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Veera Simha Reddy is a 2023 Indian Telugu-language action drama film, written and directed by Gopichand Malineni and produced by Mythri Movie Makers. It stars Nandamuri Balakrishna in a dual role along with Shruti Haasan, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar, Honey Rose, and Duniya Vijay. The film score and soundtrack were composed by S. Thaman.

Principal photography commenced in February 2022 and ended in December 2022. Veera Simha Reddy was released on 12 January 2023, coinciding on the Sankranthi weekend. The film received mixed reviews from critics with praise towards the cast performances (especially Balakrishna, Duniya Vijay, Varalaxmi Sarathkumar and Honey Rose), Malineni’s direction, action sequences and soundtrack, but criticised the writing, latter half and excessive runtime. Despite this, the film was successful at the box office.

Plot

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The film begins in Istanbul where Meenakshi runs a burgeoning restaurant of Rayalaseema's cuisine while her son Jai Simha Reddy indulges in car dealership. A businessman's inclination to get the restaurant by hook or crook causes him to intimidate, beat and damage the restaurant when she refuses to oblige and sell the restaurant to him. Infuriated, Jai thrashes and but spares him with a warning. Jai gets acquainted with Isha, a tone-deaf singer and daughter of a business magnate Jayaram and they crush.

During the time of marriage proposals Meenakshi discloses to Jai about his father Veera Simha Reddy, to whom he is a stranger. In Pulicherla, Andhra Pradesh, Veera Simha Reddy holds a high esteem among the locals for his wellfare deeds and his efforts towards eradicating the infamous factionalism in his area but he is at odds with Pratap Reddy, leader of a faction in the neighbouring village Musali Madugu, who aims to assassinate him. In a collective wedding event held by Veera Simha Reddy, Pratap Reddy sends his men disguised as grooms but notified of their intentions, Veera Simha Reddy, along with his trusted associate Siddhappa defeats them but leaves Pratap Reddy without killing him. Pratap Reddy's wife Bhanumathi rebukes him for being good-for-nothing and not being able to avenge her miseries in the past, for which she holds Veera Simha Reddy accountable. After being elected as the minister in Rayalaseema, Pratap Reddy's uncle Peddi Reddy engineers a conspiracy to effect the locals of Pulicherla by obstructing to the power and water supply to a factory, that has been a factor of development in the region, being run by Rajagopal, Veera Simha Reddy's ally by building another factory.

Veera Simha Reddy gallantly ceases Pratap Reddy and his uncle's attempts to build the factory with the government's support which causes him to be invited over a meeting, hosted by Home Minister Krishna Reddy with Pratap Reddy and his faction. However, the meeding ends up in uproar with Veera Simha Reddy refusing to compromise with the needs of people for the government's greed. Meanwhile, Meenakshi invites Veera Simha Reddy to Istanbul for discussing Jai's betrothal to Isha. Veera Simha Reddy rejoices over learning that he has a son and thanks Meenakshi for respecting his decision years ago. Veera Simha Reddy meets Jayaram and his family, revealing to them that Jai was born to him and Meenakshi out of wedlock but they share a pure relationship. Jayaram doesn't give in to societal norms and accepts to take forward the alliance. However, Jayaram is revealed to be the investor of the factory whose construction was blocked by Veera Simha Reddy and he calls Pratap Reddy asking him to come and murder Veera Simha Reddy. Bhanumathi and Pratap Reddy arrive in Istanbul and the former appeals to Veera Simha Reddy emotionally by addressing him as her brother, revealing that they are siblings but backstabs him and brutally murders him. However, Veera Simha Reddy requests an enraged Jai not to revolt as he loves Bhanumathi more than his life. As per his last wish, Jai, Isha and Meenakshi take his corpse to Rayalaseema for performing his final rites and Jai gets to see his home, where Siddhappa and Meenakshi reveal Veera Simha Reddy's past.

