| Magadheera | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | S. S. Rajamouli |
| Screenplay by | S. S. Rajamouli |
| Dialogues by |
|
| Story by | V. Vijayendra Prasad |
| Produced by | Allu Aravind B. V. S. N. Prasad (Co-producer) |
| Starring | Ram Charan Kajal Aggarwal Dev Gill Srihari |
| Cinematography | K. K. Senthil Kumar |
| Edited by | Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao |
| Music by | M. M. Keeravani |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Geetha Arts |
Release date |
|
Running time | 158 minutes 167 minutes (extended theatrical version) |
| Country | India |
| Language | Telugu |
| Budget | ₹35–44 crore[1] |
| Box office | est.₹150.5 crore |
Magadheera (lit. 'Great Warrior')[2] is a 2009 IndianTelugu-languageepicromanticfantasyaction film co-written and directed byS. S. Rajamouli, based on a story byV. Vijayendra Prasad and with dialogues by M. Rathnam. Produced byAllu Aravind underGeetha Arts, the film starsRam Charan,Kajal Aggarwal,Dev Gill andSrihari. 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₹35–44crore,Magadheera was the most expensive Telugu film at the time of its release.[1] The film'sprincipal photography commenced on 19 March 2008. The film's soundtrack and background score were composed byM. M. Keeravani, with cinematography byK. K. Senthil Kumar. Action sequences were choreographed byPeter Hein and the duoRam–Lakshman. Notably, it was the first[citation needed] Telugu film to list a "visual effects producer" in its credits.
Magadheera was released on 31 July 2009 to critical acclaim and commercial success. It became the first Telugu film to enter the100 crore club,[6] collecting adistributors' share of ₹73.4 crore and grossing ₹150.5 crore during its theatrical run. It became the highest-grossing Telugu film in history at the time.[7] Its 1000-day theatrical run surpassedChandramukhi (2005) as the longest-runningSouth Indian film.[8] The film won theNational Award forBest Choreography andBest Special Effects at the57th National Film Awards, along with sixFilmfare Awards, and nineNandi Awards. In 2016, it was featured at theFantastic Fest.[9]
Magadheera was the first Telugu film to be released in theBlu-ray format in India. It was later dubbed into Tamil asMaveeran which earned him fanbase in Tamilnadu and Malayalam asDheera: The Warrior, both released on 27 May 2011.[10] The Japanese-dubbed version, released in August 2018, became one of the highest-grossing Indian films at the Japanese box office.[7] The film was remade in Odia asMegha Sabarire Asiba Pheri (2010) and in Bengali asYoddha: The Warrior (2014).[11]
In 1609 CE, in theAravali Mountains at Bhairavakona, in the aftermath of a fierce battle. Near the edge of a cliff, 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 falls, and Bhairava jumps after her, trying to reach her but failing. 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, astreet-bike racer, briefly touches the hand of a woman trying to board hisauto, triggering strange visions. 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 inRajasthan 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 toHyderabad to kill Pratap. However, upon seeing Indu, Raghuveer becomes infatuated with 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 atantric, Ghora, who reveals that in a past life, he was a prince who lusted after Indu and was killed by her lover, a warrior. Meanwhile, Harsha discovers Indu’s deception and pranks her in retaliation, leading them to fall in love. Determined to eliminate his past-life enemy, Raghuveer learns that Harsha is the warrior’sreincarnation. He murders Pratap, frames Harsha, manipulates Indu and takes her away in a helicopter. Harsha fails to stop them and falls into a lake, where he experiences visions of his past life.
In 1609, the kingdom of Udaigarh, ruled by King Vikram Singh, faces an impending invasion byEmperor Sher Khan. The kingdom’s bravest warrior, Kaala Bhairava (Harsha), is secretly in love with Vikram Singh’s daughter, Yuvarani Mithravindha Devi (Indu), who reciprocates his feelings. However, Bhairava refrains from expressing his love. Ranadev Billa (Raghuveer), 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 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 battle, 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. An injured soldier arrives with news that Ranadev has allied with Khan’s army, and 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 and fatally stabs Mithra 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 (Sher Khan’s reincarnation) and learns 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 now-ruined 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. Raghuveer falls to his death, and Harsha and Indu finally reunite.
| Maharaaj Bhanuprathap Singh | Rani Hemavathi | Mahadeva Varma | Rema Bai | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Eshwari Bai | Rudradev Ranawat | Vikram Singh | Kamalini Devi | Bhavani Varma | Sardar Omdev | Prathap Varma | Madhuri | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Ranadev Billa | Mithravinda Devi | Kaala Bhairava | Raghuveer | Indira | Harsha | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
"My father Vijayendra Prasad prepared a story for a film titledJagadeka Veerudu withKrishna as a hero in the direction of Sagar. They didn't like that concept and it was turned down. I was working as an assistant to my father at that time. I always wanted to do that story and it required a huge budget. When I was granted a big budget from Allu Aravind for Charan's movie, I picked this subject up.
