Bhagavanth Kesari

<p>Nelakonda Bhagavanth Kesari is an ex-prisoner who becomes the guardian of Vijayalakshmi “Viji” after the death of his friend and Viji’s father, Srikanth in an accident. Bhagavanth wants her to join the as per her father’s wish and seeks the help of psychologist Dr. Kathyayani. However, Vijji is against joining the Army, stemming from a phobia in her childhood; she is keen on marrying her boyfriend, Karthik. Meanwhile, Rahul Sanghvi is a business magnate who seeks to steal the country’s prestigious project-V, but the accumulates incriminating evidence against him. Rahul assassinates him, but his absconds with the evidence, and Rahul is behind his hunt. Karthik proceeds with his parents with the proposal, but Bhagavanth denies it, for which Viji starts to detest Bhagavanth. While escaping from Rahul’s men, the PA fortuitously uses Viji’s laptop to secure the data, and Rahul’s men target her instead. Bhagavanth learns about this and shields Viji. Rahul is shocked upon seeing Bhagavanth, revealing that the two are past rivals, and Viji soon learns about Bhagavanth’s past. : Bhagavanth is a gallant at a tribal zone called Nelakonda, where he locks horns with Rahul’s politician father Sarath Sanghvi after he massacres the forest department. Bhagavanth outrageously butchers his men and publicly arrests Sarath, who later commits suicide. To exact vengeance, Rahul incriminates Bhagavanth under trumped-up charges and has him sentenced to prison. : After learning this, Viji oaths to fulfill Bhagavanth’s ambition. They go to Hyderabad along with Kathyayani and admit Viji to a training academy where the coach disdains the women but later accepts an apology after Bhagavanth glorifies their eminence. Viji cannot climb her last leg because of , whereas Kathyayani provides insight to raise her mental strength and courage. Rahul intends to kill Bhagavanth and his loved ones whilst also capturing the PA. However, Bhagavanth tarnishes Rahul’s plans with the support of Ratan Shukla, whom he befriended in prison, and procures the evidence from the PA. Bhagavanth makes a deal with the politicians to schedule a dual war with Rahul and receives approval. As directed by Kathyayani, Bhagavanth keeps himself at risk, and Viji soon turns violent to safeguard him. Bhagavanth finally kills Rahul and his men, while Viji is selected into the Army, fulfilling her father’s and Bhagavanth’s dream. Filming started on 8 December 2022 in . Arjun Rampal completed filming his scenes in August 2023. The soundtrack and background score is composed by , which marks his fourth collaboration with Balakrishna after (2016), (2021), and (2023); first collaboration with Ravipudi. The first single titled “Ganesh Anthem, was released on 1 September 2023. The second single, “Uyyaalo Uyyaala” was released on 4 October 2023. The third single, “Roar of Kesari” was released on 17 October 2023. All music is composed by . The film was theatrically released on 19 October 2023, on the occasion of . The film’s digital streaming rights were brought by , while the satellite rights were brought by in all languages. The film was premiered on Amazon Prime Video on 24 November 2023 in , along with dubbed versions in , , , and . The film received mixed to positive reviews from critics praising Balakrishna’s performance and action sequences. Raghu Bandi of gave 2.5/5 and wrote ” tries hard not to be a regular Nandamuri Balakrishna movie, while having all the signature moments die-hard fans will expect from him.” Sangeetha Devi Dundoo of wrote “Anil Ravipudi’s starring Nandamuri Balakrishna oscillates between hypermasculine action and an emotional drama that hammers the message of women empowerment.” Janani K of gave a rating of 2.5/5 and wrote, ” is an enjoyable entertainer where you see Balayya teaching a bunch of school children about good touch and bad touch. It’s a film that has a mix of everything for the audiences.” Jahnavi of gave a rating of 1.5/5 and wrote “But even as a formulaic film hinging on the heroism of the male star, the formula itself is confusing.” reviewed the movie and noted that, aside from a few scenes in the first half, the film is commendable. Ram Venkat Srikar of wrote, ” is a pretty entertaining outing from both Balakrishna and Anil Ravipudi. Despite having some issues, it works pretty well to a large extent, offering us an action entertainer with its heart in the right place, which surprises on the emotion and the ‘message’ front.</p>