = Idhe Naandhi | length1 = 3:35 | lyrics1 = Sri Mani | extra1 = N.C. Karunya, Haripriya Maranganti | title1 = Cheli | extra_column = Singer(s) | note1 = Backing Vocals: Sricharan Pakala }}
== Reception ==
=== Critical reception === ''The Times of India'''s Thadhagath Pathi rated the film 3.5 out of 5 stars and stated, "A film like this demands excellent writing and that is what Vijay excels at. He tells a story that goes beyond the usual tropes of a man wronged getting a bail and seeking revenge."<ref>{{Cite news|title=Naandhi Movie Review: A powerful subject backed by power-packed performances|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/telugu/movie-reviews/naandhi/movie-review/81106584.cms|access-date=2021-02-20|website=The Times of India|archive-date=19 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210219081838/https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/telugu/movie-reviews/naandhi/movie-review/81106584.cms|url-status=live}}{{Rating|3.5|5}}</ref> Sangeetha Devi in her review for ''The Hindu'', wrote "''Naandhi'' marks the arrival of Vijay Kanakamedala as a director with promise and reinforces how good an actor Naresh is. This will go down as one of his career-best performances."<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|last=Dundoo|first=Sangeetha Devi|date=2021-02-19|title='Naandhi' movie review: What it takes to turn the tables|language=en-IN|work=The Hindu|url=https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/reviews/naandhi-movie-review-what-it-takes-to-turn-the-tables/article33879659.ece|access-date=2021-02-20|issn=0971-751X|archive-date=19 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210219132911/https://www.thehindu.com/entertainment/reviews/naandhi-movie-review-what-it-takes-to-turn-the-tables/article33879659.ece|url-status=live}}</ref>
Vishwanath Vijayanagaram of ''The New Indian Express'' opined: "Despite being well-intentioned, ''Naandhi'' lacks both the consistency of a courtroom drama and the maturity of a legal procedural." Vijayanagaram rated the film 2.5/5 and added, "Composer Sricharan Pakala rises above the mediocre script and deserves kudos for this. Besides Naresh and Varu, Vinay Varma, Harish Uthaman, and Priyadarshi too deliver nice performances."<ref>{{Cite web|title='Naandhi' movie Review: A crime drama that fails to rise above the template|url=https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/review/2021/feb/20/naandhi-movie-review-a-crime-drama-that-fails-to-rise-above-the-template-2266329.html|access-date=2021-02-20|website=The New Indian Express|date=20 February 2021 |archive-date=20 February 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210220074909/https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/review/2021/feb/20/naandhi-movie-review-a-crime-drama-that-fails-to-rise-above-the-template-2266329.html|url-status=live}}{{Rating|2.5|5}}</ref>
===Box office=== The film grossed {{INR}}6.4 crore in the first week. It is Naresh's first commercially successful film after nearly eight years.<ref name=":2" />
=== Home Release === Aha's acquisition of Naandhi led to its premiere on 12 March 2021.
== Awards == {| class="wikitable sortable" !Date of ceremony !Award !Category !Recipient(s) and nominee(s) !Result !Ref. |- | rowspan="3"| 10–11 September 2022 | rowspan="3"| 10th South Indian International Movie Awards | Best Actor - Telugu | Allari Naresh | {{nom}} | |- | Best Debut Producer – Telugu | Satish Varma | {{won}} | |- | Best Debut Director - Telugu | Vijay Kanakamedala | {{nom}} | |- | 21 October 2022 | Sakshi Excellence Awards 2021 | Special Recognition Award | Satish Varma<br/>Vijay Kanakamedala | {{won}} | <ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.sakshiexcellenceawards.com/index.php?page=Winners&pageid=9&subpageid=46&subsubpageid=99 | title=Sakshi Excellence Winners - 2021 Cinema Awards | website=Sakshi (media group) | access-date=31 December 2024 | archive-date=11 November 2024 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241111235043/https://www.sakshiexcellenceawards.com/index.php?page=Winners&pageid=9&subpageid=46&subsubpageid=99 | url-status=live }}</ref> |- |}
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== * {{IMDb title|id=tt11773456}}
Category:Indian crime thriller films Category:2021 Telugu-language films Category:2021 Indian films Category:Films shot in Hyderabad, India Category:Films set in Hyderabad, India Category:Films about social issues in India Category:Indian courtroom films Category:2021 crime drama films Category:2021 directorial debut films Category:2021 films Category:Films about police brutality Category:Indian prison films Category:Films scored by Sricharan Pakala