Shakti (2011 film)
Encyclopedia
Shakti is a 2011 Telugu
fantasy film
directed by Meher Ramesh
starring Jr. NTR and Ileana D'Cruz
. The film, produced by C. Ashwini Dutt under the Vyjayanthi Movies
banner, features an extensive supporting cast including Sonu Sood
, Manjari Phadnis
, S. P. Balasubramanyam, Jackie Shroff
, Pooja Bedi
and Tamil actor Prabhu Ganesan
. Reportedly the costliest Telugu production of all time, the film released on 1 April 2011. A dubbed Tamil version was simultaneously released in Tamil Nadu
. Both versions were critical as well as commercial failures.
) is the daughter of central union police officer Mahadeva Raya (Prabhu Ganesan
). Due to some reason, he doesn't allow his daughter to go on a trip with friends. She nonetheless goes to the trip. She then meets a guide, Shakti (Jr. NTR), who takes the group on a trip to several places. At first, she hates him because he uses every chance to get money from her. But when he saves her, she starts liking him. Afterwards, a few people who are chasing her finally find her in Kashmir
and try to kill Shakti as he hurt'd them earlier. Their plan fails as Shakti turns out to be a Secret Agent and defends himself and catches the main person in this plan. When Aishwarya goes back to her father, he forgives her and asks whether she had taken a box in which there is a diamond. When she replies in the negative, he says that it is more important than his own daughter. Later, when Shakti goes to a temple, the diamond box falls off a basket his mother brought with flowers on top of it. They inform Mahadevaya who asks them to immediately come to Humpy with the box and Aishwarya. Their travel is blocked by a strong man who is then defeated by Shakti. He then kills one more person who tries to grab the box. Then Mahadeva Raya and a Swami (Nassar) come to him and then the flashback is revealed.
It is said that Mahadeva Raya'a father (S. P. Balasubramaniam) was a royal king who was extremely generous and had the blessings of god which gave him the power that whenever he touched the diamond, it used to shine brightly emitting light. He reveals that apart from the 18 Shakti petas, there is a secret one which protects India and only their family knows of it. There is also a protector who guards it at all times. His name is Rudra (Jr. NTR). After every 27 years, they must go to the shakti peta where the protector will perform several spiritual rites which must be compulsorily performed. When he starts performing them, an Egyptian king who knows of this comes to destroy the shakti peta. The protector kills the king but a person who works under the Mahadeva Raya's father, Janaki Varma (Jackie Shroff
) cheats him and kills both the protector and Mahadeva Raya as he sought money from the king. He also steals a sword (Maha Trishulam) which is necessary for the rites to be performed. When the protector is killed, his wife, at the same time, delivers a baby boy whom Rudra gives to his loyal servant. The servant tries his best to save the boy but circumstances force him to throw the boy into the river. The boy is then found by a childless couple who adopt him. After finding out his past, he sets out for revenge.
Shakti then goes to Janaki's country where he is presently the underworld don and a multimillionaire. He kills Janaki and gets the sword. Finally he goes to perform the rites but is stopped by the Egyptian queen and her powerful son who comes back and cannot be defeated. The swami then tells him that the strong man can only be defeated by damaging his eyes. He then kills him and performs the rites.
stated "A major drawback of Shakti is that Meher Ramesh failed to club the periodic frames with the contemporary story. The flashback doesn`t suit the time factor. The story is nothing but the weird imagination of director (also story writer) Meher Ramesh. Technically speaking, there is no screenplay at all, but the senseless play of the director`s wild and stoic imagination."
Rediff, which gave a two star said, "Needless to say the story lacks clarity and there is no logical thread either. As a result, the audience has to bear the tedium and the meandering plot. Sadly Shakti does not seem to have much 'shakti' to sustain."
CNN-IBN noted "Shakthi, touted as the costliest film ever made in the Telugu film industry, may not appeal to the viewers because of illogical and contradictory sequences. After watching the NTR starrer, one feels director Mehar Ramesh's common sense went for a toss when he was directing the movie. How would you explain a sequence that shows crooked Egyptians coming to India on horses back? There are many bloomers like this in the film, which has many plots and sub-plots to confuse the audience."
