Rebel

Rebel is a 2012 Indian Telugu-language action comedy written and directed by Raghava Lawrence and produced by J. Bhaghawan and J. Pulla Rao under Sri Balaji Cine Media. Its ensemble cast includes Prabhas, Tamannaah Bhatia, Deeksha Seth, Krishnam Raju, Mukesh Rishi, K. C. Shankar and Pradeep Rawat. It was released worldwide on 28 September 2012 to mixed reviews. Despite a good opening it underperformed, collecting a distributor’s share of ₹27.3 crore and around ₹44 crore gross, according to the source.

Story

Rishi comes to Hyderabad, where a ruthless crime lord named Stephen has built a large criminal empire. He learns that Stephen’s secretive partner, the international kingpin known as Robert, is really his own uncle. Tracking the network, Rishi follows the gang’s trusted lieutenant to Bangkok and gets close to the man’s daughter, Nandini, as part of a larger plan for revenge.

Production

In December 2011 the unit returned to Bangkok to film key scenes and action sequences with Prabhas and Tamannaah. Filming then moved to Pollachi and Pondicherry, where action episodes were shot, and the final schedule took place at an aluminium factory in Hyderabad.

Music

Raghava Lawrence composed the songs and also choreographed the dances, while S. Chinna composed the background score. The soundtrack was released by Aditya Music on 14 September 2012 at Shilpakala Vedika in Hyderabad.

Release

7 Seas bought the overseas distribution rights, and the Tamil Nadu rights sold for ₹33 lakh. The film was later dubbed into Malayalam, into Hindi as The Return of Rebel and into Tamil as Veerabali.

Reception

Critics praised Prabhas and Tamannaah, the action and the production values, but criticised the plot and screenplay. NDTV called it fare for mass audiences and Prabhas’s fans. Rediff.com gave it 1.5 out of 5 for its thin storyline, and Idlebrain.com gave it 3 out of 5 as a revenge drama aimed at the masses.

Sources: Wikipedia and Wikidata.