Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy


Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy is a 2019 Indian Telugu-language historical action film directed by Surender Reddy and produced by Ram Charan under the Konidela Production Company banner. A work of fiction, the film is inspired by the life of Indian independence activist Uyyalawada Narasimha Reddy from the Rayalaseema region of Andhra Pradesh.
The film stars Chiranjeevi in the title role along with Tamannaah, Nayanthara, Sudeep, Jagapati Babu, and Vijay Sethupathi in supporting roles. Amitabh Bachchan and Anushka Shetty make guest appearances.
Filming began in Hyderabad on 6 December 2017. The film was released theatrically worldwide on 2 October 2019. The film was dubbed and simultaneously released in Hindi, Kannada, Malayalam, and Tamil.

Plot

The story is set around 10 years before India's First War of Independence. Uyyalawada Narasimha Reddy is depicted as the emperor of the Rayalaseema region of Andhra Pradesh. Lakshmi is a temple dancer who is in love with Narasimha. After Narasimha expresses his love and promises to marry Lakshmi, Reddy comes to know that he is already married to Siddhamma when he was a child due to a ritual that helps rains in the region. The elders convince Reddy to perform the same ritual again with Siddhamma, which he agrees for the betterment of the region. Knowing this, Lakshmi tries to commit suicide, but Reddy convinces her to live and asks her to use her dance form to help other people.Lakshmi understands this and leaves the Renadu region. Meanwhile, Siddhamma expresses her love towards Reddy, which she has been hiding from childhood. Reddy is then shown living happily with his mother Seethamma, wife, and other family members. During the same time, the British East India Company comes to India for business but soon starts to loot, torture the natives, and carry the wealth of India back to Britain. When Narasimha Reddy witnesses their atrocities, he gets furious and leaves his throne, wife, and mother and teams up with palegars, Veera Reddy, Avuku Raju, and starts a rebellion against them. Lakshmi had used her dance to make other people join the rebellion. Raja Pandi, a leader from Madras, joins Narasimha Reddy. They all start a rebellion against the British East India Company. During a war, Veera Reddy, thinking that Narasimha Reddy killed his son, agrees to poison Narasimha Reddy. Unknowingly, Narasimha drinks the poisoned water and performs a ritual which he has done ever since he was born. However, when he is walking back, he starts getting weak due to the effect of the poison. At this time, the British comes and beats up Narasimha, who does not have the energy to fight back. The British take him into their custody, and Veera Reddy finds his son alive. He later gives his life to save him. In custody, Narasimha Reddy gives a speech on independence and gets hanged. However, he is still alive and cuts the noose and kills many soldiers. Unfortunately, one of the soldier beheads him when he is fighting. His head is hanged with blood pouring from it. This causes queens like Jhansi Lakshmi Bai to cause rebellions against the British.

Cast

On 26 June 2017, Ram Charan announced that filming would begin in August 2017 and would be directed by Surender Reddy. Charan is producing the film under the Konidela Productions banner. Ravi Varman was initially signed as the cinematographer, but he later opted out because of scheduling issues. R. Rathnavelu replaced Ravi Varman. Rajeevan was signed to do production designing. Filming began on 6 December 2017. Anju Modi, Uttara Menon, Sushmitha Konidela was signed to work as costume designers.
In September 2018, a crucial war sequence was filmed, which cost the makers. London-based stunt choreographers Greg Powell, Lee Whittaker, and Ram-Laxman choreographed the action sequences. On 24 June 2019, the entire shooting process of the film was wrapped.

Music

was initially approached to compose the music for the film, but he later opted out because of scheduling issues. Later, Amit Trivedi and Julius Packiam were selected to compose music for the film, with the former composing the songs and latter the film score. Sirivennela Seetharama Sastry, Swanand Kirkire, Madhan Karky, Azad Varadaraj, and Siju Thuravoor wrote the lyrics for the soundtrack in Telugu, Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam respectively. The title track of Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy was released on 21 September 2019, in all languages. The second single, "O Sye Raa", was released on 25 September 2019. The complete soundtrack album was released in all languages on 27 September 2019, in all streaming platforms. The video jukebox of the film was released on 28 September 2019 on YouTube.