Timesofindia also gave a negative review with two stars and said "The blame for this epic failure, however, should be taken by the director. In an attempt to make history, he ended up confusing the audience, thanks to the meagre story-line, poor narration and far-fetched imagination."
, was released on 27 February 2011.
Telugu language
Telugu is a Central Dravidian language primarily spoken in the state of Andhra Pradesh, India, where it is an official language. It is also spoken in the neighbouring states of Chattisgarh, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Orissa and Tamil Nadu...
fantasy film
Fantasy film
Fantasy films are films with fantastic themes, usually involving magic, supernatural events, make-believe creatures, or exotic fantasy worlds. The genre is considered to be distinct from science fiction film and horror film, although the genres do overlap...
directed by Meher Ramesh
Meher Ramesh
Meher Ramesh is a film writer and director. He is the cousin of actor chiranjeevi.- Director :*2011 - Shakti *2009 - Billa *2008 - Kantri *2006 - Ajay *2004 - Veera Kannadiga...
starring Jr. NTR and Ileana D'Cruz
Ileana D'Cruz
Ileana D'Cruz is an Indian film actress, who predominantly appears in Telugu cinema. Starting her career as a model, she made her feature film debut in Y.V.S. Chowdhary's 2006 Telugu film Devadasu...
. The film, produced by C. Ashwini Dutt under the Vyjayanthi Movies
Vyjayanthi Movies
Vyjayanthi Movies is a Film production company that is owned by Tollywood producer C. Ashwani Dutt. It is one of the biggest production companies not only in Andhra Pradesh, but also India...
banner, features an extensive supporting cast including Sonu Sood
Sonu Sood
Sonu Sood is a former model and Indian actor who has acted in Hindi,, Telugu and Tamil films. A participant in the Mr. India contest, he has appeared in commercials for Apollo Tyres, Airtel etc. In Tollywood he is best known for his role as the antagonist, Pasupathi, in the film...
, Manjari Phadnis
Manjari Phadnis
Manjari Fadnis is an Indian film actress, who has appeared in Hindi, Telugu, Bengali and Tamil language films. She is best known for her performance in the 2008 Hindi film Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na.-Career:...
, S. P. Balasubramanyam, Jackie Shroff
Jackie Shroff
Jackie Shroff is an Indian actor. He has been in the industry for more than 28 years and has appeared in over 150 films.-Personal life:...
, Pooja Bedi
Pooja Bedi
Pooja Bedi is a former Bollywood actress and currently a television talk show host. She is the daughter of actor Kabir Bedi. She has also participated in Bigg Boss 5 and was voted out on 26th of November.-Biography:...
and Tamil actor Prabhu Ganesan
Prabhu Ganesan
Prabhu Ganesan is a Tamil film actor and producer. He is the son of veteran actor Sivaji Ganesan.-Personal life:A native of Tamil Nadu, Prabhu was born to Sivaji and Kamala Ganesan. He has an elder brother Ramkumar Ganesan who is a film producer, and two sisters, Shanthi and Thenmozhi. He did his...
. Reportedly the costliest Telugu production of all time, the film released on 1 April 2011. A dubbed Tamil version was simultaneously released in Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu
Tamil Nadu is one of the 28 states of India. Its capital and largest city is Chennai. Tamil Nadu lies in the southernmost part of the Indian Peninsula and is bordered by the union territory of Pondicherry, and the states of Kerala, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh...
. Both versions were critical as well as commercial failures.
Plot
Aishwarya (Ileana D'CruzIleana D'Cruz
Ileana D'Cruz is an Indian film actress, who predominantly appears in Telugu cinema. Starting her career as a model, she made her feature film debut in Y.V.S. Chowdhary's 2006 Telugu film Devadasu...
) is the daughter of central union police officer Mahadeva Raya (Prabhu Ganesan
Prabhu Ganesan
Prabhu Ganesan is a Tamil film actor and producer. He is the son of veteran actor Sivaji Ganesan.-Personal life:A native of Tamil Nadu, Prabhu was born to Sivaji and Kamala Ganesan. He has an elder brother Ramkumar Ganesan who is a film producer, and two sisters, Shanthi and Thenmozhi. He did his...