I watched DVDs ofAlfred Hitchcock'sTV series before makingMagadheera. What intrigued me is that he reveals the entire plot in the beginning and is still able to maintain the suspense by showing how the protagonist does it. It became an eye-opener for me. That is the reason why I revealed the story of the movie right on the film's launch. Opening the film with a flashback scene is influenced by Alfred Hitchcock."
ScreenwriterVijayendra Prasad prepared a story for a film titledJagadeka Veerudu withKrishna as the lead in the direction of Sagar. That story is about a bodyguard who serves aRajamatha (queen mother). 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 aChief Minister or a popular social worker likeMedha Patkar. It was rejected as they didn't like the concept.[12]
After fifteen years, Prasad's sonS. S. Rajamouli selected this script for the film he was to direct withRam Charan underGeetha Arts banner. But, he made several changes to it.[13] 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.[12]
Production for the film was officially launched on 2 March 2008 at Film Nagar Cultural Center (FNCC) in Hyderabad.B. V. S. N. Prasad co-produced the film withAllu Aravind under his production banner,Geetha Arts. M. Rathnam was announced as the dialogue writer while Rajamouli's usual collaboratorsK. K. Senthil Kumar,Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao, andM. M. Keeravani worked on the film's cinematography, editing, and music respectively.[14] After many potential titles,Magadheera was considered and finalised in early February 2009.[15]
After considering several actresses (includingTamannaah) for the princess role,Kajal Aggarwal was selected by Rajamouli as the female lead oppositeRam Charan after conducting a photo shoot in his office.[16] Rajamouli said that he wanted to cast her as the female lead inYamadonga (2007) after her Telugu debutLakshmi Kalyanam (2007), 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.[17] 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[12] 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".[18]
Dev Gill was selected to portray the film's antagonist. Rajamouli was criticized for selecting him considering Gill's previous film,Krishnarjuna (2008), 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 inRamoji Film City; Ram Charan was already an experiencedequestrian.[12]Srihari was cast in his role in the film in early April 2008.[19]Kim Sharma was selected to perform one of the twoitem numbers in the film in early June 2008.[citation needed]Saloni Aswani made acameo appearance in the film and shot for three days. She was subsequently signed for Rajamouli's next project,Maryada Ramanna (2010), beforeMagadheera was even released.[20]
Rao Ramesh was cast as atantrik who helps Gill's character in the present era.[21]Mumaith Khan was selected for another item number, a remix version of the hit song "Bangaru Kodipetta" fromGharana Mogudu (1992);Gharana Mogudu's music was also composed by M. M. Keeravani.[citation needed]Chiranjeevi made a special appearance after the song, makingMagadheera 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.[22]
"The color scheme was decided at the beginning itself with Senthil, Ravinder, and Rajamouli. There was a lot of coordination with the sets and the lighting schemes. The story has a Rajasthan backdrop so I had to look up old books available and the Internet for references to design the ancient costumes.
ForYamadonga, there were direct references to get-ups and one had to improvise upon them. Whereas here there are no proper references asMagadheera is a fantasy story. Though the backdrop is Rajasthan, the references were useful for other characters than the lead protagonists. One had to imagine, match and put the costumes together for the hero and heroine."