Marketing and release

The first teaser of the film was released on 21 August 2018. Chiranjeevi's first look as Uyyalawada Narasimha Reddy was revealed on 22 August 2018, his birthday. Sudeep's character was revealed as Avuku Raja on 1 September 2018, and the motion poster was released on the same day on account of Sudeep's birthday. Amitabh Bachchan's character first look and motion poster were released on 11 October on the occasion of his birthday. Nayanthara's character look was released on her birthday, 18 November 2018. Tamannaah's character look was released on her birthday, 21 December 2018, but another one of her looks was released 12 February 2019. Jagapati Babu's character look was released on his birthday. Vijay Sethupathi's character look was released on his birthday on 16 January 2019. The looks of the lead characters from the film - Vijay Sethupathi, Tamannaah, Amitabh Bachchan, Nayanthara, Jagapati Babu, and Sudeep - were released on 19 August 2019. The next day, on 20 August 2019, Konidela Production Company, Ram Charan, and Excel Movies launched the official second teasers of the film in Telugu,Hindi, Malayalam, Tamil, Kannada
On 18 September 2019, Konidela Production Company, Ram Charan, Lahari Music and Excel Movies launched the official trailer of the film in Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, Kannada, and Malayalam.
Eight days later, on 26 September 2019, Konidela Production Company, Ram Charan, Lahari Music, and Excel Movies launched another trailer of the film in Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, Kannada, and Malayalam.
Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy was released theatrically worldwide on 2 October 2019.