). Due to some reason, he doesn't allow his daughter to go on a trip with friends. She nonetheless goes to the trip. She then meets a guide, Shakti (Jr. NTR), who takes the group on a trip to several places. At first, she hates him because he uses every chance to get money from her. But when he saves her, she starts liking him. Afterwards, a few people who are chasing her finally find her in Kashmir
Kashmir
Kashmir is the northwestern region of the Indian subcontinent. Until the mid-19th century, the term Kashmir geographically denoted only the valley between the Great Himalayas and the Pir Panjal mountain range...
and try to kill Shakti as he hurt'd them earlier. Their plan fails as Shakti turns out to be a Secret Agent and defends himself and catches the main person in this plan. When Aishwarya goes back to her father, he forgives her and asks whether she had taken a box in which there is a diamond. When she replies in the negative, he says that it is more important than his own daughter. Later, when Shakti goes to a temple, the diamond box falls off a basket his mother brought with flowers on top of it. They inform Mahadevaya who asks them to immediately come to Humpy with the box and Aishwarya. Their travel is blocked by a strong man who is then defeated by Shakti. He then kills one more person who tries to grab the box. Then Mahadeva Raya and a Swami (Nassar) come to him and then the flashback is revealed.
It is said that Mahadeva Raya'a father (S. P. Balasubramaniam) was a royal king who was extremely generous and had the blessings of god which gave him the power that whenever he touched the diamond, it used to shine brightly emitting light. He reveals that apart from the 18 Shakti petas, there is a secret one which protects India and only their family knows of it. There is also a protector who guards it at all times. His name is Rudra (Jr. NTR). After every 27 years, they must go to the shakti peta where the protector will perform several spiritual rites which must be compulsorily performed. When he starts performing them, an Egyptian king who knows of this comes to destroy the shakti peta. The protector kills the king but a person who works under the Mahadeva Raya's father, Janaki Varma (Jackie Shroff
Jackie Shroff
Jackie Shroff is an Indian actor. He has been in the industry for more than 28 years and has appeared in over 150 films.-Personal life:...
) cheats him and kills both the protector and Mahadeva Raya as he sought money from the king. He also steals a sword (Maha Trishulam) which is necessary for the rites to be performed. When the protector is killed, his wife, at the same time, delivers a baby boy whom Rudra gives to his loyal servant. The servant tries his best to save the boy but circumstances force him to throw the boy into the river. The boy is then found by a childless couple who adopt him. After finding out his past, he sets out for revenge.
Shakti then goes to Janaki's country where he is presently the underworld don and a multimillionaire. He kills Janaki and gets the sword. Finally he goes to perform the rites but is stopped by the Egyptian queen and her powerful son who comes back and cannot be defeated. The swami then tells him that the strong man can only be defeated by damaging his eyes. He then kills him and performs the rites.
Cast
- NTR Jr. as Shakti Swaroop/Rudra
- Ileana D'CruzIleana D'CruzIleana D'Cruz is an Indian film actress, who predominantly appears in Telugu cinema. Starting her career as a model, she made her feature film debut in Y.V.S. Chowdhary's 2006 Telugu film Devadasu...
as Aishwarya Mahadevaraya - Manjari PhadnisManjari PhadnisManjari Fadnis is an Indian film actress, who has appeared in Hindi, Telugu, Bengali and Tamil language films. She is best known for her performance in the 2008 Hindi film Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na.-Career:...
as Rudra's Wife - S. P. Balasubramaniam as Mahadevaraya's Father
- Jackie ShroffJackie ShroffJackie Shroff is an Indian actor. He has been in the industry for more than 28 years and has appeared in over 150 films.-Personal life:...
as Janaki Varma - Pooja BediPooja BediPooja Bedi is a former Bollywood actress and currently a television talk show host. She is the daughter of actor Kabir Bedi. She has also participated in Bigg Boss 5 and was voted out on 26th of November.-Biography:...
as Fakhtooni - Nassar as Mahadevaraya's Swamy
- Prabhu GanesanPrabhu GanesanPrabhu Ganesan is a Tamil film actor and producer. He is the son of veteran actor Sivaji Ganesan.-Personal life:A native of Tamil Nadu, Prabhu was born to Sivaji and Kamala Ganesan. He has an elder brother Ramkumar Ganesan who is a film producer, and two sisters, Shanthi and Thenmozhi. He did his...
as Mahadevaraya - Sonu SoodSonu SoodSonu Sood is a former model and Indian actor who has acted in Hindi,, Telugu and Tamil films. A participant in the Mr. India contest, he has appeared in commercials for Apollo Tyres, Airtel etc. In Tollywood he is best known for his role as the antagonist, Pasupathi, in the film...
as Mukthar (Fakhtooni's husband) - AliAli (actor)Ali is a South Indian actor who has acted in more than 800 films in Telugu, Tamil and Bollywood film industries. He is a regular actor in Puri Jagannadh's movies and pawan kalyan's movies...
