Magadheera


Magadheera is a 2009 Indian Telugu-language epic romantic fantasy action film co-written and directed by S. S. Rajamouli, based on a story by V. Vijayendra Prasad. Produced by Allu Aravind under Geetha Arts, the film stars Ram Charan, Kajal Aggarwal, Dev Gill and Srihari. The film follows a street-bike racer who discovers his connection to a 17th-century warrior through reincarnation and sets out to rescue his lover from a vengeful adversary tied to their past lives.
Made on a budget of 3544 crore, Magadheera was the most expensive Telugu film at the time of its release. The film's principal photography commenced on 19 March 2008. The film's soundtrack and background score were composed by M. M. Keeravani, with cinematography by K. K. Senthil Kumar. Action sequences were choreographed by Peter Hein and the duo Ram–Lakshman.
Magadheera was released on 31 July 2009 to critical acclaim and commercial success. It became the first Telugu film to enter the 100 crore club, collecting a distributors' share of ₹78 crore and grossing ₹140 crore during its theatrical run. It became the highest-grossing Telugu film in history at the time. Its 1000-day theatrical run surpassed Chandramukhi as the longest-running South Indian film. The film won the National Award for Best Choreography and Best Special Effects at the 57th National Film Awards, along with six Filmfare Awards, and nine Nandi Awards.
Magadheera was the first Telugu film to be released in the Blu-ray format in India. It was later dubbed into Tamil as Maveeran which earned him fanbase in Tamilnadu and Malayalam as Dheera: The Warrior, both released on 27 May 2011. The Japanese-dubbed version, released in August 2018, became one of the highest-grossing Indian films at the Japanese box office. The film was remade in Odia as Megha Sabarire Asiba Pheri and in Bengali as Yoddha: The Warrior.

Plot

In 1609 CE, in the Aravali Mountains at Bhairavakona, a dying princess, Mithravindha Devi, pleads with the warrior Kaala Bhairava to confess his love for her. Just as Bhairava begins to express his feelings, she dies, and falls off the cliff, and Bhairava jumps after her, trying to reach her but failing and even he dies midway. A Muslim general, Sher Khan retrieves his armour and declares that Bhairava will be reborn to reclaim his lost love.
Four hundred years later, in 2009, Harsha, a street-bike racer, briefly touches the hand of a woman trying to board his auto, triggering strange visions and a connection with her. Curious, he searches for her and unknowingly asks Indira "Indu" about her, not realising she is the same woman. Believing he is stalking her, Indu misleads him and, along with her friends, exploits him for favours. However, after Harsha defends her from harassers, she begins to develop feelings for him.
Indu's father, Pratap Varma, was evicted from their ancestral estate, Udaigarh, in Rajasthan by Omdev, his late sister’s husband, who had no rightful claim to the property. The man and his son, Raghuveer, murder several lawyers to maintain control of the estate before travelling to Hyderabad to kill Pratap. However, upon seeing Indu, Raghuveer becomes infatuated and starts lusting on her. When his father dismisses his obsession, Raghuveer kills him and manipulates Indu and Pratap into believing he died of natural causes. He subsequently offers them the estate in an attempt to gain their trust.
One night, while attempting to touch a sleeping Indu, Raghuveer experiences visions of a warrior slitting his throat. Seeking answers, he consults a tantric, Ghora, who reveals that 400 years ago, in his past life, he was Ranadev Billa, commander-in-chief of kingdom of Udaigarh, who lusted after the queen Mithravinda Devi, and was killed by her lover, a warrior called Kaala Bhairava. Ghora claims that Bhairava's reincarnation must be killed in order for him to be with her. Meanwhile, after a second touch, Harsha discovers Indu’s deception and pranks her in retaliation, leading them to fall in love. When Indu's father, Pratap, approves Harsha and Indu's marriage, Raghuveer murders Pratap, frames Harsha, manipulates Indu and takes her away in a helicopter. Raghuveer learns that Harsha is Bhairava's reincarnation. Harsha fails to stop them, and after she touches him a third time, he falls into a lake, where he experiences his past life completely.
In 1609, the kingdom of Udaigarh, ruled by King Vikram Singh, faces an impending invasion by Emperor Sher Khan. The kingdom’s bravest warrior and the queen's bodyguard, Kaala Bhairava, is secretly in love with Vikram Singh’s daughter, Mithravindha Devi, who reciprocates his feelings. However, Bhairava refrains from expressing his love. Ranadev Billa, son of Vikram Singh's late sister and the royal general, desires to marry Mithra. He arranges a duel with Bhairava, declaring that the winner will marry her and become the king, while the loser will be banished. Bhairava wins, leading to Ranadev's exile. Vikram Singh later persuades Bhairava to reject Mithra’s love, fearing that he will die in the upcoming battle with Sher Khan, leaving her widowed. Bhairava, though heartbroken, complies.
Bhairava takes Mithra, his soldiers, and caretakers to Bhairavakona Temple atop a cliff to seek Lord Shiva's blessings before battle. Mithra urges Bhairava to confess his love, but when he remains silent, she disrupts the puja and paints his image with her blood and the nearby paint. An injured soldier arrives with news that Ranadev has allied with Khan’s army, has killed Vikram Singh and is advancing toward them. Khan challenges Bhairava to kill 100 of his soldiers. Bhairava succeeds but is severely wounded. Impressed by his bravery, Khan has a change of heart and befriends him. However, Ranadev insists on continuing the battle, with Sher Khan being unable to stop due to his promise of handing over the kingdom and queen to him, and fatally stabs Mithra just before Bhairava beheads him. As Mithra dies, she asks Bhairava to confess his love, but before he can, she falls off the cliff. Devastated, Bhairava jumps after her, embracing the same fate.
In the present, Harsha is rescued by Solomon and with his help, goes to Udaigarh, where Raghuveer and Harsha learn from Ghora that Indu’s past-life memories must be revived within the day, or she will remain with Raghuveer forever. With Solomon’s help, he kidnaps Indu and takes her to the dilapidated Bhairavakona Temple. In the struggle, Raghuveer accidentally kills Ghora. Harsha tries to convince Indu of their past love, but she does not believe him. Raghuveer arrives by helicopter and urges Indu to leave with him, but she sees Mithra’s painting, triggering her past-life memories. She reunites with Harsha and asks for his forgiveness. Furious, Raghuveer attacks Harsha, who overpowers him. As the duel intensifies, Raghuveer’s henchmen try to push Harsha off the cliff using the helicopter, but Solomon destroys it with his car. Realising he cannot have Indu, Raghuveer attempts to drag her off the cliff with him, but Harsha severs his right hand just moments before jumping. Raghuveer falls to his death, and Harsha and Indu finally reunite.

