Srimanthudu

UTV Motion Pictures announced in October 2013 that they would produce a film starring Mahesh Babu and directed by Koratala Siva, marking their maiden Telugu production with Mahesh's sister Manjula Ghattamaneni and presenting the film under the banner Indira Productions.[7] A possible delay was expected as Mahesh had earlier agreed to work on a film directed by Raj Nidimoru and Krishna D.K., produced by Ashwini Dutt, after completing Aagadu (2014).[8] In late March 2014, G. Dhananjayan of UTV Motion Pictures announced that the film's production would commence in July 2014.[9] UTV Motion Pictures backed out of the film citing differences with Siva, and the overseas distribution company Mythri Movie Makers agreed to become the major investor in the film.[10]

Mahesh opted to co-produce the film under the banner G. Mahesh Babu Entertainment Pvt. Ltd to control the film's budget, accepting a share in the profits in lieu of his remuneration.[11] Devi Sri Prasad was signed to compose the film's music.[12] R. Madhi, the film's cinematographer, charged ₹1.4 crore as his remuneration.[13] The official launch ceremony was held on 11 August 2014 at Ramanaidu Studios in Hyderabad.[14] Mahesh participated in the story discussions with Siva and shared his ideas for improving the script.[15] Srimanthudu was confirmed as the film's title on 29 May 2015,[16] after registering it in December 2014.[17]

Impressed with his work in Legend (2014), Siva chose Jagapati Babu (top) to play Mahesh's father in the film. Rajendra Prasad (bottom) was chosen to play Haasan's father in the film.

Mahesh played the role of a billionaire's son in the film.[18] For his character's appearance, he chose a casual look replete with cardigans, jackets and scarves. He sported various hair styles, including a layered look, a messy hair-do, and a conservative cut, for various episodes in the film.[19] Shruti Haasan was selected as the heroine of the film; the role was supposed to be her first on-screen appearance with Mahesh though she had appeared in an item number in Aagadu after signing this film.[20] She charged a remuneration of ₹1.25 crore, which was the highest she had received in her career until then.[21] Haasan said that she would play a "strong, independent, intelligent" and simple girl in the film, adding that the romance between the lead pair would be a "very calm, relaxed and classy" one.[22] Siva chose the name Charuseela for the female lead character after going through the lyrics during the recording of the song of the same name.[23]

Impressed with his work in Legend (2014), Siva chose Jagapati Babu to play the role of Harsha's father in the film.[24] After considering Nadhiya and Gracy Singh for the role of Mahesh's mother, Sukanya was selected in January 2015.[25] Rajendra Prasad, Sampath Raj, Brahmanandam and Tulasi were announced for the supporting roles.[26][27] While Sampath Raj played the antagonist,[28] Brahmanandam's inclusion was never confirmed.[29] Harish Uthaman was signed to play one of the antagonists in the film. Uthaman told Indo-Asian News Service that a few scenes required numerous takes due to his difficulties with the language and called Mahesh considerate to have helped him.[30]

Rahul Ravindran made a small yet important cameo appearance.[31] After considering actresses proficient in classical dance for performing a peppy dance number set in a rural backdrop, Poorna was selected as she was a trained Kathak dancer.[32] After auditioning seventy actresses, Angana Roy was selected to play an "important part" in the film, marking her debut in Telugu cinema.[33] Sanam Shetty was signed after one of the unit members of her unreleased Telugu debut Intinta Annamayya convinced the film-makers to consider her.[34] Malayali actress Nikkita Anil Kumar played the role of Mahesh's sister in the film, and Vaishnav, a teenager who played the role of her cousin, helped the non-Telugu actors with their lines.[35] Tejaswi Madivada, who earlier worked with Mahesh in Seethamma Vakitlo Sirimalle Chettu (2013), was signed to play a politician's daughter.[36]

Principal photography commenced on 7 November 2014 at Pune,[37] and Haasan joined the set on the next day.[38] The two leads were mobbed by local people during the film's shoot at an IT hub in Pune.[39] The next segment took place in Hyderabad at a private studio where a song was filmed with Mahesh and Haasan.[40] The song that accompanies Mahesh's first appearance in the film was filmed at Ramoji Film City starting on 11 December 2014.[41] The third filming segment commenced on 28 December 2014 at Hyderabad.[42][43] Around the end of January 2015, it was estimated that the film's shooting would be wrapped up in a month.[44]

