Bangarraju

Bangarraju
Theatrical release poster
Directed byKalyan Krishna Kurasala
Screenplay bySatyanand
Story byKalyan Krishna Kurasala
Produced byNagarjuna
Starring
CinematographyJ. Yuvaraj
Edited byVijay Vardhan Kavuri
Music byAnup Rubens
Production
companies
Release date
  • 14 January 2022 (2022-01-14)
Running time
160 minutes[1]
CountryIndia
LanguageTelugu
Budget₹25 crore[2]
Box office₹66 crore[3]

Bangarraju is a 2022 Indian Telugu-language supernatural drama film directed by Kalyan Krishna Kurasala. Produced by Annapurna Studios and Zee Studios, Bangarraju is a sequel to the 2016 film Soggade Chinni Nayana and stars Nagarjuna, Naga Chaitanya, Ramya Krishna, and Krithi Shetty.

Bangarraju was filmed from August to December 2021, with film score and soundtrack composed by Anup Rubens. Bangarraju was released theatrically on 14 January 2022, coinciding with Sankranti. It received mixed to positive reviews from critics and was commercially successful, grossing over ₹66 crore worldwide.

Plot

[edit]

When Bangarraju returns to Yamlok,[N 1] he is told that he has been shifted to Swarga due to the good deeds that he has done during his time back on earth. After a few months, Ramu and Seetha both have a child, but Seetha dies after bearing the child. Sathyabhama and Ramu decide to take care of the child and name him Bangarraju, and simultaneously Ramu's cousin Ramesh also names their child Naga Lakshmi, and they decide that they will get them both married in the future. However, due to Ramu's heavy work schedule, he decides to leave his child with Satyabhama. As Bangarraju is growing up, he shares a lot of the same qualities that his grandfather had while also having conflicts with Naga Lakshmi. In one such instance where Bangarraju is found with a girl, Satyabhama sees this and has a heart attack, which she dies from. She then finds Bangarraju Senior's soul in Swarga flirting with the apsaras, and Bangarraju Senior is shocked to see her die this early.

They then see Bangarraju all grown up and that he has become the same man that his grandfather was, and at the same time Naga Lakshmi is trying to become the village Sarpanch after her father. With Bangarraju and Naga Lakshmi constantly fighting, both Bangarraju Senior and Satyabhama ask permission from Yamraj and Devraj Indra to go back to earth to solve their problems and get married. Meanwhile, Ramesh encounters a problem with the lands of a friend and Bangarraju helps him and fights off ruthless henchmen. The henchmen come back and try to kill Bangarraju at a pooja in the temple, and due to this, Naga Lakshmi reacts violently and slaps Bangarraju. It is then found out that Bangarraju's cousin Aadi has been planning to get Bangarraju killed because they know that Bangarraju's family has been protecting a temple that has rare stones at the bottom of it and to get the stones, they need to kill the family.

Meanwhile, Bangarraju Senior tries to get Naga Lakshmi to like Bangarraju, which she does. In a turn of events, it is revealed that Aadi's father Sampath was still alive and that he has been also seeking vengeance against the family for killing his father and grandfather. At the same time, Bangarraju Senior successfully gets Bangarraju and Naga Lakshmi to love each other. Sampath, on the other hand, knows that Bangarraju's soul is the one that killed his father and grandfather and that the soul is back now also for Bangarraju and tells Aadi about it. With this, Sampath plans to get a ring that will be placed on Bangarraju's hand during his engagement which will stop Bangarraju soul from entering his body. It is then found out that Ramesh was also in on this plan all along, and that he also wants Bangarraju to be killed for the stones and the potential marriage to his daughter to Aadi.

Knowing all of this, Bangarraju Senior and Satyabhama try various ways to stop Bangarraju from being killed, but he ultimately ends up being kidnapped by Aadi and is brought to Sampath and Ramesh to be killed. When Bangarraju is on the verge of being killed, the divine snake from the earlier film falls on Ramu's car, and Bangarraju, sensing this, jumps into Ramu's body to fight Sampath, Ramesh, and Aadi. Bangarraju regains consciousness, and the ring is removed from his hand, allowing Bangarraju to also enter his body. After both Bangarraju and Ramu kill Sampath and Aadi, they plan to kill Ramesh also but stop due to them seeing Naga Lakshmi, and they decide not to tell her the truth. Bangarraju and Naga Lakshmi both get married, and at a pooja alter, Yamraj and Devraj Indra impose a barrier that allows Bangarraju and Ramu to see and touch Bangarraju Senior and Satyabhama. Bangarraju sees Satyabhama and talks about how he lived with sadness after her death and he begs her not to leave him again.

