Gaddalakonda Ganesh

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Gaddalakonda Ganesh is an Indian Telugu-language action comedy directed by Harish Shankar and produced by Ram Achanta and Gopichand Achanta under 14 Reels Plus. It is a remake of the 2014 Tamil film Jigarthanda, which was itself inspired by the South Korean film A Dirty Carnival. It stars Varun Tej, Atharvaa, Pooja Hegde and Mirnalini Ravi, and marks the Telugu debuts of Atharvaa and Mirnalini Ravi. It was released on 20 September, soon after filming wrapped in September 2019. Audiences and critics responded well, and according to the source it grossed ₹45 crore.

Story

Abhi, an assistant director who dreams of directing, is humiliated by a filmmaker and resolves to prove himself with a gangster film. Looking for a real subject, he goes to the town of Gaddalakonda to study Gaddalakonda Ganesh, or Gani, a ruthless local gangster. With the help of a friend, he tries to learn everything he can about Gani.

Cast

• Varun Tej as Gaddalakonda Ganesh, a gangster
• Atharvaa as an aspiring filmmaker
• Pooja Hegde as Sridevi, a character created for this version
• Mirnalini Ravi, paired opposite Atharvaa
• Brahmanandam and Rao Ramesh in cameos; Sukumar and Nithiin in guest appearances

Development

Harish Shankar first offered Varun Tej an urban love story. The actor wanted to move away from his lover-boy image, so the two agreed to remake Jigarthanda. Tej said many people warned him against a role with negative shades, but Chiranjeevi read the script and told him to sign. The film was announced under the title Valmiki. Karthik Subbaraj’s original story was adapted to local tastes. Mithun Chaitanya and Madhu Srinivas wrote the script, and Shankar wrote the dialogue. Changes included a backstory for the gangster and a new role for Pooja Hegde, her second film with both Tej and Shankar after Mukunda and Duvvada Jagannadham. Tej grew a beard and learned the Telangana dialect for the part.

Filming and music

The film was launched at Ramanaidu Studios on 27 January 2019, and shooting began that February. Locations included Yaganti temple, Chevella and the banks of the Godavari at Rajahmundry, and principal photography wrapped by 4 September 2019. Ayananka Bose was the cinematographer and Chota K. Prasad the editor. Mickey J. Meyer composed the four songs, including “Elluvochi Godaramma”, a remix of a song from the 1982 film Devatha. The censor board passed the film with a U/A certificate and a runtime of 173 minutes.

Controversy and reception

The working title Valmiki, the name of the poet of the Ramayana, drew protests and court petitions from community groups who objected to the name being used for a film whose lead plays a negative role. The release was held up in Anantapur and Kurnool districts because of the protests. Once released, the film was praised for its performances, action, direction and screenplay, and it was a commercial success.

Sources: Wikipedia and Wikidata.