A song on Mahesh and Haasan was shot in a set erected at Annapurna 7 Acres Studios.[45] Another filming segment commenced at Madurai, where Haasan and Kishore rejoined the film's sets.[46] Shooting then moved to Karaikudi.[47] An action sequence on Mahesh and others was filmed at Pollachi in February 2015.[48] A song choreographed by Bosco-Caesar was filmed with Mahesh and Haasan. This marked the first Telugu film of Bosco-Caesar.[49] The filming continued at Palani until 3 March 2015,[48] after which a few scenes focusing on Mahesh, Roy, and others were shot at Hyderabad.[33]

In April 2015, the next filming schedule began in Malaysia. Upon its completion, Mahesh took a break and then joined the set at Hyderabad on 6 May 2015.[50] On 5 June 2015, Madhi said in an interview that twelve days of shooting were pending. He added that two types of camera – the Alexa XT and the Red Dragon – were being used to film a number of mild movement shots throughout the film.[51] On 17 June 2015, Siva told the media that all filming except for a week of patchwork was finished.[52] By then, a song sequence focusing on the lead pair was being filmed at Ramoji Film City.[53]

The Times of India gave the soundtrack 3.5 out of 5 stars.[60] IndiaGlitz gave the soundtrack 3.25 out of 5 stars and stated, "The album caters to the fan base of both DSP and Mahesh Babu. DSP delivers the output in such a way as to give 'Mirchi' feeling, adding an impressive array of tunes."[61] Behindwoods gave the soundtrack 3 out of 5 stars and called it a signature album with Prasad's trademark reflected all over it.[54]

Classic Entertainments acquired the overseas distribution rights of the film in late February 2015,[69] for an amount of ₹81 million, which was the highest price that any Telugu film had commanded in the overseas market until then.[70] By the second week of June 2015, distribution rights for most of the regions were sold out while negotiations for a few were ongoing. Global Cinemas, Aditya films, and Vintage creations acquired the distribution rights of the Nizam, West and East Godavari regions for ₹14.5 crore, ₹3.25 crore, and ₹3.43 crore respectively.[2]

At the same time, 14 Reels Entertainment and Devi films were in talks with the makers for the rights of Krishna and Ceded regions, respectively while 'S' Creations was expected to acquire the Guntur region rights for an amount of ₹4—4.25 crore.[2] However, a press release on 19 June 2015 stated that Abhishek Pictures had acquired the theatrical distribution rights of the Nizam region.[71] The film's global theatrical rights were sold for a total of ₹59.6 crore. The theatrical rights of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and the rest of India were sold for ₹21 crore, ₹6 crore, and ₹2 crore respectively.[72] Eros International acquired the film's worldwide distribution rights on 5 August 2015.[73]

The first look poster featured Mahesh riding a Cannondale Scalpel 29 Carbon 3 bike costing approximately ₹3.5 lakh.[74] The first look teaser of 60 seconds was released on 31 May 2015.[75] The second poster featuring Mahesh was released on 14 July 2015.[76] Another poster featuring Mahesh was released on 24 July 2015.[77] Close-Up entered into a co-branding partnership with this film in late July 2015.[78] A cycling rally was held on 16 August 2015 at Gachibowli, Hyderabad, where Mahesh met 2,500 cyclists as a part of the film's promotion.[79]

Close-Up announced a "Closeup Srimanthudu Meet Mahesh Babu Contest", where Mahesh's fans were asked to give a missed call to 1800-266-2444 to enter the contest which was open from 1 August 2015 to 4 September 2015.[80] The makers announced the auction of the cycle used by Mahesh in the film, with interested people being directed to bid for the cycle at www.iamsrimanthudu.com by donating ₹999. Whilst the remaining donors received a special T-shirt,[81] G. Nageswara Reddy from Karimnagar district was announced as the winner of the cycle by the film's unit in mid-November 2015.[82]

The global television broadcast rights were sold to Zee Telugu in late May 2015 for a high but undisclosed price,[83] estimated to be around ₹12 crore.[84] Srimanthudu had its global television premiere on 8 November 2015 at 6:00 pm IST.[85] It registered a TRP rating of 21.24, the third-highest rating ever for a Telugu film after Magadheera (2009) and Baahubali: The Beginning (which registered TRP ratings of 22.00 and 21.84, respectively).[86]