Thirty years ago, Pratap Reddy's inhuman father Gangi Reddy killed a boy's parents, assaulting the mother and stabbing the father. The boy pleaded with Veera Simha Reddy for action which led him to kill Gangi reddy post which Pratap Reddy swore vengeance. Bhanumathi's mother was a mistress to Veera Simha Reddy's father but Veera Simha Reddy never was partial to her and loved her more than the stars. Meenakshi is Veera Simha Reddy's cross-cousin, who was betrothed to him but he wanted his sister to marry at first. Unbeknownst to Veera Simha Reddy, a relationship was brewing between Bhanumathi and Siddhappa's son Shekar, which was eventually disclosed to Veera Simha Reddy and the latter heartfully accepted their wedding. Veera Simha Reddy had been winning a customary contest, in which to win, Pratap Reddy sent men to attack him and his family on their way to the contest. To save Veera Simha Reddy's reputation and unwilling to let Pratap Reddy win the contest unanimously, Shekar participated in it but lost to Pratap Reddy which caused him grave humiliation and out of disgust, he indulged in a gunfire that inadvertently killed a passer-by. For his negligence, Veera Simha Reddy publicly flogged Shekar and boycotted him much to Bhanumathi's chagrin and the next morning, Shekar was found dead, apparently hung himself to the tree out of disgrace.

Bhanumathi hurled accusations at Veera Simha Reddy for planning all the events not to let Shekar wed her as he had previously fixed another alliance for her to get the land for building a factory for people. Veera Simha Reddy decided to punish himself, blaming himself for his sister's miseries and decided to remain unmarried. When his decision was revealed to Meenakshi, she was pregnant but she remained hideous about her pregnancy for his decision. Unexpectedly, Bhanumathi married Pratap Reddy, joining hands with him to ruin Veera Simha Reddy devastating the latter.

At the present, Jai, deciding to take his father's legacy forward and protect the area admonishes Pratap Reddy and Jayaram for trying to grab the factory from Rajagopal and challenges Pratap Reddy to fight him without depending on Bhanumathi, thanks to whom Veera Simha Reddy had been sparing his life. Infuriated by this comment, Pratap Reddy smacks Bhanumathi, divulging to her that he was the one who murdered Shekar for refusing to join hands with him against Veera Simha Reddy and used the latter's own beloved sister against him. Broken, Bhanumathi returns to her hometown, meets Jai, apologizes to him and the family for what she has done and telling them that she cannot be forgiven by anyone apart from Veera Simha Reddy, slits her own throat not before requesting Jai to avenge his father's death by killing Pratap Reddy. During Bhanumathi's funeral, Pratap Reddy arrives with a group of men to confront Jai but the latter defeats them and ultimately severs Pratap Reddy's head. Finally the movie ends with Jai Simha Reddy merging Bhanumathi's ashes with that of his father's and moves forward with Sidhappa to look after terrain.

Cast

• Nandamuri Balakrishna in a dual role as Pulicherla Veera Simha Reddy and Jai Simha Reddy
• Shruti Haasan as Isha
• Varalaxmi Sarathkumar as Bhanumathi Pratap Reddy, Pratap Reddy's wife, & Veera Simha Reddy's half-sister
• Honey Rose as Meenakshi
• Duniya Vijay as Musali Madugu Pratap Reddy
• Lal as Siddhappa
• B. S. Avinash as Gangi Reddy, Pratap Reddy's father
• Naveen Chandra as Shekhar Reddy
• P. Ravi Shankar as Krishna Reddy
• Ajay Ghosh as Peddi Reddy
• Murali Sharma as Jayaram
• Sachin Khedekar as Rajagopal
• Sapthagiri as Jai's assistant
• Rajeev Kanakala as Suri, a villager
• John Kokken as Pratap Reddy's cousin
• Annapurna as Veera Simha Reddy's grandmother
• Easwari Rao as Siddhappa's wife
• Archana Ananth as Isha's mother
• Aruna Bhikshu as Isha's grandmother
• Chandrika Ravi in item number “Maa Bava Manobhavalu”
• Ramajogayya Sastry in a cameo appearance
• Brahmanandam as Judge in a music show
• Ali as Judge in a music show

Production

The film was officially announced by Mythri Movie Makers in June 2021 with the working title NBK107 starring Nandamuri Balakrishna and directed by Gopichand Malineni. The film was formally launched with a pooja ceremony on 13 November 2021. The film was reported to go on floors by the first quarter of 2022.