Cast

Cameo appearances

Development

Screenwriter Vijayendra Prasad prepared a story for a film titled Jagadeka Veerudu with Krishna as the lead in the direction of Sagar. That story is about a bodyguard who serves a Rajamatha. He fights 100 warriors and dies in his attempt to re-enthrone the Rajamatha after she is overthrown by her conspirators. He is reborn after 400 years and fulfills his ambition of placing her on the throne by making her a Chief Minister or a popular social worker like Medha Patkar. It was rejected as they didn't like the concept.
After fifteen years, Prasad's son S. S. Rajamouli selected this script for the film he was to direct with Ram Charan under Geetha Arts banner. But, he made several changes to it. Rajamouli re-characterized the Rajamatha character as a princess to create a vital love story for the film, as he felt that the relationship between a queen and a bodyguard would be only about loyalty and honesty.
Production for the film was officially launched on 2 March 2008 at Film Nagar Cultural Center in Hyderabad. B. V. S. N. Prasad co-produced the film with Allu Aravind under his production banner, Geetha Arts. M. Rathnam was announced as the dialogue writer while Rajamouli's usual collaborators K. K. Senthil Kumar, Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao, and M. M. Keeravani worked on the film's cinematography, editing, and music respectively. After many potential titles, Magadheera was considered and finalised in early February 2009.

Casting

After considering several actresses for the princess role, Kajal Aggarwal was selected by Rajamouli as the female lead opposite Ram Charan after conducting a photo shoot in his office. Rajamouli said that he wanted to cast her as the female lead in Yamadonga after her Telugu debut Lakshmi Kalyanam, but she was unavailable. He added that he wanted somebody "good looking, who would look like a princess and who had dates available" and finalized her because she met all of these prerequisites. After conducting her photoshoot, Rajamouli explained the story and Mithra's characterization to her in 45 minutes. He said she needed to treat the hero arrogantly, but do so out of love for the hero. Kajal kept this in mind and acted accordingly while playing the dual roles of a princess from 400 years ago and a modern-day college student. Kajal called both her roles "unique and challenging".
Dev Gill was selected to portray the film's antagonist. Rajamouli was criticized for selecting him considering Gill's previous film, Krishnarjuna, but remained adamant about casting him. He said that he had to cast a good-looking man as the film's villain because the heroine needed to find him trustworthy. For this film, Gill had to practice horse riding in Ramoji Film City; Ram Charan was already an experienced equestrian. Srihari was cast in his role in the film in early April 2008. Kim Sharma was selected to perform one of the two item numbers in the film in early June 2008. Saloni Aswani made a cameo appearance in the film and shot for three days. She was subsequently signed for Rajamouli's next project, Maryada Ramanna, before Magadheera was even released.
Rao Ramesh was cast as a tantrik who helps Gill's character in the present era. Mumaith Khan was selected for another item number, a remix version of the hit song "Bangaru Kodipetta" from Gharana Mogudu ; Gharana Mogudu's music was also composed by M. M. Keeravani. Chiranjeevi made a special appearance after the song, making Magadheera the first film he appeared in after his entry into politics. When Rajamouli suggested the idea of a cameo appearance, Chiranjeevi was initially hesitant till the director narrated the complete sequence and the importance of the song.