Meanwhile, Ramu says that him seeing Bangarraju Senior for the first time gives him a sense of braveness to which the senior Bangarraju replies saying that Ramu needs to be a better father to Bangarraju and that he should not neglect his son due to Ramu constantly focusing on his work. After an emotional union, both Bangarraju Senior and Satyabhama's souls are then joined with Lord Shiva since their karma was completed.

Cast

[edit]
Cameo appearances

Production

[edit]

Following the success of Soggade Chinni Nayana in 2016 and the accompanying popularity of Bangarraju's character, Nagarjuna announced the film's sequel with Kurasala returning as the director.[7] The sequel is titled Bangarraju after the original's protagonist with Nagarjuna reprising his role. Ramya Krishna also reprised her role as Satyabhama.[8] Nagarjuna's son Naga Chaitanya is cast as Bangarraju's grandson Chinna Bangarraju.[9] Krithi Shetty was paired opposite him as Naga Lakshmi.[10] According to Kurasala, Bangarraju has a fresh storyline and stands on its own, despite it being a sequel. Kurasala planned to cast Nagarjuna's second son Akhil Akkineni in the film, but did not materialize due to scheduling conflicts.[11][12]

Bangarraju's production was supposed to begin some time after Soggade Chinni Nayana but was postponed due to several reasons. Kurasala completed its pre-production works in November 2020 and began casting for the film.[13] In March 2021, during a press meet of Wild Dog, Nagarjuna announced his intentions to release Bangarraju in January 2022, aiming for a Sankranti release.[14]

The film was launched with a formal puja ceremony in Hyderabad on 20 August 2021.[15] Anup Rubens, who composed the music for Soggade Chinni Nayana, returns for Bangarraju. Annapurna Studios and Zee Studios have collaborated to jointly produce the project with Nagarjuna as its producer.[16] Principal photography of the film began on 25 August.[17] Shooting took place at the Ramoji Film City.[18] The production then shifted to Mysore where a week-long schedule took place.[19] Filming wrapped up on 23 December 2021.[20] It was scheduled to release on 14 January 2022 coinciding with Sankranti.[21]

Music

[edit]
Bangarraju
Soundtrack album by
Anup Rubens
Released29 January 2022 (2022-01-29)
GenreFeature film soundtrack
Length20:13
LanguageTelugu
LabelZee Music
ProducerAnup Rubens
Anup Rubens chronology
Drushyam 2
(2021) 		Bangarraju
(2022) 		Malli Modalaindi
(2022)
Singles from Bangarraju
  1. "Laddunda"
    Released: 9 November 2021
  2. "Naa Kosam"
    Released: 5 December 2021
  3. "Vaasivaadi Tassadiyya"
    Released: 19 December 2021
  4. "Bangaara"
    Released: 8 January 2022
  5. "Entha Sakkagundhiro"
    Released: 14 January 2022

The film score and soundtrack album of the film is composed by Anup Rubens. The music rights were acquired by Zee Music.

No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Nuvvu Siggupadithe"Kasarla ShyamK. S. Chithra, Sai Charan, Ramya Behara3:56
2."Vaasivaadi Tassadiyya"Kalyan KrishnaMohana Bhogaraju, Shahiti Chaganti, Harshavardhan Chavali3:52
3."Naa Kosam"BalajiSid Sriram4:17
4."Entha Sakkagundhiro"BalajiSai Madhav, Mohana Bhogaraju, Meghna Mishra, Kavya, Aparna2:53
5."Bangaara"BhaskarabhatlaMadhu Priya2:46
6."Laddunda"BhaskarabhatlaAkkineni Nagarjuna, Dhanunjay Seepana, Anup Rubens, Nutana Mohan, Mohana Bhogaraju, Haripriya2:28
Total length:20:13

Reception

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Critical reception

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Bangarraju received mixed reviews from critics.[22] Writing for Cinema Express, Murali Krishna CH called it a "perfect follow-up for its predecessor, Soggade Chinni Nayana." "The film is peppered with hilarious one-liners, and Kalyan Krishna perfectly captures the portrait and vibe of a coastal village, complete with characters that are rooted in the setting," he added.[23] Anji Shetty of Sakshi stated that Nagarjuna and Chaitanya's performance is the core strength of the film with a particular praise for the climax sequence.[24]

