*Guntur Kaaram*
Trivikram Srinivas, a prominent filmmaker in the Telugu film industry, presents his latest creation, *Guntur Kaaram*. This 2024 Indian Telugu-language action drama film, written and directed by Srinivas, promises to captivate audiences with its unique storytelling prowess.
Under the production of S. Radha Krishna, *Guntur Kaaram* guarantees a high-quality cinematic experience, thanks to the collaboration of experienced professionals in the industry. Srinivas, known for his distinctive style and compelling narratives, brings his creative vision to life in this film.
The title itself, "Guntur Kaaram," suggests a connection to the region of Guntur, famous for its spicy cuisine. This hints at the potential flavor and intensity of the storyline, reflecting the vibrant and dynamic aspects of life in Guntur.
In summary, *Guntur Kaaram* is set to deliver an exhilarating cinematic experience, blending action and drama with Srinivas's signature storytelling style. Audiences can expect to embark on a journey filled with excitement, emotion, and perhaps a touch of the spicy essence that Guntur is renowned for.
Guntur Kaaram, also known as Spice of Guntur, is an action drama film in the Telugu language. It is written and directed by Trivikram Srinivas and produced by S. Radha Krishna through Haarika & Hassine Creations. The cast includes Mahesh Babu, Sreeleela, Meenakshi Chaudhary, Ramya Krishna, Jayaram, Prakash Raj, and Jagapathi Babu.
The film was officially announced in May 2021 with the working title SSMB28, as it is Mahesh's 28th film in a leading role. The official title was revealed in May 2023. Principal photography began in September 2022, primarily taking place in Hyderabad, and concluded by late-December 2023. Thaman S composed the film's score and soundtrack, while Manoj Paramahamsa handled the cinematography and Naveen Nooli took care of the editing.
In Guntur, back in 1998, a mirchi factory owned by Satyam was set on fire by two notorious individuals named Marx and Lenin. Witnessing the incident, Satyam confronts Marx and Lenin while the factory is engulfed in flames. During the confrontation, Satyam's brother-in-law attempts to kill Lenin, but Satyam takes the blame for the murder, resulting in a 12-year prison sentence. Unfortunately, Satyam's son, Ramana, suffers partial vision loss in his left eye due to the explosion at the factory, leaving him partially blind. Following Satyam's imprisonment, his wife and Ramana's mother, Vasundhara, decides to abandon Ramana and moves on with her father, Venkata Swamy.
25 years later, Venkata Swamy appoints Vasundhara as a minister in his political party. However, Kata Madhu, a member of the rival political party, opposes this decision and threatens to reveal that Ramana is Vasundhara's son. In order to counter this threat, Venkata Swamy devises a plan to make Ramana sign a document denying any relation to Vasundhara or the family. As an incentive, Venkata Swamy offers Ramana a sum of money. However, Ramana refuses to sign the document unless he is allowed to see his mother for one last time. Amulya "Ammu" and Balu get involved in a series of negotiations with Ramana to convince him to sign the document. Growing impatient, Venkata Swamy instructs Pani to file a false FIR against Ramana, accusing him of damaging valuable items in his house and assaulting his security guard. This is done in an attempt to coerce Ramana into signing the document. Balu, showing empathy towards Ramana, opposes Pani's actions and manages to secure a bail order for Ramana. Ramana then visits Venkataswamy's house in Hyderabad and reenacts the events described in the FIR.
Vasundhara then decides to visit Ramana and gives him a slap, which forces him to sign the document. Later in Guntur, Kata Madhu attempts to persuade Ramana to join his party, but Ramana retaliates by thrashing him. However, Kata manages to steal Ramana's wallet and exposes to the media that he is actually Vasundhara's son. Witnessing this, Venkata Swamy tries to have Ramana arrested again but fails in his attempt. Satyam then discloses that immediately after the accident, Vasundhara wanted to have Ramana's eye operated on and had a heated argument with him, as he believed saving his brother-in-law was his top priority. Vasundhara also intended to take Ramana to Venkata Swamy's house, but Bujji, Satyam's sister and Ramana's sister-in-law, refused to let her in. Meanwhile, in the courtroom, Vasundhara questions Bujji about Ramana's eye, and Bujji informs her that his eye will never fully recover. This infuriates Vasundhara, and she accuses Satyam of the murder. Upon learning this, Ramana becomes deeply saddened. "Gelatin" Babji and his gang then abduct him and Balu in an attempt to kill them.
Narayana, Vasundhara's second husband, had actually hired Babji and his men to assassinate Ramana, following Venkata Swamy's instructions. Meanwhile, Vasundhara gets hit by a truck and is admitted to the hospital. Concerned, Ramana rushes to check on her, only to discover that Hari Das and Kata Madhu had conspired to kill Vasundhara through the accident. Venkata Swamy convinces Ramana to eliminate Hari Das in order to prove his true identity as Vasundhara's son. In the midst of all this, Venkata Swamy confesses to Pani that he had orchestrated the attack on Satyam's factory in 1998 to bring his daughter back, as he had lost the elections due to Vasundhara marrying Satyam, who belonged to a different caste.