Principal photography of the film commenced on 18 February 2022 in Sircilla and ended in December 2022. In October 2022, the film's official title was unveiled as Veera Simha Reddy.

Music

The music of the film is composed by Thaman S. The first single titled "Jai Balayya" was released on 26 November 2022. The second single titled "Suguna Sundari" was released on 15 December 2022. The third single titled "Maa Bava Manobhavalu" was released on 24 December 2022. The fourth single titled "Mass Mogudu" was released on 9 January 2023.

All lyrics are written by Ramajogayya Sastry

Release

Theatrical

Veera Simha Reddy is released on 12 January 2023, for the Sankranti weekend. Theatrical rights of the film were sold at a cost of ₹73 crore.

Home Media

The digital rights of the film were acquired by Disney+ Hotstar for ₹14 crore.

Reception

Critical reception

123Telugu gave 3 out of 5 stars and wrote "On the whole, Veera Simha Reddy is a decent action entertainer that has all the commercial elements to entertain Balakrishna fans." Manoj Kumar R of The Indian Express rated the film 0.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "The troubling part of Veera Simha Reddy, by that token most of Balakrishna's movies, is that it argues it's okay to kill to solve a problem". Neeshita Nyayapati of The Times of India gave 2.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "Veera Simha Reddy is Balakrishna’s film through-and-through. However, where he triumphs as Veera, he fails as Jai. Whenever the man comes on-screen donned is black is when you feel like paying attention, his cakey makeup and lukewarm performance while playing the other character takes away from it." Janani K of India Today gave the film a rating of 2.5 out of 5 and termed the film as "reeks of clichéd ideas", criticised the storyline while praised the performance of Balakrishna.

Haricharan Pudipeddi of Hindustan Times wrote "The film thrives on violence and some exquisitely shot action sequences, which are a treat to watch. As the central character Veera Simha Reddy, Balakrishna holds the film together and it’s quite literally a one-man show." Bhuvanesh Chandar of The Hindu wrote "Violent scenes that bank on shock value, powerful antagonists, and an intriguing larger narrative worked well to complement the slow-motion chest-thumping moments. In Veera Simha Reddy, we have a loosely knit and archaic narrative told through a template screenplay."

Box office

Veera Simha Reddy grossed ₹54+ crore worldwide on its opening day, including ₹36.2 crore from Andhra Pradesh and Telangana combined. Thus, it became the highest opening grosser for Nandamuri Balakrishna. The film has grossed US$747,000 by the first day of its release in the United States.

