Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo

<p>: Valmiki and Ramachandra start their careers as in Ananth Radhakrishna’s (ARK) . Ramachandra marries ARK’s daughter Yasoda “Yasu” and becomes wealthy while Valmiki remains a person. On the day of the birth of both their children, Ramachandra’s son appears to be . When Sulochana informs Valmiki about this, he offers to exchange his baby with the dead one. After switching the babies, the child that appeared dead starts to ; however, Valmiki wants his son to grow up in a rich household. When Sulochana tries to switch the babies again, Valmiki tries to stop her and accidentally pushes her. Sulochana falls from the hospital building and goes into a with Valmiki getting a that slowly turns into a . Valmiki’s son is named Raj. Valmiki names Ramachandra’s son Bantu and treats him roughly due to his true parentage. : After Valmiki refuses to pay for Bantu’s , Bantu goes to for a job at a travel company headed by Amulya aka Ammu, a self-made businesswoman. After a brief scuffle and misunderstanding with the company HR Shekhar, Bantu lands the job. Eventually, Bantu develops feelings for Ammu when he, Ammu, Shekhar, and their colleague Ravindra Reddy go to for a business trip, and shortly after the trip, Ammu reciprocates his feelings. Meanwhile, Raj returns from abroad, discontinuing his MBA. Ramachandra wants Raj to toughen up so he sends him to reject Paidithalli, the son of Appala Naidu, a wealthy, powerful and influential man who offers to buy 50% of their company’s . Ramachandra watches the deal from the where Ammu and Bantu have a meeting with Sudharshanam, the investor behind Ammu’s , who wants to buyback Ammu’s . Ramachandra is disappointed by Raj’s hesitance and inability to say no to Paidithalli but is proud of Bantu and Ammu for saying no to Sudharshanam. Following this, Raj is engaged with Ammu on ARK’s suggestion, even though Raj is already in love with his cousin Nandini “Nandu”. Appala Naidu attempts to kill Ramachandra for refusing to sell the shares minutes before Ammu and Bantu arrive to call off the marriage. Bantu saves Ramachandra by taking him to the hospital despite several attempts by Naidu’s men to stop them. There he meets Sulochana, who comes out of her coma and reveals Bantu’s true parentage. She passes away right after that. The furious Bantu slaps Valmiki. Bantu then manages to enter Ramachandra’s house, named “Vaikuntapuram”, by blackmailing Ramachandra’s . ARK takes an instant liking to him. Bantu addresses the issues plaguing the house by patching up Ramachandra’s broken relationship with Yasu (which was fragile, as Ramachandra had an affair once with a woman named Revathi seven years ago), settling the dispute with Paidathalli, and reforming the corrupt family members, Sitaram and Kashiram. At a thrown at their house, Yasu witnesses Bantu and Ammu kissing each other. Bantu is ousted out of the house by Valmiki while Ammu’s with Raj is cancelled. Naidu uses the situation to his advantage by and threatening to kill Nandu unless Ramachandra gives the shares to Paidithalli. When Valmiki begs Bantu to save Nandu, he refuses but goes anyway. He thrashes the goons, slams Paidathalli, and stabs Naidu. Later, Raj saves Nandu, thus ending his enmity with Ramachandra. Bantu and Valmiki arrive at Vaikuntapuram, where ARK slaps Valmiki and reveals that he overheard the conversation between Sulochana and Bantu right before her death. Bantu unites with his biological father, Ramachandra but asks him not to reveal the truth to Yasu, fearing she might be disheartened to know that Raj is not her real child. Unaware of this, Yasu remarks that Bantu is equal to Raj as he saved Nandu and the family, thereby giving Bantu 50% of its shares. Yasu then asks Valmiki to train Raj for five years to be as competent as Bantu and become the of the company. After arriving at Valmiki’s house, Raj, feeling comfortable with his new middle class life and Bantu’s old travel job, said that Valmiki, with a nurse’s help, should have switched the babies 25 years ago so he could’ve ended up at Valmiki’s house and Bantu at Ramachandra’s, much to the dismay of Valmiki. The story ends with Valmiki watching hopelessly as Bantu leaves in a with Ammu. It was reported that, post the release of (2018), decided to direct a new film with and that, after listening to the script, the actor had advised the filmmaker to make some changes. The idea of swapping infants was earlier attempted in ‘s (1958), starring and . On 31 December 2018, coinciding with , the project was officially announced, thus marking the third collaboration of Trivikram and Arjun after (2012) and (2015). It was further reported that , Arjun’s father will co-produce