Son of India

Son of India is a 2022 Telugu action drama written and directed by Diamond Ratnababu and produced by Vishnu Manchu under Sree Lakshmi Prasanna Pictures and 24 Frames Factory, starring Mohan Babu with Meena, Srikanth and Pragya Jaiswal. Ilaiyaraaja composed the music. Released in theatres on 18 February 2022, it was poorly received and failed at the box office.

What the story is about

Mohan Babu plays Virupaksha, a seemingly ordinary man with a mysterious past. As a series of high-profile kidnappings shocks the country and the government and intelligence agencies struggle to find the culprit, it becomes clear that Virupaksha is connected to them, and that his story involves personal loss at the hands of corrupt politicians. The film plays out as a vigilante drama, with an NIA officer on his trail and the political establishment under pressure.

Cast

• Mohan Babu as Virupaksha
• Meena as Dakshayani
• Srikanth as Central Minister Mahendra Bhupati
• Pragya Jaiswal as NIA officer Airavathi
• Tanikella Bharani as the Home Minister
• Ali and Sunil as TV news reporters
• Vennela Kishore as Kishore
• Raja Ravindra as Bhagavan Prasad
• Posani Krishna Murali as an MLA
• Naresh, Raghu Babu and Rajeev Kanakala
• Chiranjeevi in a voiceover

Making and release

Production began in Hyderabad in October 2020. The first single, a devotional song composed by Ilaiyaraaja, was released on 15 June 2021. The makers first sought a direct OTT deal, which did not materialise, so the film went to theatres on 18 February 2022, with a pre-release event in Hyderabad.

Reception

Reviews were negative. Thadhagath Pathi of The Times of India gave it 1.5 out of 5, saying that despite a short running time it “feels stretched”. Sangeetha Devi Dundoo of The Hindu called it “an excruciating watch” because of “an amateurish narration of an outdated story”. Eenadu described it as Mohan Babu’s “one man show”, and Asianet News gave it 2 out of 5. News18 analysed why it “tanked at box office”; we have found no collection figures.

Where to watch Son of India

Amazon Prime Video bought the digital rights, and the film premiered there on 17 May 2022. Our OTT record is based on the film’s Wikipedia article rather than a platform listing, so check Prime Video for current availability.

Sources: the Wikipedia article on Son of India (2022 film) and the reviews and report it cites, linked above; our own cast and crew records.