Naa Peru Surya

Naa Peru Surya (full title Naa Peru Surya Naa Illu India) is a 2018 Telugu-language action drama written and directed by Vakkantham Vamsi in his directorial debut and produced by Ramalakshmi Cine Creations. Allu Arjun plays the title role, a soldier struggling with his temper, alongside Arjun Sarja, R. Sarathkumar, Anu Emmanuel and an ensemble cast. It was released on 4 May 2018 to mixed reviews.

Story

Surya is an Indian Army soldier with a volatile temper whose one dream is to serve on the Line of Control. After a violent incident he faces court-martial, and his last chance depends on getting the approval of the country’s leading psychologist, who turns out to be his estranged father. The two strike a bargain: Surya must keep his anger in check for three weeks. Living among ordinary people for the first time, and drawn into trouble with a local gangster, he is tested in ways he did not expect.

Cast

• Allu Arjun as Surya
• R. Sarathkumar as the main antagonist
• Arjun Sarja and Anu Emmanuel
• Boman Irani, Thakur Anoop Singh, Sai Kumar, Pradeep Rawat, Harish Uthaman, Rao Ramesh, Nadhiya Moidu and Vennela Kishore

Production and music

Vakkantham Vamsi had previously written successful Telugu films such as Kick (2009) and Race Gurram (2014). Rajeev Ravi was the cinematographer, Rajeevan the art director and Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao the editor. Vishal–Shekhar composed the songs, with the score by Vishal–Shekhar and John Stewart Eduri. The first single, “Sainika”, was released on Republic Day 2018 as a tribute to soldiers, and the audio was launched at Military Madhavaram in West Godavari.

Release and reception

Delayed from late April by post-production, the film was released on 4 May 2018 with dubbed Tamil and Malayalam versions. Reviews were mixed: critics praised the performances of Allu Arjun, many calling it his best, as well as those of Sarathkumar and Arjun Sarja and the production values, but faulted the script, length and pace. It was regarded as a major commercial failure for Allu Arjun, who had no release the following year. Sarathkumar won the SIIMA Award for Best Actor in a Negative Role (Telugu).

Hindi re-release

The Hindi dubbed version, Surya The Soldier, first shown on television and streaming, was released in cinemas in Uttar Pradesh and Bihar in December 2020, despite pandemic seating limits, and was well received at the box office.

Sources: Wikipedia and Wikidata.