When Ramana goes to kill Hari Das, he reveals that he never planned the murder with Kata and it is revealed that Venkata Swamy orchestrated everything. At the event to make Gopal Reddy the next minister, Narayana also reveals to Venkata Swamy that Gopal Reddy is not Vasundhara's son, but was merely adopted by Vasundhara in making Venkata Swamy a fool to save Ramana from harm. When Ramana learns of this, he becomes enraged at Venkata Swamy, but Vasundhara stops him and they both go to Guntur where the family is reunited.
Cast
Mahesh Babu portrays the character of Bhogineni Veera Venkata Ramana, also known as "Rowdy" Ramana. He is the son of Satyam and Vasundhara.
Sreeleela plays the role of Basavaraju Aamukta "Ammu" Malyada, who is Sarangapaani's daughter and Ramana's love interest.
Meenakshi Chaudhary appears as Raji, who is Ramana's cousin.
Ramya Krishna portrays Vyra Vasundhara, who is Venkata Swamy's daughter and Ramana's mother. She is also the wife of Bhogineni Satyam and Raja Gopal Narayana. Vyra Vasundhara is a Law Minister.
Jayaram plays the character of Bhogineni Satyanarayana, also known as "Royal" Satyam. He is Vasundhara's first husband and Ramana's father.
Prakash Raj portrays the character of Vyra Venkata Swamy, who is Vasundhara's father and Ramana's grandfather.
Jagapathi Babu appears as Marx, who is Lenin's brother and Satyam's rival.
Rao Ramesh plays the role of Pakka Raja Gopal Narayana, who is Vasundhara's second husband and Ramana's step-father.
Easwaria Rao portrays Bujji, who is Satyam's sister and Raji's mother.
Murali Sharma appears as Basavaraju Sarangapaani "Paani", who is Ammu's father and Venkata Swamy's attorney.
Sunil plays the character of Lenin, who is Marx's brother.
Vennela Kishore appears as Balasubramanyam "Balu", who is Sarangapaani's assistant.
Rahul Ravindran portrays Vyra Raja Gopal, who is Vasundhara's adopted son and Ramana's step-brother.
P. Ravi Shankar plays the role of Kaata Madhu, who is Venkata Swamy's rival and the opposition leader.
Brahmaji appears as CI Aadhinarayana.
Madhusudhan Rao plays the character of Fake Hari Das.
Ajay Ghosh appears as Hari Das.
Ajay portrays As Gelatin Babji, a blind contract killer.
In early April 2021, it was reported that Trivikram Srinivas, who had previously collaborated successfully with both Mahesh Babu and Pooja Hegde, would be working with them again in his next directorial project. Trivikram had previously worked with Mahesh Babu in Athadu (2005) and Khaleja (2010), and with Pooja Hegde in Aravinda Sametha Veera Raghava (2018) and Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo (2020). Before his upcoming venture with N. T. Rama Rao Jr., Trivikram had already narrated the script to both Babu and Hegde, who were impressed and agreed to work on the project. This marks their third collaboration with the director. On 1 May, the collaboration between Babu and Trivikram was officially announced, with the tentative title SSMB28. Production is scheduled to begin in November 2021, after Babu finishes filming for Sarkaru Vaari Paata (2022). The technical crew for the project has been finalized, including cinematographer P. S. Vinod, editor Naveen Nooli, music composer Thaman S, and art director A. S. Prakash. The project is being funded by S. Radha Krishna under Haarika & Hassine Creations.
On 3 February 2022, a special ceremony called muhurtam pooja took place at Ramanaidu Studios in Hyderabad, involving the cast and crew of the film. Initially promoted as an action thriller, conflicts among the crew and cast arose after the first schedule was completed. As a result, the film's production was halted and the script was revised. After several months of delay, Trivikram presented a new version of the script, transforming the film into a family entertainer instead of an action thriller. The sequences filmed during the first schedule were deemed unnecessary and were discarded. The shooting resumed with new action sequences based on the modified script. Finally, on 31 May 2023, the film's official title was announced as Guntur Kaaram.
Pooja Hegde initially landed the lead actress role opposite Babu for the second time after Maharshi (2019) and her third collaboration with the director. However, due to scheduling conflicts, she decided to step down from the project. As a result, Sreeleela was brought in to replace her as the lead actress, while Meenakshi Chaudhary took over the second actress role. In February 2023, Ramya Krishna was chosen to play a significant role in the film. In March, Prakash Raj joined the cast to portray Mahesh Babu's grandfather. Jayaram later joined the cast as well. In April, it was reported that Jagapathi Babu would play a character described as "endearing yet scary."