References

1. "Veera Simha Reddy". British Board of Film Classification.
2. "'వాల్తేరు వీరయ్య', 'వీర సింహారెడ్డి' సినిమాల బడ్జెట్ ఎంతో తెలుసా ?". ABP Desam. 12 December 2022. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
3. "How Varisu, Thunivu, Waltair Veerayya and Veera Simha Reddy made Rs 700 crore at the box office this January". India Today. 21 January 2023. Retrieved 21 January 2023.
4. "Nandamuri Balakrishna's first look from NBK107 promises a heavy-duty action film". The Indian Express. 21 February 2022.
5. "Nandamuri Balakrishna announces his 107th film on his birthday; teams up with Gopichand Malineni". Times Now News. 10 June 2021. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
6. "Nandamuri Balakrishna, Gopichand Malineni, Mythri Movie Makers #NBK107 Hunt Starts Soon". Industry Hit. 10 June 2021. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
7. "NBK 107: Nandamuri Balakrishna, Shruti Haasan's film gets launched with pooja ceremony; pics go viral". The Times of India. 13 November 2021. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
8. "Balakrishna's NBK 107, Helmed by Gopichand Malineni, Launched With Pooja Ceremony". News18. 13 November 2021. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
9. "Nandamuri Balakrishna's film with Gopichandh Malineni goes on floors. See pic". India Today. 18 February 2022. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
10. "వంద కోట్ల క్లబ్‌లో వీరసింహారెడ్డి.. బాలయ్య మాస్ జాతరకు కాసుల వర్షం". Hindustan Times Telugu. Retrieved 16 January 2023.
11. "NBK 107 షూటింగ్ షురూ..చితగొట్టేస్తున్న బాలకృష్ణ". Samayam Telugu (in Telugu). 18 February 2022. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
12. "Balakrishna | NBK 107 : సిరిసిల్లలో మొదలైన బాలయ్య గోపీచంద్ కొత్త సినిమా షూటింగ్." News18 (in Telugu). 18 February 2022. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
13. "Balakrishna starts shooting for 'NBK107' with a heavy action sequence". The Times of India. 18 February 2022. Retrieved 18 February 2022.
14. ^ "Veera Simha Reddy: Lion Ready For The Hunt". Gulte.com. Retrieved 21 October 2022.
15. "Veera Simha Reddy song Jai Balayya: Another ode to the myth of Nandamuri Balakrishna". The Indian Express. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
16. "Suguna Sundari: Second single from Nandamuri Balakrishna's 'Veera Simha Reddy' to be unveiled on Dec 15". Times of India. Retrieved 14 December 2022.
17. "Nandamuri Balakrishna's Veera Simha Reddy 3rd single Maa Bava Manobhavalu to be out on Dec 24". India Today. Retrieved 21 December 2022.
18. "Here is yet another exquisite dance number 'Mass Mogudu' from Nandamuri Balakrishna, Shruti Haasan and Gopichand Malineni's 'Veera Simha Reddy'!". Times of India. Retrieved 10 January 2023.
19. "Its official! Nandamuri Balakrishna's Veera Simha Reddy to release in theatres on Jan 12". India Today. Retrieved 3 December 2022.
20. "'వీరసింహారెడ్డి'కి గుమ్మడికాయ కొట్టేశారు.. ఈ నెలాఖరు నుంచి ఆన్‌లైన్ టికెట్ బుకింగ్స్". Hindustan Times Telugu. Retrieved 26 December 2022.
21. ^ "Veera Simha Reddy 8 Days WW Collections: 'వీరసింహారెడ్డి' 8 డేస్ వాల్డ్ వైడ్ బాక్సాఫీస్ కలెక్షన్స్.. బాక్సాఫీస్ దగ్గర బాలయ్య ఎంత బాకీ ఉన్నాడంటే." News18 Telugu (in Telugu). 20 January 2023. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
22. "Official: Veera Simha Reddy Gets OTT Streaming Partner". Mirchi9. 12 January 2023. Retrieved 12 January 2023.
23. "Veera Simha Reddy Telugu Movie Review". 123telugu.
24. "Veera Simha Reddy movie review: This Nandamuri Balakrishna starrer has no soul". The Indian Express. Retrieved 14 January 2022.
25. "Veera Simha Reddy Movie Review: Balakrishna triumphs as Veera but not so much as Jai". The Times of India.
26. "Veera Simha Reddy Movie Review: Balakrishna packs a punch in this template action entertainer". India Today. Retrieved 14 January 2023.
27. "Veera Simha Reddy movie review: Without Nandamuri Balakrishna's energetic presence the film would be boring". Hindustan Times.
28. "'Veera Simha Reddy' movie review: Balakrishna misspent on a mind-numbing template". The Hindu.
29. "Veera Simha Reddy box office collection day 1: Balakrishna's film collects ₹54 crore". Hindustan Times. 13 January 2023. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
30. "Veera Simha Reddy box office collection day 1: Nandamuri Balakrishna's film sets box office on fire, beats Ajith-starrer Thunivu". The Indian Express. 13 January 2023. Retrieved 13 January 2023.
31. "US: Waltair Veerayya is off to a terrific start". Telugu Cinema. 13 January 2023. Retrieved 13 January 2023.

External links

• Veera Simha Reddy at IMDb
• Veera Simha Reddy at Rotten Tomatoes

• 2023 films
• 2023 action films
• 2023 drama films
• Indian action drama films
• 2020s Telugu-language films
• Films directed by Gopichand Malineni
• Films scored by Thaman S
• Mythri Movie Makers films
• Indian action films
• Films set in Istanbul
• Films shot in Telangana
• Films shot in Andhra Pradesh
• Films set in Andhra Pradesh