Shakti

Shakti (also spelt Sakthi, meaning “Power”) is a 2011 Telugu fantasy action film directed by Meher Ramesh and produced by C. Aswani Dutt under Vyjayanthi Movies. N. T. Rama Rao Jr. plays a dual role, with Ileana D’Cruz, Prabhu, Manjari Phadnis, S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Vidyut Jammwal, Pooja Bedi, Jackie Shroff, Sonu Sood and Nassar. Mani Sharma composed the soundtrack. Released on 1 April 2011 on a very wide release, it was heavily panned and became a box-office disaster.

What the story is about

Faqtooni, the widow of an Egyptian king, sends her younger son to India to seize a magical gem and weapon to avenge her husband’s death. The gem is guarded by the family of Mahadevaraya, a government minister of royal descent, and his daughter Aishwarya unknowingly packs it in her bag when she slips away on a trip to Jaipur with her friends. There they meet Sakthi, who becomes their tour guide after rescuing them from an assault. As Faqtooni’s men chase the gem from Jaipur to Kashmir and Haridwar, Sakthi turns out to know more than a tour guide should, and his own connection to the gem’s history drives the rest of the film.

Cast

• N. T. Rama Rao Jr. as Sakthi and as Rudra
• Ileana D’Cruz as Aishwarya
• Prabhu as Mahadevaraya and S. P. Balasubrahmanyam as his father Vijayaraya
• Pooja Bedi as Faqtooni, Sonu Sood as Mukthar and Vidyut Jammwal as their son
• Jackie Shroff as “Jackie the Great”, Manjari Phadnis as Gauri and Nassar as a sage
• Ali, Brahmanandam, Sayaji Shinde and Pragathi in supporting roles

Music

Mani Sharma’s soundtrack was released on 27 February 2011.

Release and reception

Shakti was released on 1 April 2011, with Wikipedia recording more than 7000 screens worldwide, and Tamil and Malayalam dubs, titled Om Sakthi, followed a day later. Critics and audiences criticised its screenplay and illogical plot. Radhika Rajamani of Rediff.com gave it 1.5 out of 5, as did The Times of India, and CNN-IBN‘s review headline called it “a disappointment”. Wikipedia describes it as a box-office disaster; no collection figures are cited.

Where to watch Shakti

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

Sources: the Wikipedia article on Sakthi (2011) and the reviews it cites, linked above; Wikidata; our own cast and crew records.