Yagnam

Yagnam (transl. “Ritual” or “Sacrifice”) is a 2004 Telugu action film directed by debutant A. S. Ravi Kumar Chowdary and produced by Pokuri Babu Rao under Eetharam Films. Gopichand plays the loyal right-hand man of a faction leader who falls for his master’s daughter, opposite Moon Banerjee (credited as Sameera Banerjee), with Prakash Raj and music by Mani Sharma. Released on 2 July 2004, it was a hit, won two Nandi Awards, and was remade in Tamil as Mannin Maindhan (2005).

What the story is about

Seenu is the faithful servant and right-hand man of Reddeppa, a faction leader whose feud with his rival Nayudamma has already cost many lives on both sides. Seenu and Reddeppa’s daughter, Sailaja, grew up together, and they have fallen in love. When Reddeppa realises it, he turns on Seenu and tries to have him killed. How Seenu wins Sailaja’s hand, and what he does about the feud that has bled both villages, is the story of the film.

Cast and crew

• Gopichand as Srinivas “Seenu”
• Moon Banerjee as Sailaja
• Prakash Raj as Inspector Pratap Reddy
• Devaraj as Reddeppa
• Vijaya Rangaraju as Nayudamma
• Raghu Babu as Suri, Seenu’s rival
• Dharmavarapu Subramanyam
• Jahnavi as Fathima

Director: A. S. Ravi Kumar Chowdary. Producer: Pokuri Babu Rao. Music: Mani Sharma (Maruthi Music). Runtime: 145 minutes.

Making and music

The film was shot across Andhra Pradesh: around the Araku Valley, Visakhapatnam, Ichchapuram, Srikakulam and Vizianagaram on the coast, in Hyderabad, and on the outskirts of Kadapa and Kurnool in Rayalaseema. Mani Sharma’s song “Chinnanaati Chelikade” is based on “Kanavu Kanalam” from the Tamil film Jai (2004).

Reviews

B. Anuradha of IANS wrote that the debutant director “fuses a good love story into this anger-driven film with a message”. Jeevi of Idlebrain.com said it was “definitely worth a watch for the brilliant performance of Gopichand and its first half”, and Sify called it “a decent entertainer which will be lapped up by the mass audience”.

Box office and awards

The trade site T2BLive credits Yagnam with a distributors’ share of ₹9 crore. At the 2004 Nandi Awards, Dharmavarapu Subramanyam won Best Male Comedian and Jahnavi Best Female Comedian. The film was dubbed into Hindi in 2007 as Aaj Ka Raavan Raaj.

Where to watch Yagnam

Yagnam is listed on Aha: our record is based on the Aha listing. We do not have a date for when it was added. Availability can vary by region and plan, so check the listing before you press play.

Sources: the Wikipedia article on Yagnam (2004 film) and the reviews and reports it cites, linked above; the Aha listing; our own cast and crew records.