the film under his own banner , along with ‘s . The film was launched under the tentative title , before the title , was revealed on 15 August 2019. In mid-October 2018, reports surfaced that will play the female lead opposite Allu Arjun. In January 2019, Sunil was reported to play an important role in the film. In February 2019, was reported to replace Advani, as the female lead, thus marking their collaboration with both Arjun and Trivikram, for the second time, after (2017) and (2018). Veteran actress was reported to play Allu Arjun’s mother in the film, although she was not approached for the role. Followed by the success of , Trivikram hired , for the second time, as the film’s music composer. In March 2019, it was reported that, was signed in for a significant role, marking her comeback to , after (2008). was reported to play the antagonist role. On 8 April 2019, the lead cast and crew was announced on the occasion of Allu Arjun’s birthday. In May 2019, Ketika Sharma was reported to play the second female lead, `however, was approached for the role, due to Sharma’s commitments in (2019). The film’s cast features and in pivotal roles. Kajal Aggarwal was reported to appear in an item number, but it was not confirmed by the makers. Tamil director and actor was hired to play a negative role, which marked his maiden Telugu film. The film’s launch event was speculated to be held on the occasion of (14 February 2019). On 13 April 2019, the film’s launch was held at the office of Geetha Arts, the film’s production house, with a pooja ceremony attended by the film’s team. Principal shoot of the film took place on 24 April. Followed by a brief schedule in mid-April, the team took a break, citing the weather conditions, as well as Allu Arjun and his family, went for a short holiday in Switzerland. The makers resumed the film’s shoot on 24 May 2019. After wrapping the first schedule, the makers kickstarted the second schedule on 5 June 2019 in , with Pooja Hegde joining the sets. On 14 June, leaked stills featuring Allu Arjun as a corporate employee, went viral on social media. During this schedule the film added , and in pivotal roles. In mid-October, the team moved to France to film the song ” ”. Parts of the song was shot at in , France, and the , in . The song was also filmed at , a world-famous cabaret , and became the first South Indian film to shoot there. The makers cost up to (US$590,000), for the song shoot. The team also shot the song “OMG Daddy” in parts of Europe. Later in December 2019, the makers moved to Hyderabad to shoot the song , for which a huge set was erected at the in . The shooting of the film was wrapped up on 28 December 2019. composed the and for the film, in his third collaboration with , after (2014) and (2016), and second collaboration with after (2018). The album which features six tracks, featuring lyrics written by , , , , Kalyan Chakravarthy and Vijay Kumar Bhalla, had four of the tracks being released as singles, and went viral upon release. The soundtrack album was released on 6 January 2020, and the songs were performed by Thaman and his musical crew at the held the very same day, at Police Grounds in . The Malayalam version of the soundtrack album were released on 10 January 2020. It became the first Indian to have more than 1 billion-views on . The song ” ” went on to become the most viewed Telugu song on YouTube with more than 800 million views as of January 2023. On YouTube’s Top 10 Indian Music Videos, both “Butta Bomma” and ” ” became the only South Indian songs that have been listed in 2020. There are 6 songs played in the boardroom scene: “Vachaadayyo Saami” from (2018), “Follow Follow” from (2016), “Undiporaadhey” from (2018), “Cinema Choopistha Mama” from (2014), “Pillaa” from (2012), and “Abbanee” from (1990). On 15 August 2019, coinciding with , the makers unveiled the first glimpse of the film, revealing its title as . The film’s first look poster was released on the eve of , 1 September 2019. It features seen sitting on a dusted stool in a businessman’s suit, a security guard lights his cigar (beedi), and a shiny luxury car and a gigantic building in the background. Coinciding with the occasion of , the makers unveiled a special poster on 7 October 2019, featuring Arjun in an action avatar. The makers revealed a special poster featuring Pooja Hegde on her birthday, 13 October 2019. Sushanth’s first look from the film was released on 21 October. Tabu’s first look released on the occasion of her birthday, 4 November 2019. On Trivikram’s birthday, 7 November, the makers released the first look of the film’s Malayalam dubbed version , through social media platforms. The film’s official teaser was unveiled on 11 December 