Regarding his looks in the film, Ram Charan said, "Personality-wise there isn't much difference to Kala Bhairava but I have to tell you minor changes like the shape of my mustache, a slight voice modulation, the background scale, the atmosphere, and even the 'Chandrabindu' worked wonders on screen and gave a different look and feel and I felt like it was an altogether different side of me. When I was told of the characterization of 'Kala Bhairava', I had an impression of a young, passionate soldier and naturally, it had to have a great body and an authoritative voice. So, we also worked on it. We actually went to Rajasthan and observed the local culture and their way of dressing, we researched a lot about their costumes, history, and great personalities 400 years ago and planned it accordingly."[citation needed] Ram Charan sported a long hairdo for both of his characters in the film.[citation needed]
To design the armor used by Charan in his role as Kala Bhairava, art director R. Ravinder wanted precise measurements of Charan's body; they usedplaster of Paris to make a mold of Charan's body shape from which they created a statue. They designed costumes for the statue and had Charan try them on once they were satisfied with the designs.[24] In an interview with Radhika Rajamani ofRediff.com, the film's stylist, Rama Rajamouli, said that it took one month to develop the right look for the olden period before she began working on the materials and costumes for the film. She added that all of the film's costumes were designed by her and stitched in Hyderabad and that Kajal's costumes were heavily detailed as she needed to look rich, elegant, and bright. Rama Rajamouli had some disagreements with cinematographer K. K. Senthil Kumar over the colors of the costumes.[23] Her decision of having Kajal wear a dress of baby pink and pista green during the war sequence at Bhairavakona was initially opposed by Rajamouli, but later agreed to after the director saw the final edit. She also used minimal jewelry for the princess' outfits.[17]
The film'sprincipal photography was expected to begin on 26 February 2008,[citation needed] and then on 15 March 2008, but finally began on 19 March 2008 inRajasthan.[14] Initial shooting occurred for 10 days inRann of Kutch,Gujarat.[19] Art director Ravinder went toChennai and gave details of their requirements to a prominent chariot-making specialist. After rejecting the maker's first iron skeletons, Ravinder opted to design them himself, and prepared three models of chariots with different heights to be used, depending on the camera's location and other technical requirements. He used fiber material for the iron skeleton's exteriors. For a scene in which neither the hero nor the villain was present on the chariot, Ravinder measured a short person and designed a hidden chamber in which he could sit and secretly control the horses. While the chariot race sequence was shot inDholavira, the sequence in which the chariot sinks in quicksand was shot at a set comprising three acres inRamoji Film City.[25]
"When we were looking for locations, we were told about Kutch. ABSF guard there told us if we go further, we would find white land. We went further and found that kind of land. We doubted whether horses and chariots could run on that land. We took pictures and came back. Then our people checked whether horses and chariots could move on it. Because of the uneven light conditions, the sand would look yellowish and with DI we could make it white. So also the sky was colored with a tinge of blue. The location helped the way it came out on screen.
K. K. Senthil Kumar scouted for locations in Gujarat, looking for dry, open lands to shoot the chariot race sequence. They found salt lands with white sands in Dholavira. To shoot the sequence there, they wanted a lightweight vehicle to follow the horses; they bought aMaruti van, removed the vehicle's top, and mounted the camera along with ajimmy jib atop it. A part of the songDheera Dheera was also shot there, requiring filmmakers to plant a dry tree and a couple of oxen for use in the song's backdrop.[27] An item number featuring Kim Sharma and Ram Charan was shot in late June 2008 in a specially erected fishermen colony. It was set up on the first floor ofAnnapurna Studios and cost less than₹30lakh. Ravinder explained, "The set should look like an outdoor location, but need to be constructed on an indoor floor. I constructed the exteriors of around 28 houses on that floor with a detailed interior plan for the house Srihari. I also constructed a small boat and a big-wheeled fish with a thermocouple. When the director wanted a smoke effect for a shot I held the heavy smoke machine on my shoulders at a low angle for the required effect."[28]
After filming key parts of the film in Rajasthan, in suburbs ofHyderabad, and atBadami inKarnataka, filming continued in Ramoji Film City in a specially erected set named Bhairavakona in late October 2008. Two more schedules, one from 3–10 December and one in January, were also shot at the Bhairavakona set.[29] The sequence of Charan killing 100 warriors, also at Bhairavakona, included a bridge. As the set did not permit shooting with low angles, a separate half-bridge was erected at Bhoot Bangla in Road No. 22 ofBanjara Hills. The bridge, which had a height of 60 feet (18 m) and a length of 100 feet (30 m), was constructed on top of a rocky hill using steel beams as the skeleton and wooden material as support. It was built in around 20 days by over 60 men amid heavy rains. 20 trucks of black soil were transported from Ramoji Film City for the bridge set, as that type of soil was only available in the former location.[citation needed]