Srimanthudu received positive reviews from critics.[87] Sangeetha Devi Dundoo of The Hindu called Srimanthudu a "star-driven film with a strong plot that's worth a watch". Dundoo further stated, "This isn't Ashutosh Gowariker's Swades, where Shah Rukh Khan finds his true calling in a much more realistic manner. The social consciousness comes coated with commercially viable ingredients and still, makes for an engaging watch".[88] Sify called Srimanthudu a "right mix of Mahesh's emotional and class performance, Shruthi's charisma, fine storyline and all materials that are needed for a good entertainer". The reviewer appreciated Siva for not writing a separate comedy track to distract from the story.[89] Karthik Pasupulate of The Times of India rated the film 3.5 out of 5 and wrote, "You could say this movie is Mahesh Babu's Swades (the 2004 SRK film) albeit a little dumbed down. Or a Mirchi (the Prabhas film) rehashed. Yet there can be no denying that Srimanthudu achieves more than any big ticket Tollywood potboiler has in more in that last decade [sic], for the simple reason that it is a drama made like one."[90] Sethumadhavan N of the Bangalore Mirror rated the film 3.5 out of 5 and wrote, "Make no mistake, Srimanthudu is certainly a big commercial entertainer and has most of the elements needed for the same. But to deliver a total commercial which doesn't have a great plot and yet remaining engaging all the way isn't easy at all. That is where the writing by Siva emerges triumphant."[91] Suresh Kavirayani of Deccan Chronicle rated the film 3.5 out of 5 and wrote, "Though there are a few hiccups, Srimanthudu is a good emotional drama with excellent performance by Mahesh Babu, supported by good content with neat dialogues".[92] Hemanth Kumar C. R. of Outlook India rated the film 3.5 out of 5 and stated, "In an industry where weaving a story to suit the image of an A-list star is common, Mahesh Babu's latest, Srimanthudu, takes a different course. The film might lack a big-starrer firepower, but by letting go of such conventions, what we get in the end is a sensible film full of heart and humanity."[93] IndiaGlitz rated the film 3.5 out of 5 and called Srimanthudu a "family entertainer with mass appeal, thanks to Mahesh's understated acting" and added, "Koratala Shiva doesn't really unleash a Mirchi-fied Mahesh Babu even in the second half. All throughout, the billionaire Srimanthudu maintains his composure even when he has to turn into a 'hanthakudu'. Things are so understated that the fight-to-finish itself looks half-done."[94]

Karthik Keramalu of IBNLive rated the film 3 out of 5 stars and stated "All in all, Srimanthudu is a notch above the so-so model of commercial films. It'd have been neater had the gap between the intent and the content of the film narrowed down further".[95] Behindwoods rated the film 2.5 out of 5 and stated, "Overall, Srimanthudu is a usual family entertainer presented in a style of its own. It is highly entertaining at points and keeps the attention of the audience intact with the show master, Mahesh Babu's magic."[96] Kirubhakar Purushothaman of India Today rated the film 2.5 out of 5 and wrote, "There are many cliches throughout the story, but still Srimanthudu manages to hold your attention. Though Srimanthudu has failed to serve anything new, he is rich and complete. When the film ends, everyone in the film is happy. As are Mahesh Babu's fans."[97] Suhas Yellapuntala of The New Indian Express wrote, "The director showcases power, greed, corruption as well as regression, hope and agony, in equal measure. However, while Mahesh Babu effortlessly sails through the movie, Srimanthudu is clichéd, unimaginative and stretched beyond its potential". He added, "Srimanthudu would have made for much better viewing if it had been cut shorter by about half an hour. At the end of it, watching the film becomes an endurance rather than an experience".[98]

Selvandhan, the film’s Tamil dubbed version too received positive responses. Indiaglitz ,reviewing the Tamil version gave 3 out of 5 stating that "On the whole, Selvandhan is a commendable family entertainer with enough mass elements.[99]Behindwoods gave 2.75 out of 5 stars stating that the film is a fulfilling outing for all the fans of Mahesh Babu.[100] Avinash Gopinath of Filmbeat gave 3 out of 5 stars stating that "It is a Mahesh Babu show all the way and the actor has done complete justice to his role. Maybe it's the selection of scripts he needs to concentrate more on if he desires to take up more challenging roles. Shruti Haasan has managed to bag a role of substance and has delivered the goods and yet some refinement is needed when it comes to her acting skills. Supporting actors and actresses have done their part neatly and Jagapati Babu earns himself a special mention for his realistic portrayal of a rich father. Though the film is highly entertaining with good action sequences and dialogues, it doesn't have enough to keep the audience hooked throughout. Both first and second half lacks pace and songs by Devi Sri Prasad only acts as a speed breaker. He scores through his background music and makes up for his lacklustre songs. Real winner in Selvandhan is its cinematographer R. Madhi, for he has used specific colors to match the feel of each and every scene. His angles though are pretty straight forward. Editor Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao could've used his scissors more efficiently as 2 hours 45 minutes is a touch too long even for a Mahesh Babu starrer. Overall apart from its entertaining qualities, what really works in Selvandhan is its interesting script which might put this movie in the winners list."[101]