- Krishna BhagavaanKrishna BhagavaanKrishna Bhagavan is an actor in Tollywood, who has acted in more than 100 films as a comedian.-Personal life:Krishna Bhagavan was born in Kaikavolu, a small village in the East Godavari District. His parents are Meenavalli Veerraju and Lakshmi Kantham. He spent his childhood in Kaikavolu and went...
- Reza Ashtarian
- Sayaji ShindeSayaji ShindeSayaji Shinde is a Marathi film and multilingual actor from India who has acted in Bollywood, Tollywood and Kollywood. He was born in a small village near Satara, Maharashtra.-Career:...
as Sivaji - BrahmanandamBrahmanandamBrahmanandam Kanneganti is an Indian actor, commonly appearing in Telugu films. He was born into a Viswakarma gold smith family. He holds Guinness World Record for acting in the most number of films in a single language. He was starred in over 900 films till date. He is noted for Physical comedy...
as Avatar - Dharmavarapu SubramanyamDharmavarapu SubramanyamDharmavarapu Subramanyam is an Actor and Director in Telugu language films.Dharmavarapu Subramanyam was born on August 9, 1960 in a Telugu Brahmin family in Komminenivari Palem, Ballikuruva Mandalam, Prakasam District, Andhra Pradesh, India....
- Venu MadhavVenu Madhav (actor)Venu Madhav is a comedy actor in Tollywood born near Kodada . He has acted in many movies in Telugu , Tamil and Malayalam Languages. Besides an actor, he is a mimicry artist. Venu Madhav started his career with Sampradhayam by S.V.Krishna Reddy.He is also a television anchor, who has hosted...
as Sathi Babu - M. S. NarayanaM. S. NarayanaM. S. Narayana is a comedian and director in Tollywood, the Telugu film industry, in south India. He has acted in more than 500 films.-Actor:-External links:* at **...
- Daniel as Raakha
Reception
The high-budget socio-fantasy film was panned by critics. SifySify
Sify Technologies Limited is an Internet service provider established in 1998, based in Chennai, India.-Company profile:...
stated "A major drawback of Shakti is that Meher Ramesh failed to club the periodic frames with the contemporary story. The flashback doesn`t suit the time factor. The story is nothing but the weird imagination of director (also story writer) Meher Ramesh. Technically speaking, there is no screenplay at all, but the senseless play of the director`s wild and stoic imagination."
Rediff, which gave a two star said, "Needless to say the story lacks clarity and there is no logical thread either. As a result, the audience has to bear the tedium and the meandering plot. Sadly Shakti does not seem to have much 'shakti' to sustain."
CNN-IBN noted "Shakthi, touted as the costliest film ever made in the Telugu film industry, may not appeal to the viewers because of illogical and contradictory sequences. After watching the NTR starrer, one feels director Mehar Ramesh's common sense went for a toss when he was directing the movie. How would you explain a sequence that shows crooked Egyptians coming to India on horses back? There are many bloomers like this in the film, which has many plots and sub-plots to confuse the audience."
Timesofindia also gave a negative review with two stars and said "The blame for this epic failure, however, should be taken by the director. In an attempt to make history, he ended up confusing the audience, thanks to the meagre story-line, poor narration and far-fetched imagination."
Soundtrack
The soundtrack, composed by Mani SharmaMani Sharma
Mani Sharma Yanamandra is a music director known for his works in Tollywood. He has composed music for over 140 films. He is popularly known as "Swara Brahma" for his contributions to music in Tollywood. Mani Sharma started his career as a music director in 1998. Before that Sharma used to work...
, was released on 27 February 2011.
External links
- Shakti at ReviewUmpire.com