After the completion of shooting at the arena set in Ramoji Film City, the arena set was demolished and a set for the heroine's house was constructed in its place. This was the last set constructed for this film.[30] By late September 2008, 70% of the film's shoot was complete. The remix version of "Bangaru Kodipetta" was shot by Ram Charan and Mumaith Khan under the supervision ofPrem Rakshith atChennai Port, althoughVisakhapatnam Port was first considered.[citation needed] Filming continued in and around Hyderabad very discreetly in November 2008.[31] Stunt sequences by Ram Charan and some stuntmen were shot in mid-December 2008 at Hyderabad.[citation needed] By mid-February 2009, the film's scripted part had been wrapped up, with only some songs left to shoot.[citation needed] The song "Nakosam Nuvvu" was shot in Switzerland while "Panchadara Bomma Bomma" was shot atGolconda Fort in Hyderabad. Both songs were duets featuring Ram Charan and Kajal.[citation needed] K. K. Senthil Kumar said in an interview thatMagadheera could not have been made in eight months because of its long pre-production and post-production phases.[26] Over twolakhs worth of props, including swords, daggers, knives, bows and arrows, pouches, armor, footwear, and other accessories, were used in the film. They were designed by 160 workers, including welders, molders, carpenters, painters, cobblers, artists, tailors, and leathermen, who worked for two months in theGeetha Arts Studio. Five people were appointed exclusively to look after these props.[32] However, during the film's shoot both Peter Hein and Ram Charan suffered major injuries.[33] The former fell down from a height of 80–90 feet during the composition of a stunt and was advised a bed rest for four months.[34] Charan faced severe leg fractures,[33] while Rajamouli said that Peter "met with an accident on the sets, had two broken ribs, fractured hands and jaw and lost all his teeth. Within a month, he was back on the sets with his face and body covered in bandages and plaster. He could barely lift his hands to shoot."[17]
R. C. Kamalakannan was theVFX producer of this film.Magadheera was the first Telugu film in which the position of "Visual Effects Producer" was used in the credits. He was assisted by a team of five experts from abroad and 62 dedicated group members apart from 130 people from the company EFX in Chennai and Hyderabad. Special effects andCG were used for about 1 hour and 40 minutes out of the total 2 hours and 35 minutes in the film. 15% of the frames in the film's scenes of Udaigarh city were shot with a camera; the rest were CG extensions. For the scenes in the stadium, CG extension was slightly above 50%.[35] For the stadium, Italian concept artist Marco Rolandi began with aCAD drawing and made his first 3D concept in 5 days. It took five months for Marco Rolandi to reach the design shown in the film and as imagined by Rajamouli. Simultaneously, Iranian 3D technical director Adel Adili, who worked with Kamalakannan forAnji (2004),Yamadonga andArundathi (2009), was working on the 3D Udaigarh city. He started with a city plan and added streets, buildings, mountains, temples, palaces, water bodies, a huge waterfall, rivers, gates, a moat, and trees, all of which were planned and received Rajamouli's approval before being executed to full scale. Adili redesigned Marco's 3D stadium to suit Indian aesthetics and made it fit perfectly within the city.[36]
Pete Draper, who worked with Kamalakanna inGhajini (2008), was selected as the pipeline technical director of the film. At that time, Kamalakannan was in Iran finalizing the CG stadium and City with Adili. The majority of the film was shot inanamorphic format, but aSuper 35 camera gate and lens were used for the stadium episode to minimize distortion. Post-production of the stadium scenes was given to Prasad EFX, and the film set up their ownrender farm in Chennai. The post-process was done in several stages after the scan. The live stadium had only 7 steps, in which live people were positioned in 6 steps while the remaining 12 steps were CG extensions. Adili created 3D CG people to fill the CG steps and their actions in a library of 3000 frames.[36]
Draper designed the birds in two flows: one flow kept flying around the stadium, while the other flow took off from a position dome and landed on a target dome. Rajamouli used those birds in several shots. Upon finishing the stages of the stadium composite, Kamalakannan flew to Iran again to work with Adel on the 3D city shots which were created entirely in CG. Adili designed 3D horses for the hero and villain and Draper designed the 3D people flocking behind the horses. About Adili's work, Kamalakannan said, "When we started the city-shot renders, it has taken several hours to render one frame. But Adili re-corrected the geometry and applied several path-breaking ideas, so even on 24 July, just a week before the film release, we were able to do corrections, render and submit."[36]₹4 crores ($825,000) was spent solely on VFX forMagadheera.[37]