Reception

Critical response

Neeshita Nyayapati writing for The Times of India gave the 3.5 stars out of 5 stating that "the story-telling has its flaws, but the characters are intriguing. What’s impressive is the massive canvas the film is mounted on. Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy might work only in bits and pieces, but the scenes in which the film works makes it all worthwhile!".
Rahul Devulapalli writing for The Week gave the 3.5 stars out of 5 stating, "The movie’s biggest strengths are its visuals, especially the war scenes. Roping in of international stunt directors has enhanced the overall experience. Producer and son of Chiranjeevi, Ram Charan, has pulled out all stops in marketing the film and it did not go waste. In the end, though the product is worth appreciating, it cannot be called a biopic of Narasimha Reddy as a lot of events in the movie are historically questionable. If you can silence the fact-checker in you, watch the movie for Chiranjeevi and the action sequences".
Hemanth Kumar writing for Firstpost gave the 3.5 stars out of 5 stating, "At a runtime of nearly 170 minutes, Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy tells a fascinating story about a rebellion that’s never been explored in Telugu cinema. Despite the familiarity of the genre, the film relies quite a lot on Chiranjeevi’s screen presence. And he packs a punch and how".
Sangeetha Devi Dundoo of The Hindu praised the cinematography, costumes, Chiranjeevi's performance and adding that the makers skilfully use cinematic liberties to play to the mainstream, crowd-pleasing format.
Joel Kurian writing for Republic TV gave the 3.5 stars out of 5 stating, "Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy is inconsistent, but should easily make it to every list of the best films based on Indian freedom fighters, thanks to its technical brilliance, an amazing climax and Chiranjeevi".
DNA India gave the 3.5 stars out of 5 stating, "Sye Raa has enough strength to start a rebellion even today. It is a tale of how the warrior changed the future with his life and even in death".
Jigar Ganatra of Mumbai Live gave the film 3.5 stars out of 5 stating, "Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy Is Packed With Powerful Performances."
Haricharan Pudipeddi writing for PinkVilla gave the 3.5 stars out of 5 stating, "Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy definitely needed a visionary filmmaker like SS Rajamouli to make it work even more wholesomely. But, Surender Reddy still manages to impress and delivers a product that’s masses-friendly. Ram Charan deserves a lot of praise for believing in this story and in his father and mounting this project on a scale that’s only next to Baahubali, and there’s no second thoughts about it".
Shruti Rhode writing for Times Now News gave the 3 stars out of 5 stating, "The background score, crisp script and effective screenplay of Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy make for an intense, entertaining film that you definitely ought to watch. And don't be surprised if you find yourself amidst whistles, cheers, and hoots every once in a while".
Janani K writing for India Today gave the 3 stars out of 5 stating, "Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy, directed by Surender Reddy, takes the safe route in showcasing the fight to freedom. Chiranjeevi’s excellent performance makes up for an underwhelming screenplay".
Apoorva Gupta writing for India TV gave the 3 stars out of 5 stating, "Though the movie boasts of a great cast and a good story-line, it fails to make the desired impact on the audience. The screen time is too long, with movie running for over 2 hours and 50 minutes. The story-telling feels rushed in the beginning and too-streched in the second half. With great sets, action scenes and talented actors, Sye Raa Narasimha can make for a good one time watch!".
The Hans India gave the 3 stars out of 5 stating, "Mounted on an epic scale the movie has some breathtaking visuals, elaborate sets, life-like battle scenes, and colorful costumes. There is a lot more in the movie than just the war for freedom. There are so many wonderful scenes in the movie which will make the audience applaud. The movie is all about why Uyyalawada Narasimha Reddy went against British rule and how he had formed a group and rampaged the British etc. There are some outstanding scenes in the film which will give goosebumps to the audience. Especially the one where the British hang Narasimha Reddy will make the audience emotional. Also, the court scene is definitely amazing and the climax is handled really well. Overall, Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy is an epic story that cannot be forgotten".
Harshada Rege writing for The Times of India gave the film three stars out of five, praising performance of Chiranjeevi and Kichcha Sudeep, Rege noted that film was jingoistic in parts. Criticising the screenplay and direction he opined that film was lengthy. Concluding, he wrote, "While the storytelling has its flaws, what needs to be lauded is that the makers pulled out this tale from the pages of history and mounted it on such a massive canvas for us to see."
Krishna Sripada writing for The News Minute gave the 2.5 stars out of 5 stating, "Surender Reddy’s could-have-been magnum opus is not boring. Yet, for the budget it had, the storytelling and narrative threads leave a lot to be desired".
Manoj Kumar R writing for The Indian Express gave the 2.5 stars out of 5 stating, "The major flaw in Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy is Surender's attempt to force a sprawling story into a mould that fits the narrow definition of mainstream commercial cinema".
Baradwaj Rangan of Film Companion South wrote "But even the biggest star needs the gravity of a strong screenplay, and that’s where Sye Raa falters, and ultimately fails. Apart from Chiranjeevi, there is nothing holding things together — and nothing that differentiates this rise-against-the-British saga from any villager-versus-evil-landlord masala movie".

Authenticity

Historians across India have noted that the concept of Indian nationalism was not yet developed at the time. Instead the rebellion was his struggle to keep his rights and privileges that the British were trying to take from him. Nekkanti Srinivasa Rao, a Telugu historian, told to media that the movie lacks historical accuracy, saying that Narasimha Reddy only questioned the British authorities for his monthly pension which he was supposed to inherit from his grandfather.
Telugu writer SDV Aziz who penned the popular biography of Narasimha Reddy Renati Surya Chandrulu was of the opinion that some cinematic liberty is necessary because of the emotional charge it needs to provide to the viewer.
However, director Surender Reddy has made it clear to the Telangana High court that Sye Raa is not a biopic but is inspired by his life. The film was released with a disclaimer through which the makers emphasize that while the story is inspired by the life of Uyyalawada Narasimha Reddy, they do not claim historical accuracy for all the events shown in the narrative.

Box office

The movie opened in the United States on 1 October 2019 and it collected around $750 thousand. and in Australia it collected at A$162k.The film grossed total box office of 248 crores against the production budget of 200 crores.