Gautamiputra Satakarni

<p>Gautamiputra Satakarni is the 2nd century CE ruler of whose long-lasting goal is to unite all the 32 kingdoms under a reign, evade internal collisions and establish peace. He takes an oath to his mother, Gautami Balasri, starts his mission at 18, and gives only two options to the kings on his way: peace by surrendering their sword or war. After 18 long years, he took over the entire South India. For the time being, Satakarni marries Vasishti Devi, and they have a son named Pulumavi. , the critical ruler of the , is a powerful and villainous person who forcibly locks up the princes of his feudatory kingdoms as royal prisoners to protect his kingdom on all sides. Now, it is difficult for Satakarni to reach Nahapana, so he uses a strategy and decides to go with his son Pulumavi to the battlefield. Vasishti opposes, but Satakarni still stubbornly does so. Simultaneously, Emperor is waiting at the border for the result of their battle, after that to conquer the country. Satakarni is currently moving towards Nahapana’s fort. On the way, he assures the feudatory kings that they will safeguard and secure their children. Finally, he reaches Nahapana’s fort, destroys him, rescues the princes, brings the entire country under one flag, and slaps his thigh. Satakarni then returns to Amaravathi with the 32 swords he has obtained from the rulers of India, and Balasri edicts him to mold a mighty sword by melting all these. Everybody welcomes him with great enlightenment and joy, but his wife, Vasishti, is fed up with his dictatorial mentality. She decides to leave him, but now he must perform a grand ritual impossible without a wife. At the request of her mother-in-law, Vasishti agrees to stay until its completion. During the ritual, the Emperor must give honor to the topmost person in the kingdom. Satakarni gives it to his mother by spreading the greatness of women, and from there onwards, he changes his name to and names his son as where his wife Vasishti understands the virtue of her husband. Satakarni declares a new era called and the day starts as That night, Kanjira, one of the feudatory kings, backstabs his compatriots by aiding Demetrius and lets his men enter the fort to knock out Satakarni. Still, Gautami Balasri protects her son by breaking up their tactics. Satakarni learns that Demetrius has entered the borders of to conquer the country, whose army is ten times that of his. He then gets ready for the final battle. At that point, Vasishti senses ominous signs that someone has poisoned her husband, so she requests him to avoid this battle when Satakarni explains to her his childhood dream of uniting the entire country, which Satakarni had done. Now, he must protect it from invaders. His only choices are victory or martyrdom. Gauthami Balasri consults a and explains these ominous signs to him, who gives her an antidote to the poison. At last, Satakarni reaches the Sindhu Kingdom. Satakrani destroys almost half of the Greek army during the first day of battle. Demetrius understands the challenge of conquering if Satakarni is alive. He sends a woman named Athena to Satakarni as a messenger. Unfortunately, she laces him with poison with a pin in her ring. He foams at the mouth and faints, screaming. The next day, when Satakarni is under treatment, all the other Kings are confused about whether to fight or retreat. They understand the goal of Satakarni is not only to win the country but also to develop unity among them, and they decide to partake in the battle. Thus, Satakarni recovers, reaches the battlefield, and defeats Demetrius, affirming, Music composed by . Music released on Company. The Audio launch was held at Sri Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Municipal High School Grounds, on 26 December 2016. , attended the function as chief guests, along with hundreds of industry stalwarts. The film was officially announced on 8 April 2016, on eve of at ‘s proposed capital city . The movie opening was held at on 22 April 2016, with eminent personalities like , , , , , , , , , , and in attendance. The search for the female lead had been going on for long, as actresses like and were on the verge of signing. Finally, actress was signed on as the lead heroine, after being successful in Telugu with various projects. Veteran Hindi actress is playing Balakrishna’s character’s mother, Gautami Balasri. Actually was primarily selected as music director but has quit project because he couldn’t adjust the dates, after he left the project top most music directors like , are taken into consideration but finally is the music director. is designing costumes and jewellery for the film. Nandamuri Balakrishna honoured Hema Malini with a as a surprise gift on the sets of the film on 4 September 2016 in . The film’s first look teaser was released on 11 October 2016 at 10:15 a.m on the occasion of and trailer was launched on 16 December 2016 at Tirumala theatre in , . It was released on 12 January 2017 across 1320 screens worldwide. Srivathsan Nadadhur of gives it a 4/5 rating saying, “The film talks of Telugu identity, re-emphasises Amaravati’s cultural significance, talks of a borderless society, gives Shriya a role of a lifetime and yet remains a Balakrishna film, an achievement for Krish in only his seventh outing.” Murali Krishna of says “Gautamiputra Satakarni perfectly blends with the persona of Balakrishna. It is an achievement to bring the lesser-known details of an unsung hero to spotlight and Krish has succeeded in crafting a gripping narrative right from the word go”. editor Kathi Mahesh gives it a 4/5 rating saying, “You will know about the Telugu’s history and how they contributed to the nation.” gives it a 3.25/5 rating and says “a film like Gautamiputra Satakarni should be encouraged by watching in theaters because it introduces us our own Telugu hero who ruled the unified nation.” Film bureau chief Prabhu praised the film saying “Krish gave a movie which would make Telugus proud and acted in it” and gave it a rating of 4/5 but adds that instead of numbers this is a movie to be visited/reviewed in a different way. Suresh Kavirayani of gives it a 3.5/5 rating saying “Gautamiputra Satakarni is an original story and everyone, especially the Telugu population, should know about it. Krish should be appreciated for coming up with a script like this and narrating it interestingly. The film is also memorable for its content and the excellent performance by Balayya. Kannada superstar appears in a cameo and stuns in it.”. H Kumar of Firstpost says “Gautamiputra Satakarni is part inspirational, part patriotic that implores Telugu-speaking populace across the world to be proud of their roots. And in doing so, Krish has once again proved himself to be a fascinating storyteller who isn’t afraid to walk a less-traveled path.”</p>