During the film's shoot atRamoji Film City in late November 2008, a 500 square feet (46 m2)film can, containing two or three scenes, was discovered missing from Rainbow lab. The filmmakers filed a case at Hayathnagar police station.[citation needed] Security personnel and film unit members searched, but failed to recover the reels.[38] Rajamouli's unit said it was not important if the scenes from the can were aired online since they were not crucial scenes, were all on ablue matte, and lacked finishing.[citation needed] Later, raw footage from the film was seen on the internet but no details about the culprits were found.[citation needed] After the photographs and small video clips were leaked on the Internet, some of the film unit members felt that the loss might have been a ploy on the part of the producers to create hype.[38]
The film is based on the concept ofreincarnation and eternal love. According to Rediff, the rewritten script's basic storyline is that "Love remains eternal and it will follow generations and generations. There is always a big victory for Love."[39] The film's flashback sequences were used as a flip switch between the film's olden and present-day eras.[40] Initially the film featured a scene in which the present-day heroine accidentally receives adupatta preserved in a museum that is used in the flashbacks as the dupatta Bhairava and Ranadheer race. However, separate dupattas were used in the film as Rajamouli felt that getting the dupatta from the flashback would complicate the narrative.[12]
In her bookBimal Roy's Madhumati: Untold Stories from Behind the Scenes, writerRinki Bhattacharya compared the reincarnation theme ofMagadheera with that ofMadhumati (1958),Karz (1980),Karan Arjun (1995) andOm Shanti Om (2007).[41] Touching the heroine unleashes locked memories within the hero that transport him to Rajasthan in 1609 from contemporary Hyderabad. Bhattacharya also comparedMagadheera to another Telugu film,Mooga Manasulu (1964).[41] Rajamouli told Subhash K. Jha that he was inspired byKaran Arjun to make films based on reincarnation.[42]
M. M. Keeravani composed the film's soundtrack.Kalyani Malik had done the Sound supervision.[43] It features six songs including the remixed version of his composition "Bangaru Kodipetta" from the 1992 filmGharana Mogudu. The soundtrack of the Tamil dubbed version,Maaveeran, had three additional tracks. The Telugu soundtrack was launched atShilpakala Vedika in Hyderabad on 28 June 2009.[44] The Tamil version was launched on 25 April 2011 in Chennai.[45]
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Geetha Arts released the film on 31 July 2009, with 625 digitalUFO Moviez prints in 1250 theatres across the globe, makingMagadheera the biggest release for a Telugu film in history. Its release included more than 1000 screens inAndhra Pradesh alone.[46][47] The film opened up with 25 prints overseas in almost 40 locations.Magadheera was the first Telugu film to be released on 21 screens in North America.[46] Huge vinyl posters featuring Ram Charan and his father, cameo performer Chiranjeevi, were put up at all of the theatres in Krishna District. Posters also featured the head of Chiranjeevi's political party, formerMLA Vangaveeti Radhakrishna, which added political importance to the release.[48]
Tamil and Malayalam dubbed versions were planned in mid-February 2009.[citation needed] The film's Tamil dubbed version was titled asMaaveeran, named after the1986 Tamil film.[citation needed] Geetha Arts collaborated withUdhayanidhi Stalin for the Tamil version and distributed it under his production banner,Red Giant Movies.[49]K. Bhagyaraj wrote the dialogues forMaaveeran.[citation needed] The Malayalam version was titledDheera—The Warrior and was distributed by Pallavi films.[50] The Tamil dubbed versionMaaveeran and Malayalam dubbed versionDheera—The Warrior were released in more than 100 screens and 50 screens respectively on 27 May 2011.[10]
Raju Hirwani, the owner of Supreme Music, ventured into overseas distribution withMagadheera. He distributed the film in the USA via Blue Sky Cinemas Inc.[51][52] The distribution rights of non-US countries, including the UK, Ireland, Middle East, Australia, New Zealand and Singapore, were acquired by Krishna Productions.[citation needed] The theatrical rights of Australia and New Zealand were sold to Tollyfilmz. The film's Singaporean rights were sold to Pragati Films.[53] Gulf and Kuwait theatrical rights were sold to K. A. Chowdary and Basheer respectively.[citation needed] Red Giant Movies distributedMaaveeran while Pallavi films distributedDheera—The Warrior.[49][50] The film's Karnataka distributor, Vijayakumar, was disciplined for breaking the rules of the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce by simultaneously releasing a non-Kannada film in more than 21 screens in the state. The proceeds of 21 screens were given to him while the rest was confiscated by the Chamber of Commerce. The KFCC also suspended Vijaykumar, who was KFCC's secretary for distribution, from its executive committee.[54]