Registering an occupancy of 200% across the globe on its first day, Srimanthudu collected approximately a distributor share of 200cr at the AP/Nizam box office and 50cr from Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, the rest of India and overseas markets, taking its first day global total share to 350cr. With this, it managed to break the records set by Attarintiki Daredi (2013) and S/O Satyamurthy (2015) and became the second-highest Telugu film opener of the year.[102] Trade analyst Trinath told Indo-Asian News Service that the first day global gross stood at ₹310 million.[103]

The film grossed ₹1000 million on its second day at the global box office, taking its two-day global total gross to ₹5000 million. With this, it became the second-fastest Telugu film of the year after Baahubali: The Beginning to do so. The film managed to collect a total net of 2000 million and a distributor share of 1000 million in two days at the global box office.[66] The film grossed ₹250 million on its third day, taking its three-day global total gross to ₹750 million, thus breaking the records set by Telugu films other than Baahubali: The Beginning.[104] The film grossed a total of ₹1.0125 billion in its first week at the global box office.[105]

The film grossed ₹220 million in its second weekend, taking its ten-day global total gross to ₹1.23 billion. The net and share figures for the ten days stood at ₹980 million and ₹826.3 million, respectively.[106] The film grossed ₹150 million during the weekdays, taking its second week total to ₹370 million and two-week global total gross to ₹1.38 billion. The two-week global net and distributor share figures stood at ₹1.1 billion and ₹900 million, respectively.[107] Witnessing a decline of 50% in its trade due to new releases, the film grossed ₹180 million in its third week, taking its three-week global total gross to ₹1.56 billion, thus becoming the fourth highest grossing south Indian film of all time. The two-week global net and distributor share figures stood at ₹1.25 billion and ₹960 million, respectively.[108]

Witnessing a further drop of 50% in its trade, the film grossed ₹95 million in its fourth week, taking its 28-day global total gross to ₹1.655 billion.[109] On 25 September 2015, it completed a 50-day run in 185 centres, which was considered a record.[110] It also completed its 100-day run in 15 centres on 14 November 2015.[111] Srimanthudu grossed more than ₹2 billion in its lifetime run at the global box office,[6] and was declared the second-highest grossing Telugu film ever.[112]

Srimanthudu collected approximately US$0.5 million from 117 locations on Thursday premiere shows held in the United States.[113] The film collected US$1,753,698 (₹111.8 million) from about 150 screens at the United States box office in two days, which Taran Adarsh called an "impressive" start.[114] By the end of its first weekend, Srimanthudu collected a total of US$2.1 million at the United States box office and became the second-highest grossing Telugu film of all time in the country.[115] It also became the second Telugu film to cross the US$2 million mark, after Baahubali: The Beginning.[116]

In its second weekend, Srimanthudu collected US$342,010 from 102 screens at the United States box office thus taking its ten-day total to US$2,654,658 (₹173.5 million). In ten days, the film collected US$8,036 (₹0.52 million) from two screens at the Canada box office and approximately ₹70 million at the United Arab Emirates box office. In its second weekend, Srimanthudu collected RM4,764 from two screens in Malaysia, taking its ten-day total to RM15,178 (₹0.24 million). With this, it became the second-highest grossing Telugu film in the international market by collecting a total of approximately US$3,735,139 (₹242.2 million).[117]

In its third weekend, Srimanthudu stood at the second place in the Indian films at the United States box office. It collected US$94,498 (₹6.257 million) from 46 screens. The United States box office total stood at US$2,820,214 (₹188 million), which was considered quite a remarkable achievement for a South Indian film.[118] After losing 49% of screens due to new releases, Srimanthudu collected US$27,647 from 24 screens in its fourth weekend. The United States box office total stood at US$2,869,560 (₹190.7 million). By then, the film's screening had ended in Canada, the United Arab Emirates, and other key international markets.[119] Srimanthudu lost eighteen screens to Bhale Bhale Magadivoy and other new releases, thus witnessing a drop of 75% in its business. Collecting US$7,538 from six screens, the film's 31-day United States box office total stood at US$2,882,809 (₹192.6 million), with a per-screen average of US$1,256.[120]