The Times of India critic Neeshita Nyapati opined that Bangarraju was an "old wine in a new bottle," and had nothing fresh to offer. On the technical aspects, she wrote: "Anup Rubens' music is fun and fits well into the story. Cinematographer Yuvaraj also pulls off the visuals well. The weak VFX however is a let-down and doesn't let you immerse well into the story."[25] Calling Bangarraju a "passable festive entertainer," Sangeetha Devi Dundoo of The Hindu felt that the sequel banked heavily on Nagarjuna and Chaitanya but barely skimmed the surface of the supernatural revenge family drama story.[26] The Indian Express' critic Manoj Kumar R criticized the film and pointed out over-sexualisation, unoriginality, lack of common sense and basic respect for logical thinking and honest storytelling as its problems.[27]

Box office

[edit]

Bangarraju was successful at the box office,[28] grossing around ₹118.87 crore in three weeks of its run.[29] On its opening day, Bangarraju grossed ₹15.35 crore worldwide, with a distributor's share of ₹9.36 crore.[30] By the second day of the release, the film collected a total gross of ₹36 crore worldwide,[31] with a distributor's share of ₹18.85 crore.[32]

Future

[edit]

During a promotional event of the film in January 2022, Nagarjuna, answering a question posed by a journalist, asserted a possibility of a sequel to Bangarraju [33] of Soggade Chinni Nayana 2016 movie.

Notes

[edit]
  1. ^ Following the events of Soggade Chinni Nayana (2016).

