Paagal
| Paagal | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Naresh Kuppili |
| Produced by | Bekkem Venugopal |
| Starring |
|
| Cinematography | S Manikandan |
| Edited by | Garry BH |
| Music by | Score Leon James Songs Radhan |
Production companies |
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Release date |
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Running time | 138 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Telugu |
| Box office | ₹6 crore[2] (3 days) |
Paagal (transl. Demented) is a 2021 Indian Telugu-language romantic comedy film written and directed by debutante Naresh Kuppili and produced by Bekkem Venugopal under the banner of Lucky Media. The film stars Vishwak Sen, Nivetha Pethuraj, Simran Choudary and Megha Lekha.[3][4] The release was postponed multiple times due to the COVID-19 pandemic in India. The film was released on 14 August 2021.[5]
Plot[]
Prem is brought up to love and respect his mother as a child but one day his mother dies of cancer. Prem disturbed by his mother's demise decides to start finding a partner that he can give the same love and affection to. Not being able to find the right person he decides to move from Hyderabad to Vishakapatnam. In Vishakapatnam, he first meets Radha who was being taunted by a gang. Prem then fights the gang and wins her over but due to his addiction to watching TV series she decides to break up with him. He then moves on and impresses Sofie but he then finds out that she used him for his money. Later he attempts to get with another girl but she also breaks up with him leaving him to feel depressed.
6 months later, Prem decides to move back to Hyderabad and there he sees MLA Raja Reddy give a speech. He then decides to "love" Raja Reddy. Raja Reddy frustrated tries to get Prem killed but with no avail. Prem decides to commit suicide by jumping off of a building if Raja Reddy does not confess his love. Unexpectedly, when Raja Reddy shows up Prem shoots him with a gun giving him the reason that he tried to get his daughter Theera killed.
The story then flashes back to Vishakapatnam when Prem decides to commit suicide because the previous girl broke up with him. Theera seeing this says "I Love You" to stop Prem from jumping. Prem then goes on a hunt to find Theera which he eventually finds her. They both then start liking each other, however Theera decides to break up with Prem because she did not want to break off her engagement which would disappoint her father. She then explains that she has loved Prem since they were young and that if he decides to die then she will also. Prem then on the day of her marriage goes to see her and she tells him to leave as she does not want to be seen with him. However, her father, Raji Reddy, sees her and Prem together and decides to get her killed. Theera then gets hit with a car and seems to have died from the injuries. The movie then comes back to the present and Prem is shown to teach Raji Reddy a lesson and that Theera actually never died. They all reunite with Prem and Theera getting married.
Cast[]
- Vishwak Sen as Prem
- Nivetha Pethuraj as Theera (Voice dubbed by Chinmayi Sripada)
- Simran Choudhary as Sofie[6]
- Megha Lekha as Radha
- Murali Sharma as MLA Raja Reddy "Raji"
- Rahul Ramakrishna as Youth leader
- Mahesh Achanta as Mahesh
- Indraja Shankar as Baby
- Bhumika Chawla as Prem's mother
- Auto Ram Prasad
Production[]
Development and casting[]
Producer Bekkem Venugopal on 19 March 2020 announced the launch of their project titled Paagal with Vishwak Sen in the lead role and directed by debutant Naresh Kuppili.[7] The film's crew members also included music director Radhan, cinematographer Manikandan and editor Garry BH.[7] A pooja ceremony coinciding with a formal launch event was held on the same day,[8][9] however production was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in India. On her scenes in the film, Nivetha Pethuraj told that "Firstly I was not asked for on screen kiss for the film by the director. The script is so beautiful just the way it is."[10]
Filming[]
Principal photography commenced on 21 September 2020, post government permitted to resume film shootings adhering to the COVID-19 protocol.[11] Initially he did not want to resume shooting for the film along with the sequel for HIT: The First Case, with limited crew members as the scripts of both films demand a larger team. However, with a change of mind, he decided to go on with the shooting procedure with all necessary safety precautions.[12] Vishwak joined the film's shooting sets in November 2020.[13] With major portions being filmed in Hyderabad, the team headed to Pondicherry for a special song shoot at the end of November.[14] Shooting for the film was wrapped up in December 2020.[15] Sen completed his portions of dubbing in May 2021.[16]
Soundtrack[]
| Paagal | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Soundtrack album by Radhan and Leon James | |||||
| Released | 14 August 2021 (Jukebox) | ||||
| Genre | Feature film soundtrack | ||||
| Length | 31:43 | ||||
| Language | Telugu | ||||
| Label | Aditya Music | ||||
| Producer | Radhan Leon James | ||||
| Radhan and Leon James chronology | |||||
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| Singles from Paagal | |||||