Joint collector Gaurav Uppal convened a meeting of film exhibitors and distributors, warning them against black-marketing tickets toMagadheera. This was after local leaders, attempting to acquire a maximum number of tickets, blocked and booked tickets to the film in advance, to enthuse their supporters during the local civic polls in Guntur. Special teams of revenue, police, and commercial tax officers were appointed to keep watch at ticket counters and ensure that each person was issued only one ticket. Priority was ordered to be given to the sanitation, safety, and comfort of the viewers.[48] Authorities in Vijayawada ensured the strict checking and prevention of black-marketing of tickets. However, Ram Charan's fans resorted to sloganeering and an impromptu protest demonstration in the office of Revenue Divisional Officer K. Hymavathi in Machilipatnam. They demanded the screening of a benefit show and the advance sale of tickets after being rejected by the management of the twin theatres, Siri Venkata and Siri Krishna, where the film was screened. The officer rejected their plea and said that the tickets would be issued only to those who came in the queue and that no special concessions would be made for fans.[48]
On 9 August 2009, two persons, identified asNIT student M. Praveen Kumar and Ganesh, were killed and 15 others sustained severe injuries after being electrocuted while jostling for tickets forMagadheera at the theatre Bhavani inKazipet,Warangal.[55] The screening ofMagadheera at theatres inVizianagaram was prohibited by the then ministerBotsa Satyanarayana until safety measures were complied with. Satyanarayana's announcement followed the death of five people in Salur Village due to an electrical accident at the Lakshmi theatre screeningMagadheera.[56]
Folk lyricistVangapandu Prasada Rao alleged that his 40-year-old folk song "Em Pillado Eldamostavaa", which was featured inT. Krishna'sArdharathri Swatanthram (1986), was used by film director Rajamouli and Allu Aravind in theMagadheera song "Jorsey" without Rao's consent.[57] Activists of PDSU, POW and PYL staged a protest demonstration in front of the Ashok 70 MM theatre in Nizamabad, where the film was screened, to demand the removal of the song. The protesters said that the song was written by Rao during the famous Srikakulam armed struggle four decades prior and had been misused to portray an obscene duet in the film. They added that the song was used without the permission of the writer and that the depiction defeated the very purpose of the song, which was written in a revolutionary spirit. They demanded a public apology by the makers to Rao.[58] A few reports stated that Rao demanded Aravind pay him compensation of₹50 lacks.[citation needed]
After the completion of the film's 175-day run, novelist S. P. Chary accused the film of being based on a novel that he had written and published as a serial under the titleChanderi in a monthly magazine in 1998. He demanded that filmmakers compensate him for using his idea without consent, and threatened to take legal action if the producers did not heed his demands, or remade the film in another language. He added that he deserved to be credited for the story and alleged thatAllu Arjun andAllu Sirish were trying to postpone his acknowledgment by discussing the issue with him.[citation needed]
Magadheera was the first Telugu film in India to have a home media release in theBlu-ray format. During the release announcement, Allu Sirish said that although they initially were reluctant to go for it, given the fact that there were approximately only 2500 Blu-ray devices in Andhra Pradesh, the overwhelming demand for it made him rethink the decision. He added, "Sharing this vision with us was Sri Balaji Videos, the largest home-video label in Andhra Pradesh. Together, we're bringing outMagadheera on Blu-ray. Though Bhavani Videos releasedNagarjuna'sKing (2008) on Blu-ray, it was only for the overseas market. This makesMagadheera the first Blu-ray film to be released in India and with a bonus disc with additional footage. We're also holding a press event in this regard to officially announce the launch of the movie on DVD and Blu-ray."[citation needed]
A press note announced that the DVDs would be available beginning the third week of March 2010 while the Blu-ray would be available two weeks later.[citation needed] The launch ceremony took place in a Marriott Hotel on 27 February 2010. The first DVD was released by M. M. Keeravani and was presented by journalist Pasupuleti Ramarao.[59] The DVD was released inNTSC video format andDolby Digital 5.1 surround audio format on 5 March 2010. The Blu-ray disc was released on 13 April 2010.Magadheera held the top position in sales for its 720p Blu-ray edition with 5.1 Dolby digital sound format as of July 2014.[citation needed]