2019. On 6 January 2020, the makers planned for a huge promotional event, known as , at the Yousufguda Police Grounds in Hyderabad. Touted to be the biggest event ever in the South Indian film industry, a stage that is 52-feet high and 162-feet wise was prepared for the event, where the makers unveiled the film’s audio album and theatrical trailer. The event received great response from film buffs and audiences. Producer Radha Krishna, on 10 July 2019, announced the film’s release date through social media platforms, as the film will release on the occasion of . On 12 October 2019, the makers announced that the film will be released on 12 January 2020 clashing with , which falls on the Sankranthi weekend. In mid-December 2019, it was rumoured that the film will release on 10 January, earlier than the scheduled date. On 4 January 2020, the Active Telugu Film Producers Guild cleared rumours surrounding the release date and was reported that the film will be released on the scheduled date. The film was premiered at IMAX Melbourne, one of the largest cinema theatres in the world. It was also released on 11 January 2020, in the United States, a day before its official release in India. The film released along with its dubbed version titled while the dubbed version titled was released in 2020. The film’s theatrical rights in the and region were sold to (US$7.8 million), with Nizam rights for (US$2.4 million), Ceded rights for (US$1.4 million), (US$1.0 million) in the territories, rights for (US$750,000), rights for (US$590,000), rights in the East and West regions for (US$750,000) and (US$590,000) respectively, and rights for (US$330,000). theatrical rights were sold to (US$850,000). Theatrical rights for the rest of India were sold to (US$180,000) and overseas rights for (US$1.2 million). The film shelled out (US$10 million), in its worldwide theatrical rights. This includes print and advertising costs for (US$470,000), broadcasting rights for (US$2.8 million), Hindi dubbing rights for (US$2.2 million) and other rights for (US$300,000), totaling up to (US$16 million), before the film’s release. The film’s satellite and digital rights were sold only to . The film’s digital premiere took place on on 27 February 2020, after 49 days of its theatrical run. The same day, the makers released the film through , with English subtitles, with the Malayalam dubbed version titled released through the platform on 4 March 2020. The film’s world television premiere took place on 16 August 2020, through Gemini TV and . The dubbed version titled premiered on . It registered a record TRP (Television Rating Point) with 29.4 rating, highest for a Telugu film ever. The dubbed version premiered on Dhinchaak TV channel (now renamed Goldmines) on 13 February 2022 The film grossed (US$10 million) worldwide on its opening day. By the end of first week, the film raked in (US$12 million) domestically and also became the first Indian film in 2020 to touch $2 million gross at the United States box office. it became the first (US$24 million) grosser for both Allu Arjun and Trivikram Srinivas. According to , the film netted domestically, becoming the sixth film from and the first film without version to achieve this feat. It has netted more than (US$18 million) from and alone, third film to do so following the . By the end of its theatrical run, the film managed to gross (US$31 million)– (US$33 million) worldwide, becoming one of the . The film earned distributors a share of ₹163.17 crore. The film collected (US$6.4 million), during the first day of its release. Within three days, the film minted (US$12 million), during the morning and matinee shows of third day. As of nine days, the film collected (US$24 million). grossed ₹200.85 crore in Andhra Pradesh, with ₹26.39 crore in Karnataka and ₹6.11 crore across other parts of India, thus earning ₹233.35 crore at the domestic box office. The film earned a share of ₹132.67 crore from AP and Telangana. In the region, the film fetched a share of ₹44.8 crore, whereas in the film earned ₹19.13 crore. The film earned a share of ₹10.70 crore in , ₹11.51 crore in , and ₹4.97 crore in . The film earned ₹11.60 crore and ₹9.10 crore in the and districts, and ₹21.90 crore in the region. The film registered the highest opening collections of $607,000 during its premiere shows in USA on 11 January, and $607,000 on the first day of its release. The film crossed the $1 million mark in US, on the second day. Within six days, the film entered the $2 million mark in USA, thus becoming the first Indian film in 2020 to do so. It collected $3,624,759 in the overall US box office, thus becoming one of the highest grossing Telugu film in the country. In New Zealand, the film