Shooting
On 12 September 2022, principal photography began at Annapurna Studios, Hyderabad, with an action sequence. The first schedule, which included intense stunts choreographed by the Anbariv duo, was finished later that month. However, the producers later announced that the fight scene had been removed. The second schedule was scheduled to start after the Dussehra celebrations at Ramoji Film City, with Hegde joining the cast. However, the shooting was paused as Trivikram made changes to the script and transformed the action thriller into a "family entertainer."
The shooting for the second schedule of the film started on 18 January 2023 at Sarathi Studios in Hyderabad. Hegde also joined the sets and the filming took place in Hyderabad. In February, the team spent ₹10 crore to construct a house set at Shankarpalli, Telengana in Hyderabad. Jayaram joined the sets in March. The second schedule was completed on 6 April. However, after shooting more than 50% of the film, the cinematographer P. S. Vinod left due to creative differences. Manoj Paramahamsa was then announced as his replacement. The third schedule began on 24 June and the principal photography wrapped up on 28 December 2023.
Music
Thaman S. teamed up with Babu for the fifth time to compose the soundtrack album and background score for the film. Their previous collaborations include Dookudu (2011), Businessman (2012), Aagadu (2014), and Sarkaru Vaari Paata (2022). Thaman also joined forces with Trivikram for the third time after working together on Aravinda Sametha Veera Raghava (2018) and Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo (2020). He began working on the film's music in June 2022. The first single, "Dum Masala," was released on November 7, 2023, followed by the second single, "Oh My Baby," on December 13, 2023.
No. Title Lyrics Singer(s) Length
1. "Dum Masala" Ramajogayya Sastry Sanjith Hegde, 3:27
Jyoti Nooran
2. "Oh My Baby" Ramajogayya Sastry Shilpa Rao 2:36
3. "Kurchi Ramajogayya Sastry Sri Krishna, 3:37
Madathapetti" 1Sahiti Chaganti
4. "Mawaa Ramajogayya Sastry Ramachary 2:32
Enthaina" Komanduri
Sri Krishna ,
Rahul Sipligunj
5. "Ramana Aei" Gongura (T) Gotte Kanakavva 2:35
Trivikram
6. "Amma Song" Ramajogayya Sastry Vishal Mishra 4:03
Total length: 18:50
Advertising and promoting
On January 7, 2023, the official trailer of the film was released. Additionally, on May 31, 2023, a first glimpse was unveiled to commemorate Babu's father Krishna's 80th birth anniversary. This special glimpse was attached to the 4K re-release of Mosagallaku Mosagadu in theaters.
Publish (Release)
The film Guntur Kaaram is set to hit theaters globally on January 12, 2024. Initially planned for a theatrical release on April 28, 2023, the film's launch was postponed to August 11, 2023, and later to January 13, 2024, to align with the Sankranti festival. Eventually, the release date was moved up to January 12, 2024.
Regarding home media, Netflix acquired the digital distribution rights for the film. It premiered on Netflix starting from February 9, 2024.
Reception
The film was met with predominantly negative reviews from critics who criticized its direction, screenplay, plot, background score, and soundtrack. However, Mahesh Babu's performance received praise. Anandu Suresh of The Indian Express gave the film a rating of 2/5 stars and mentioned that Mahesh Babu's exceptional performance was the only redeeming factor in Trivikram's unnecessarily prolonged film, preventing it from becoming a tedious watch. BVS Prakash from Deccan Chronicle also gave the film a rating of 2/5 stars and highlighted that director Trivikram Srinvas failed to deliver a solid script that could justify Mahesh Babu's larger-than-life image.
Abhilasha Cherukuri from Cinema Express gave the film a rating of 2/5 stars and expressed that it felt like a two-and-a-half-hour-long advertisement for the Vijayawada-Hyderabad expressway. Additionally, there were noticeable brand placements for Greater Hyderabad's outer ring road. Apart from showcasing well-maintained roads in both Telugu states, the rest of Guntur Kaaram was considered as mere filler.
Neeshita Nyayapati from Hindustan Times described the film as "bland" and believed that it missed out on a potential opportunity. Guntur Kaaram could have been either a tearjerker or a commercial masala film, but it ended up in an unsatisfactory limbo. It was disappointing because Mahesh gave his all in the film. Nyayapati also mentioned that Trivikram seemed to be confined within a box he created for himself.
Sangeetha Devi Dundoo from The Hindu reviewed the film and stated that Director Trivikram Srinivas and Mahesh Babu's Guntur Kaaram was a stale rehash of old stories.
Box office
Guntur Kaaram amassed a total of ₹46 crore (US$5.8 million) in India and ₹67–79.03 crore globally on its initial day.It achieved a remarkable ₹178 crore in just 20 days, securing the position of the third highest-grossing film of the year.