Suresh Krishnamoorthy ofThe Hindu summarised, "Magadheera is not for the weak-hearted, those who do not like the sight of blood and neither is it for those who like movies with storylines that are much-closer-to-everyday- reality. But Rajamouli excels in story-telling. The way he has used the flashback as a flip switch, going back and forth and taking the viewer through a 400-year journey in a jiffy is interesting. The rest is about how well technology, creativity, imagination, and innovation are leveraged to present what is an eye-pleasing experience for viewers."[40] B. V. S. Prakash ofThe Times of India wrote, "Despite a few narrative lapses, the much-hyped semi-periodic epic lives up to expectations. Unlike his previous action-centric films, director Rajamouli dishes a heart-touching love story on a lavish canvas convincingly. Also kudos for the way he has visualized and presented the film." He added, "After not-so-impressiveChirutha, Ram Charan Tej returns as a valiant soldier and breathes life into the larger-than-life role with ease. Similarly, Kajal known for simple lover-girl roles transforms into a determined princess and truly impresses. Dev Gil is adequate as the ruthless villain", and rated the film 3 out of 5.[60]
Radhika Rajamani ofRediff.com called the film "technically brilliant" and wrote "A reincarnation story is not often seen in Telugu cinema and SS Rajamouli uses this theme for Ram Charan Teja's second film Magadheera. It's a magnum opus production with great technical work. The graphics are excellent for a Telugu movie. Overall, the movie is a mainstream one with good packaging." She rated the film 3 out of 5.[61]Sify called the film a "brilliant entertainer" and wrote, "Set against the backdrop of an eerie theme — reincarnation — Magadheera unfolds on the screen with multiple shades of entertainment. When the movie was launched last year, director Rajamouli dared to reveal the central theme of the story. He succeeded in his attempt, as he was able to keep the screenplay and narration gripping from start to finish. The second half has the soul in it." Sify summarised, "In short, the movie encompasses some of the best commercial elements that Telugu audiences have seen in the recent past."[62]
However, Rajamouli was accused of lifting scenes from films likeGladiator (2000),Troy (2004),The Myth (2005) and300 (2007).[63]
The film collected a share of approximately₹19.87 crore ($4 million) in its first week inAndhra Pradesh alone, of which a share of₹7.1 crore ($1.46 million) was collected in Nizam region.[64] Sixteen centres collected₹1 crore ($206,000), each of which was an all-time state record.[65] It collected a share of₹38.15 crores ($7.88 million) in 21 days in Andhra Pradesh.[66] By the end of its four-week run, the film was declared a blockbuster and collected a share of₹43.56 crores ($9 million) in 28 days and₹47.08 crores ($9.7 million) in 35 days.[67][68] The film completed a 50-day run in 302 centers on 18 September 2009. By then, the film had collected₹65 crores ($13.4 million) share and stood strong.[69]
The film completed its 100-day run in 223 centers. By then it had surpassedRajinikanth'sSivaji: The Boss (2007), which grossed₹70 crore inTamil Nadu, and stood second toGhajini (2008), which reached₹200 crore.[65] The film completed a 175-day run in three centers.[69] The film completed a 365-day run in Vijayalakshmi theatre inKurnool on 31 July 2010 and a 1000-day run in the same theatre on 26 April 2012.[70][71]
More than 50% of the film's lifetime collections were from the Nizam region.[72] The film also did well in the overseas box office. It was released inNew Jersey with three prints on three screens and collected a record share of more than 150,000 dollars, turning the highest amount raised overseas by a Telugu film; the previous record holder wasTrivikram Srinivas'Jalsa (2008), which collected more than 100,000 dollars. It grossed 102,000 dollars in its first two days in New Jersey and a share of 95,000 dollars inVirginia with two prints as of mid-August 2009. It collected a share of 78,000 dollars in theSan Francisco Bay Area with a single print. It managed to sell 2300 tickets inMinneapolis; the previous record for tickets sold there for a Telugu film was 1200.[73] The film's overseas records were beaten two years later byDookudu (2011), although disputes have arisen over which film holds the Tollywood all-time sales record.[74]
The film was dubbed in Japanese and released there in 2018. This version earned an additional $1 million, the second highest for an Indian film afterMuthu (1995), which earned $1.6 million after being released in Japan.[75]
Magadheera's success turned Kajal into one of the most sought-after actresses in Telugu cinema and catapulted her into the foray of leading Telugu actresses.[citation needed] The film was also considered a fate changer in the career of Ram Charan.[76] The role of Sher Khan played by Srihari was considered as one of the best roles in his career and also catapulted S. S. Rajamouli to stardom.[77] Dev Gill attained stardom with this film and went on to work in several South Indian films as an antagonist. After the release ofMagadheera, people began recognizing him as Ranadheer.[78] According to writerGopimohan,Magadheera started a trend of experimentation with a period, socio-fantasy and spiritual themes that were continued in films likePanchakshari (2010),Nagavalli (2010),Anaganaga O Dheerudu (2011),Mangala (2011),Sri Rama Rajyam (2011) andUu Kodathara? Ulikki Padathara? (2012).[79]