also collected NZ$34,625 in the opening day, surpassing , which registered the highest opening collection of NZ$21,290 in the country. According to trade analyst , the film registered a gross of A$408,030 (₹1.99 crore) in Australia, $39,879 (₹21.68 lakh) in Canada and £91,090 (₹84.23 lakh) in the United Kingdom, as of 18 January 2020. By the following day, the film registered a gross of A$455,600 (₹2.23 crore) at Australia and £110,160 (₹1.02 crore) in the United Kingdom. The film received generally positive reviews, with critics praising the cast performances, soundtrack, musical score, cinematography, script and screenplay, while the predictable storyline was criticised. On the website , of 5 critics’ reviews are positive, with an average rating of 8.50/10. Hemanth Kumar of gave the film 3.25 stars out of 5 and wrote ” is both entertaining and engaging to a good extent, however, it takes plenty of time before it finds its groove. One could argue a lot about how the pace of the film could have been and if there was a better way to make a bunch of characters be more relevant to the story, but when Trivikram finishes telling the story, he leaves you with a pleasant feeling.” Neeshita Nyayapati of gave the film 3.5 stars out of 5 stating “Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo has a bit of everything and despite the cliché and the predictable storyline. Trivikram manages to make it work and deliver what he promises. Watch this for Allu Arjun, especially if you’re a fan, for he shines in this one and of course, the fun of it all.” Karthik Keramalu of stated ” has a lot going for it because Bantu (the weirdest name for a Telugu movie hero) spends time with other characters (played by Tabu, Jayaram, Sunil, Sachin Khedekar, Vennela Kishore, Rajendra Prasad, Rahul Ramakrishna, Nivetha Pethuraj etc…) and doesn’t wallow in mediocrity for a long time. And P. S., Vinod’s cinematography makes each frame in the action episodes appear as avant-garde paintings. And on top of it all, the songs are an absolute treat, which makes it as an entertainer that promises fun”. Sangeetha Devi Dundoo of called the film “an absorbing and entertaining drama presented by Trivikram – Allu Arjun duo”. Manoj Kumar R of gave 3 out of 5 and stated “The main pleasures of are not unravelling of the secrets that the characters are determined to carry to their graves. It is Trivikram’s writing and his intention to tell a story and entertain the audience without any rush.” Sankeerthana Verma of reviewed ” is far from being perfect cinema. There are many flaws and the film takes many artistic liberties to move the story forward, but so does every other masala entertainer. But this one manages to entertain you. This one does. If a good Sankranti film is all about having a laugh and some harmless fun without having to sell your soul, this is definitely the one to go with.” Janani K of , gave 3 out of 5 stars and stating ” is not a film that experiments. It ends up as a film that knows its flaws but packages it cleverly so that it does not weigh down on the overall experience.” Karthik Kumar of wrote ” is undoubtedly one of Trivikram’s better films in recent years. While one can argue that he plays it safe by taking the tried-and-tested family template, at least he doesn’t disappoint and that is laudable.” gave 3 out of 5 for the film stating ” is a well-packaged entertaining movie that has several positive points. It is a feel-good family entertainer. Despite many issues and some cliched sequences, it makes an entertaining watch during this festive period.” Followed by the success of the film, a Tamil of the film was reported to be under confirmation, with reprising Arjun’s role from the film, apart from acquiring the remake rights but the remake plans were dropped in favor of a dub titled . The very same month, and were hired for the Hindi remake of the film named for reprising the roles of Allu Arjun and Pooja Hegde respectively, helmed by and bankrolled by Radha Krishna, the producers of the original film. The film’s production commenced in October 2021 and ended in January 2023. It was released on 17 February 2023. The film received praise from celebrities, with , and lauding Allu Arjun’s performance. The song ” ” received a positive response for Allu Arjun and Pooja Hegde’s dance performance, with and and eventually praising the song. In April 2020, Australian cricketer along with his wife , took to , to perform the hook step from the number, which went viral through social media. The song was one of the most viral songs of . It gained over 800 million+ views on making it to the chartbuster category of that year’s music videos. The movie won several accolades including , , and .</p>