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The film's soundtrack is composed by Radhan and released by Aditya Music label. The first single from the film – the titular track was released on 10 March 2021.[17] The song had lyrics written by Chandrabose and sung by Ram Miriyala.[18] The second single "Saradaga Kasepaina" sung by Karthik and Purnima, with lyrics written by Ananta Sriram was released on 31 March 2021.[19][20] The third single "Ee Single Chinnode" sung by Benny Dayal , with lyrics written by Krishna Kanth, was released on 2 June 2021.[21] Full video version of the first track "Paagal" was released on 8 August 2021.[22][23] The fourth single "Aagave Nuvvagave" was sung by Sid Sriram with the lyrics written by Krishna Kanthh was released on 11 August 2021. Another track "Kanapadava" was composed by Leon James and was sung by Anand Aravindakshan with the lyrics written by Prasanna Kumar Bezawada was released on 13 August 2021.[24] Soundtrack album was released on 14 August 2021.[25]
A critic of Asianet News Telugu felt that soundtrack and film score are the highlights of the film.[26] Another critic too opined the same and felt that film score composed by James, elevates the scenes.[27]
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Music | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Paagal" | Chandrabose | Radhan | Ram Miriyala, Mama Sing | 3:10 |
| 2. | "Saradaga Kasepaina" | Ananta Sriram | Radhan | Karthik, Purnima | 4:41 |
| 3. | "Ee Single Chinnode" | Krishna Kanth | Radhan | Benny Dayal | 4:01 |
| 4. | "Aagave Nuvvagave" | Krishna Kanth | Radhan | Sid Sriram | 6:02 |
| 5. | "Amma Amma Nee Vennela" | Ramajoggaya Sastry | Radhan | Sid Sriram, Veda, Vagdevi | 5:32 |
| 6. | "Enno Enneno Vinnam Gaani" | Anantha Sriram | Radhan | Anthony Daasan | 2:37 |
| 7. | "You Are My Love" | Simran | Radhan | Rahul Sipligunj | 2:54 |
| 8. | "Kanapadava (Male Version)" | Prasanna Kumar Bezawada | Leon James | Anand Aravindakshan | 1:21 |
| 9. | "Kanapadava (Female Version)" | Prasanna Kumar Bezawada | Leon James | Sameera Bharadwaj | 1:21 |
| Total length: | 31:43 | ||||
Release[]
Dil Raju announced co-producing and presenting the film under the banner Sri Venkateswara Creations on February 2021.[3] At the film's first look poster which released on 2 February 2021, the team announced a release date of 30 April 2021.[3] However, on 18 March 2021, a new release date of 1 May 2021 was announced.[28] The film was again postponed due to the second wave of the COVID-19 pandemic.[29]
Marketing[]
As a part of a promotional strategy, the filmmakers announced that the trailer of the film will be screened only in theatres and will not be released online,[30] despite the film's teaser which released online on 18 February 2021.[6] Furthermore, the team planned for a 15-day promotional tour across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana as a part of the marketing purposes.[30]
Home media[]
The film's digital rights were sold to Amazon Prime Video and will be premiered in September 2021.[31]
Reception[]
Critical reception[]
The film generally received mixed reviews.[32][33][34] Neeshita Nyayapati of The Times of India gave a rating of 2.5 out of 5, and stated that "Paagal is an over-drawn yet quirky love story with a flimsy storyline guiding you through it. And does have its redeemable qualities though."[35] Sangeetha Devi Dundoo of The Hindu called it "bizarre romcom drama" and felt that "The story idea of a man seeking mother’s love from his life partner is contrived; it’s time the on-screen lover boys get real and grow up."[36]
A reviewer from The Hans India rated the film 2.5 out of 5, and praised performances of the cast, Sen in particlular. They, however, criticized the slow-placed narration and screenplay, writing "Overall, 'Paagal' is an average film with the same old storyline blended with some decent comedy scenes.[37] A critic of Pinkvilla praised acting performances of Vishwak Sen and Murali Sharma and added that "The biggest flaw in 'Paagal' is that it has a very unevolved idea of love at its core."[38] Sakshi's Anji Shetty opined that acting performances of lead actors, music and cinematography are it's positives, while film's screenplay is its negative.[39] Eenadu criticized the film's screenplay and praised Vishwak's performance, film score and cinematography.[40]
In it's review, NTV stated – "‘Paagal’ has got a strong premise. But the narration is too misguided to save the story from seeming frivolous."[41] Deccan Chronicle called it "a half-baked romcom", adding that the film is "cheesy, unnatural, half-baked bag of borrowings".[42]
Mukesh Manjunath of Film Companion wrote, "Despite being a brave attempt by Vishwak Sen and Naresh Kuppili, Paagal is still only an attempt and half baked in many places." [43]
Box office[]
The film collected a gross of ₹3.15 crore and ₹2.50 crore on the first and second day of it's release.[44] In the same period, the film collected a distributor's share of ₹2.64 crore.[45]
References[]
- ^ https://www.eenadu.net/cinema/latestnews/%EF%BB%BFvishwaksen-paagal-is-ready-to-hit-the-screens-on-august-14th/0201/121161358
- ^ https://english.sakshi.com/news/tollywood/vishwak-sens-paagal-first-week-box-office-collections-141081
- ^ Jump up to: a b c "Paagal: First look of Vishwak Sen's upcoming film out". The Times of India. 2 February 2021. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
- ^ "Vishwak Sen Paagal Teaser : ఎవర్రా.. నా లవర్ని ఏడిపించింది.. ఆకట్టుకుంటోన్న విశ్వక్ సేన్ పాగల్ టీజర్." News18 (in Telugu). 18 February 2021. Retrieved 18 February 2021.
- ^ "Vishwak Sen's 'Paagal' gets theatrical release date for Telugu states". The News Minute. 8 August 2021. Retrieved 8 August 2021.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "Paagal teaser: Vishwak Sen promises a perfect family entertainer packed with romance, action". The Times of India. 18 February 2021.
- ^ Jump up to: a b "luckymedia on Instagram: ".@vishwaksens's New Movie #VS5 titled as #Paagal. The Movie launched grandly with a formal pooja today! Directed by #NareshKuppili…"". Instagram. Retrieved 1 April 2021.
- ^ @luckymediaoff (19 March 2020). "#VishwakSen's #VS5 #Paagal started today with formal pooja! Script Handovered