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Bangarraju". British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on 16 January 2022. Retrieved 13 January 2022.
  2. ^ "Bangarraju Day 5 Collections: Nagarjuna Movie is Sankranthi Box Office Winner". Sakshi Post. Archived from the original on 19 January 2022. Retrieved 19 January 2022.
  3. ^ "Year Ender 2022". News18 Telugu. Archived from the original on 31 December 2022. Retrieved 31 December 2022.
  4. ^ "Hint of supernatural in 'Bangarraju' trailer". Telangana Today. 11 January 2022. Archived from the original on 11 January 2022. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  5. ^ a b c d e "Bangarraju movie: 'బంగార్రాజు'లో ఫుల్ కలరింగ్.. రమ్యకృష్ణ, కృతి శెట్టితో పాటు మరో అరడజన్ హీరోయిన్లు." News18 Telugu (in Telugu). Archived from the original on 9 January 2022. Retrieved 9 January 2022.
  6. ^ "Eight Heroines Adds To Bangarraju's Glamor Quotient". mirchi9.com. 8 January 2022. Archived from the original on 27 November 2022. Retrieved 10 October 2022.
  7. ^ "Nagarjuna announces sequel to Soggade Chinni Nayana". Deccan Chronicle. 23 February 2016. Archived from the original on 25 September 2016. Retrieved 25 September 2016.
  8. ^ Gabbeta, Ranjith Kumar (11 March 2020). "Nagarjuna Akkineni's Bangarraju to go on floors in June". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 13 March 2020. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  9. ^ Gabbeta, Ranjith Kumar (10 January 2022). "Naga Chaitanya plays Nagarjuna's grandson in Bangarraju, says director Kalyan Krishna". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 11 January 2022. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  10. ^ "Krithi Shetty introduced as Naga Lakshmi in Nagarjuna, Naga Chaitanya, Ramya Krishnan starrer Bangarraju". The Times of India. 18 November 2021. Archived from the original on 18 November 2021. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  11. ^ Adivi, Sashidhar (21 August 2021). "Kalyan Krishna excited to work for Bangarraju". Deccan Chronicle. Archived from the original on 21 August 2021. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  12. ^ "Akhil to play a cameo in Bangarraju?". Cinema Express. 6 September 2021. Archived from the original on 15 January 2022. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  13. ^ Vyas (25 November 2020). "Rashmika in Nagarjuna's Bangarraju?". The Hans India. Archived from the original on 25 November 2020. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  14. ^ "Akkineni Nagarjuna on why his film is called Wild Dog: 'The title suits my character'". The Indian Express. 2 March 2021. Archived from the original on 5 March 2021. Retrieved 5 April 2021.
  15. ^ Palisetty, Ramya (20 August 2021). "Nagarjuna and Naga Chaitanya begin Bangarraju shoot. See pics from puja ceremony". India Today. Archived from the original on 20 August 2021. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  16. ^ Kanoj, Priyanka (25 August 2021). "Akkineni clan comes together for the sequel to 'Soggade Chinni Nayana' which is titled 'Bangarraju': Father-son duo to entertain the audience". IBTimes. Archived from the original on 24 November 2021. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  17. ^ "Nagarjuna and Naga Chaitanya begin shooting for Bangarraju". The Indian Express. 25 August 2021. Archived from the original on 20 November 2021. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  18. ^ "Bangarraju team surprises Ramya Krishna". The Hans India. 17 September 2021. Archived from the original on 17 September 2021. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  19. ^ "New schedule of Bangarraju begins in Mysore". Indulg Express. 10 November 2021. Archived from the original on 11 November 2021. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  20. ^ "Shooting of Nagarjuna's Bangarraju wraps up today". 123Telugu. 23 December 2021. Archived from the original on 23 December 2021. Retrieved 1 January 2021.
  21. ^ Gabbeta, Ranjith Kumar (5 January 2022). "Nagarjuna Akkineni announces Bangarraju Sankranthi release date, but with a note of caution". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 5 January 2022. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  22. ^ "Bangarraju box office collection: Nagarjuna Akkineni-Naga Chaitanya film earns Rs 53 cr in opening weekend". The Indian Express. 17 January 2022. Archived from the original on 1 April 2022. Retrieved 1 March 2022. Despite mixed reviews from the audience and critics
  23. ^ "Bangarraju Movie Review: A satisfying sequel". Cinema Express. 14 January 2022. Archived from the original on 7 February 2022. Retrieved 7 February 2022.
  24. ^ "బంగార్రాజు మూవీ రివ్యూ". Sakshi (in Telugu). 14 January 2022. Archived from the original on 14 January 2022.
  25. ^ "Bangarraju Movie Review : High on colour, low on freshness". The Times of India. 14 January 2022. Archived from the original on 14 January 2022.
  26. ^ Dundoo, Sangeetha Devi (14 January 2022). "'Bangarraju' movie review: A passable festive entertainer". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 17 January 2022. Retrieved 17 January 2022.
  27. ^ "Bangarraju review: Naga Chaitanya plays a man child, Nagarjuna his guardian angel in this sorry excuse of a movie". The Indian Express. 14 January 2022. Archived from the original on 14 January 2022.
  28. ^ Vadla, Praveen Kumar (8 February 2022). "Bangarraju closing WW collections: 'బంగార్రాజు' క్లోజింగ్ కలెక్షన్స్.. సోగ్గాళ్లు బ్రేక్ ఈవెన్ అందుకున్నారా..?". News18 Telugu (in Telugu). Archived from the original on 1 March 2022. Retrieved 1 March 2022.
  29. ^ "Bangarraju 20 Days WW Collections : నాగార్జున 'బంగార్రాజు' 20 రోజుల బాక్సాఫీస్ కలెక్షన్స్.. ఇంకా ఎంత బాకీ అంటే." News18. 3 February 2022. Archived from the original on 3 February 2022. Retrieved 3 February 2021.
  30. ^ "Bangarraju First Day Collections : నాగార్జున, నాగ చైతన్యల 'బంగార్రాజు' ఫస్ట్ డే కలెక్షన్స్.. బాక్సాఫీస్ దగ్గర అక్కినేని హీరోస్ ఊచకోత". News18 (in Telugu). 15 January 2022. Archived from the original on 15 January 2022. Retrieved 15 January 2022.
  31. ^ "బాక్సాఫీస్‌పై 'బంగార్రాజు' దండయాత్ర.. రెండు రోజుల్లోనే అన్ని కోట్లా?". Sakshi (in Telugu). 16 January 2022. Archived from the original on 16 January 2022. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  32. ^ "Bangarraju 2 days WW collections: 'బంగార్రాజు' 2 డేస్ కలెక్షన్స్.. ఊచకోత కోస్తున్న అక్కినేని సోగ్గాళ్లు." News18 Telugu (in Telugu). Archived from the original on 18 January 2022. Retrieved 16 January 2022.
  33. ^ Vaitla, Narender (7 January 2022). "Nagarjuna: సోగ్గాడి సందడి కంటిన్యూ కానుందా..? నాగ్ ఈ విషయాన్ని చెప్పకనే చెప్పేశారుగా." TV9 Telugu (in Telugu). Archived from the original on 7 January 2022.
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