Sainikudu

Sainikudu (meaning “Soldier”) is a 2006 Telugu political action drama co-written and directed by Gunasekhar and produced by C. Aswani Dutt and Swapna Dutt under Vyjayanthi Movies. Mahesh Babu, Trisha and Irrfan Khan play the leads, with Prakash Raj, Kota Srinivasa Rao, Telangana Shakuntala and Ajay in supporting roles. It is Irrfan Khan’s only Telugu film. Harris Jayaraj composed the music. Released on 30 November 2006, it drew mixed-to-negative reviews and was a box-office failure.

What the story is about

Siddharth and his friends rescue villagers during floods in Warangal district. Pappu Yadav, a former gangster backed by the Chief Minister for the Assembly elections, wins attention by announcing a huge relief fund, but Siddharth discovers that food meant for flood victims is being diverted and sold. He saves the stock and distributes it himself, setting off a feud with Pappu Yadav and his right-hand man, “Mondi Naani”. When Siddharth’s group puts up their friend Ajay as a candidate against Pappu, the politician strikes back with a conspiracy to brand them as terrorists. The film follows their fight against a corrupt system.

Cast

• Mahesh Babu as Siddharth
• Trisha as Varalakshmi
• Irrfan Khan as Pappu Yadav
• Prakash Raj as “Mondi Naani” and Kota Srinivasa Rao as the Chief Minister
• Telangana Shakuntala as ACP Pochamma, with Ajay, Ravi Varma and Ravi Prakash as Siddharth’s friends

Music

Harris Jayaraj composed six songs. The audio was released simultaneously at 10 venues in five countries (India, the United States, Australia, Singapore and Dubai) on the morning of 21 October 2006, with producer Aswani Dutt using a satellite link to relay the launch live, and the music was very successful. “Go Go Go Adhigo” is based on Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal”, and “Orugalluke Pilla”, featuring Kamna Jethmalani, draws on A. R. Rahman’s “Chaiyya Chaiyya”.

Release and reception

Sainikudu opened on 30 November 2006 to mixed-to-negative reviews and failed at the box office; no collection figures are cited in Wikipedia’s article. A Tamil version, Kumaran, was partially reshot with a comedy track featuring Vadivelu. The film won the Nandi Award for Best Special Effects.

Where to watch Sainikudu

We do not have a confirmed streaming platform for Sainikudu on file. The OTT details on this page will be updated when a platform’s own listing confirms it.

Sources: the Wikipedia article on Sainikudu and the sources it cites; Wikidata; our own cast and crew records.