Lion (2015 film)
This article is about the Indian-made 2015 psychological thriller. For the 2016 dramatic film by the same name see Lion (2016 film).
| Lion | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Movie poster | |
| Directed by | Satyadev |
| Written by | Satyadev (story / screenplay / dialogues) |
| Produced by | Rudrapati Ramana Rao |
| Starring | Nandamuri Balakrishna Trisha Krishnan Radhika Apte |
| Cinematography | Venkata Prasad |
| Edited by | Gautham Raju |
| Music by | Mani Sharma |
Production company | Sri Lakshmi Venkateswara Cinema |
Release date |
|
| Country | India |
| Language | Telugu |
Lion is a 2015 Telugu psychological thriller film produced by Rudrapati Ramana Rao under SLV cinema banner, directed by Satyadev. The film stars Nandamuri Balakrishna, Trisha Krishnan, Radhika Apte in the lead roles. Music is handled by Mani Sharma. The movie is a debut of director Satyadev.[1] A first look teaser of the movie was released on 31 December 2014 on the occasion of new year. The audio released on 8 April 2015, and the film released on 14 May 2015. The film opened to positive to mixed reviews from critics with much criticism drawn towards Balakrishna look and styling. However it ended commercially successful in contrast with collections over budget.
Plot
The film opens in a hospital at Mumbai, where Bose (Nandamuri Balakrishna) has come out of coma after eighteen months. As soon as he recovers, Bose is identified as Godse by everyone around him. He is surprised when an elderly couple, (Chandra Mohan & Jaya Sudha), claim to be his parents. Bose tries to convince everyone that he is not Godse and that has his own story. Soon, he comes to Hyderabad in search of his true identity, and bumps into Mahalakshmi (Trisha), who he believes is his lover. When she tells him that it's a case of mistaken identity, Godse is taken aback. He meets a similar fate when he meets his parents (Chalapathi Rao & Geetha). Suddenly a girl Sarayu (Radhika Apte) arrives as Godse's wife and tries to remind him of their married life, which creates a lot of confusion. Later Godse finds out that it was all a ruse set up by Bharadwaja (Prakash Raj), Chief Minister of the state. It is also revealed that his real name is Bose. It is later disclosed that Bose is a sincere and powerful CBI Officer on a mission to crack the suspicious death of former Chief Minister of State, Achyuta Ramayya (Vijay Kumar). Bose learns that an influential person, sitting CM Bharadwaj, is behind the death of former CM. Bose tries to prove his guilty. The rest of this movie deals with why the CM wanted Bose alive and why he set up him with a new identity? This forms the premise of the rest of the movie. How Bharadwaja creates obstacles and how Bose overcomes them.
Cast
Soundtrack
| Untitled | |
|---|---|
Music was composed by Mani Sharma. Audio CD was released on Lahari Music Company. Audio was launched on 9 April 2015, held at Hyderabad Shilpakala Vedika by Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu.[2]
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "One & Only Lion" | Ramajogayya Sastry | Rahul Sipligunj, Geetha Madhuri,Pranavi | 4:02 |
| 2. | "Akasam" | Bhaskarabhatla Ravikumar | Vijay Prakash,Srinivasa Sarma,Pranavi | 4:31 |
| 3. | "Pilla" | Bhaskarabhatla Ravikumar | Simha,Sudhamayi | 4:25 |
| 4. | "Aisa Ambani Pilla" | Srimani | Sweekar Agasthi,Uma Neha | 4:18 |
| 5. | "Anaganaga" | Ramajogayya Sastry | Madhu Balakrishnan | 4:23 |
| Total length: | 21:39 | |||
Pre-release business
The film Andhra Pradesh rights sold for ₹20.83 crore (US$2.5 million) by various distributors.The film Kannada rights sold for ₹2.5 crore (US$300,000) by Kranthi.The film had total prerelease up to ₹23.83 crore (US$2.9 million) in India.The film overseas rights acquired by SLV cinema for good price.[3]
Release
The film received U/A certificate from Censor Board due to violence in second half.The film released on 15 May 2015 in 900+ screens worldwide.The film Satellite Rights acquired by Gemini TV for ₹6 crore (US$720,000).[4]
Critical reception
The film received positive-mixed reviews from critics. 123Telugu.com rated 3/5 and stated On the whole, Lion is a complete Balakrishna film right from the word go. His power packed performance is the major asset and will go down well with the masses. On the flip side, lack of proper handling of the subject and a predictable second half makes this film just an ok watch. Watch it only for Balayya.[5] Idlebrain rated 3/5 and stated Interval episode is interesting. Second half has many episodes that exhilarate fans. Lion is a film that completely revolves around Balakrishna and depends on his performance. A good screenplay and right buildups (elevating emotions while building up to the key scenes) would have done a world of good to the cinema. On a whole, Lion is NBK’s show![6] The Hindu stated Radhika wears a blank expression. There is another gem, a man confronts Balaiyya, “Natho matladataniki yentha dhairyam neeku” and the latter retorts “Neetho matladataniki dhairyam enduku...Iphone unte chaalu.” Lion takes plenty of retrograde steps. Mani Sarma too disappoints and the hero struggles with his steps. Time for Balakrishna to do some soul searching or his films would be just another addition to the number of films he has done.[7]
Box office
The film opened good response in AP.The film collected ₹5.5 crore (US$660,000) (Share) at the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana (AP/T) box office on the first day. But the film failed to break the opening day record of Legend. The movie witnessed a huge drop of over 50 percent on Friday and it went down further on the following days.The film has collected ₹11.2 crore (US$1.3 million) (Share) in AP.The film collected ₹12 crore (US$1.4 million) (WW Share) in its extended first week end at the box office but it is below par.[8] The film collected average ₹15.8 crore (US$1.9 million) (WW Share) in its first week and gross would be ₹26 crore (US$3.1 million) at the box office.[9]
References
- ^ RAVIPUDI PHANI's new film titled Lion? – The Times of India Retrieved 4 January 2015 Dated 30 December 2014
- ^ Live streaming in HD: Lion. Myinfoindia.com (7 April 2015). Retrieved on 2015-06-09.
- ^ Lion movie Pre release Business | Balakrishna Lion movie Pre release Business. English.tupaki.com (13 May 2015). Retrieved on 2015-06-09.
- ^ Nandamuri Balakrishna "Lion" Record Price for satellite Rights. Cinebucket.com. Retrieved on 9 June 2015.
- ^ Lion Telugu Movie Review | Balakrishna Lion Movie Review | Lion Review and Rating | NBK Lion Review | Lion Cinema Review | Balakrishna Trisha Lion Movie Review | Lion Twitter Updates | Balakrishna Lion Live Updates | Balakrishna Lion Movie Rating | Lion Film Review | NBK Trisha Lion Review | Lion First Day Talk. 123telugu.com (14 May 2015). Retrieved on 2015-06-09.
- ^ Lion review by jeevi – Telugu cinema review – Balakrishna Nandamuri, Trisha, Radhika Apte, Indraja & Prakash Raj. Idlebrain.com (14 May 2015). Retrieved on 2015-06-09.
- ^ Lion movie review. The Hindu (17 May 2015). Retrieved on 2015-06-09.
- ^ 'Lion' (4 Days) 1st Weekend Collection at Box Office: Balakrishna Fails to Live up to Expectations. Ibtimes.co.in (18 May 2015). Retrieved on 2015-06-09.
- ^ Lion First Week Collections | NBK Lion First Week Collections. English.tupaki.com (23 May 2015). Retrieved on 2015-06-09.