Kshetram

Kshetram is a 2011 Telugu fantasy drama directed by T. Venu Gopal for Sri Balaji Movie Makers. It is built around Priyamani, who plays a dual role, with Jagapati Babu and Shaam as the men in her two stories. Koti composed the music, and the film was released on 29 December 2011.

What the story is about

A century ago in the village of Kshetram, a royal family built a shrine to Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy, but the idol was later hidden in the forest to protect it from invaders. Generation after generation has tried and failed to bring the deity back and install it, a ritual on which the region’s prosperity is said to depend, and which has proved deadly for those who attempted it.

In the present day, the family’s young heir Chakri returns from his studies abroad with Sohini Agarwal, a North Indian girl he loves. His father Viswanatha Rayalu is shaken by the sight of her: she looks exactly like Lakshmi, the wife of his late elder brother Veera Narasimharayalu. The temple priest keeps pressing the family to complete the ritual through Chakri, and when Sohini dresses up as the aunt she resembles, strange and violent events begin. The film then turns back twenty-five years to tell what really happened to Veera Narasimharayalu and Lakshmi.

Cast and crew

• Priyamani as Lakshmi and as Sohini Agarwal
• Jagapati Babu as Veera Narasimha Rayalu
• Shaam as Chakradeva “Chakri” Rayalu
• Adithya Menon as Viswanadha Rayulu
• Kota Srinivasa Rao as Chinnanna
• Tanikella Bharani as the priest
• Brahmaji as an SP
• Brahmanandam, Posani Krishna Murali, Rajiv Kanakala and Manju Bhargavi

Director: T. Venu Gopal. Production: Sri Balaji Movie Makers. Music: Koti, with lyrics by Suddala Ashok Teja, released by Aditya Music. Runtime: 145 minutes.

Making the film

Kshetram was conceived as a heroine-centred film. Its shooting was halted for a while when the Telugu film industry went on strike over disputes between producers, workers and actors.

Release and reviews

The film had a poor reception from Rediff, which headlined its review “Kshetram is avoidable” and gave it one star out of five, writing that the director “takes up the theme in Kshetram but fails miserably. The treatment is shabby and production values are poor.” We have not found box-office figures from a named outlet.

Where to watch Kshetram

We do not have a confirmed streaming listing for Kshetram on file. If we verify one with a platform, it will appear on this page.

Sources: the Wikipedia article on Kshetram and the review it cites, linked above; our own cast and crew records.