The props used in this film, including weapons like swords and shields, were auctioned by Movie Artists Association. Actors, technicians, and the general public were invited to bid and the proceeds were used to aid poor artists in the Telugu film industry.[citation needed] ActorSivaji Raja started the bidding by offering₹50,000 for the sword that Ram Charan used and comedianVenu Madhav started the bidding for the shield with₹25,000. B. V. S. N. Prasad bid for both the sword and knife for₹100,000. The bidding started on 7 May 2010 online on the association's official website and ended on 16 May. The winners were declared on 20 May 2010.[citation needed] AfterMagadheera, S. S. Rajamouli worked on a small budget filmMaryada Ramanna (2010) which, according toCrazy Mohan, was similar to the act ofS. S. Vasan directing the small budget filmMr. Sampat (1952) afterChandralekha (1948).[80] Rajamouli explained his decision by saying, "I decided that my next project would beMaryada Ramanna during theMagadheera shooting itself because it is a one and half year project that demands a lot of physical labour and mental strain. I didn't want to commit to another physically exhausting film immediately afterMagadheera.Maryada Ramanna gave us time to recharge our batteries so that we could come up with another huge project." He revealedMaryada Ramanna's plot before its launch to minimize the expectations of his audience afterMagadheera's success.[81]
Tammareddy Bharadwaja said "Ever sinceArundhati andMagadheera did well at the box office, the rest of the industry started following their footsteps. Also, since there is an irrational craze to make high-budget films right now, producers are turning towards mythological films. It is the only genre where you can boast of spending crores for creating the sets and the look of the film. But what they don't realize is that if these films flop, the blow to the producer will be severe." Films likeAnaganaga O Dheerudu (2011) andSakthi (2011) were commercial failures andBadrinath (2012) was an average grosser; all being fantasy films in which the protagonist is a warrior.[82][83] The promos ofBadrinath looked similar toMagadheera and the former's directorV. V. Vinayak along with its male leadAllu Arjun kept insisting thatBadrinath is dissimilar toMagadheera. Producer Natti Kumar said "If a hero delivers a hit, producers run after him for five years and burn their fingers only after six or eight flops. It's the same story with movies. SinceMagadheera became a hit, every other hero and director wants to do a period film where there is scope to spend crores. They don't work on the script, story, or relevance. It is a pure display of graphics, heroes' abs, and grandeur. The plot is lost.Magadheera worked because it was a novel genre then, but why will people want to see the same things again?"[82]
Matt Groening, the creator of the television seriesThe Simpsons andFuturama while discussing his inspiration forDisenchantment said, "In a given show there might be homages toBuster Keaton and to an Indian filmmaker named S. S. Rajamouli, who has made some of my favorite films of the last decade. I particularly recommend a movie calledMagadheera. I'm getting very obscure now. But this stuff just makes me so happy."[84]
Janani Iyer cited the character of Mithravinda played by Kajal in the film as one of her dream roles.[85]Ram Gopal Varma refused to callMagadheera a film and instead termed it as an event that comes "once in a blue moon".[86] While commenting onMahesh Babu'sAagadu (2014), he said thatMagadheera looked like a 750crore film when compared toAagadu if the latter was a 75 crore film and added, "My comparison between "Aagadu" and "Magadheera" is mainly because they both are the most expensive films for their own individual times."[87] Reviewing the Tamil filmAnegan (2014), few critics opined that the film had traces ofMagadheera mainly due to the theme of reincarnation.[88][89] The Tamil dubbed version of the Telugu filmYevadu (2014), which featured Charan in one of the lead roles and Kajal in a crucial cameo, was titledMagadheera.[90]
The film was dubbed intoTamil asMaaveeran and intoMalayalam asDheera: The Warrior and was released on 27 May 2011.[10] Both the dubbed versions were big hits and earned a good fan base for Ram Charan inTamil Nadu andKerala.[7]
The film won theNational Award forBest Choreography andBest Special Effects at the57th National Film Awards.[91] The film also won sixFilmfare Awards,[92] nineNandi Awards,[citation needed] and tenCineMAA Awards.[citation needed]
Charan decided not to debut inHindi film withMagadheera's Hindi language remake, as he believed the film might not be recreated well. In an interview withThe Times of India, Charan said, "When I metAnil Kapoor some time back, he told me I will askBoney Kapoor to remakeMagadheera with you in Hindi. But I said I don't know if I would want to do the remake.Magadheera is a lovely film which can't be recreated."[93] The film was remade inBengali asYoddha: The Warrior in 2014; it was directed byRaj Chakraborty withDev andMimi Chakraborty playing the lead roles.[11] The 2014Kannada filmBrahma, according to its directorR. Chandru, was on the lines ofMagadheera but was not a remake.[94] The film was dubbed in Hindi under the same name by Goldmines Telefilms and released in 2015.[95]