Zombie Reddy

Zombie Reddy
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Prasanth Varma
Screenplay by	Scriptsville (dialogues)
Story by	Prasanth Varma
Produced by	Raj Sekhar Varma
Starring	Sajja Teja Anandhi Daksha Nagarkar
Cinematography	Anith
Edited by	Sai Babu
Music by	Mark K. Robin
Production company	Apple Trees Studios
Distributed by	Geetha Arts Siily Monks
Release date	February 5, 2021 (2021-02-05)[1]
Running time	125 minutes
Country	India
Language	Telugu
Budget	₹4 crore[2]
Box office	est. ₹10.33 crore[2]

Zombie Reddy is a 2021 Indian Telugu-language zombie comedy film directed by Prasanth Varma, starring Sajja Teja, Anandhi, and Daksha Nagarkar. Produced by Apple Trees Studios, the film is marketed as the first zombie film in Telugu cinema.^[3] Set in the district of Kurnool, the film is partially based on COVID-19 pandemic.^[4] The film was released on 5 February 2021.^[5][6]

Plot[]

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In a televised broadcast, Prime Minister Narendra Modi announces that a lockdown will be implemented to prevent the deadly coronavirus which has spread to India. A man with a knife follows an old man back to his home. Upon reaching the old man's home, the man is attacked and knocked unconscious. He wakes up on an operating table in a hidden lab. A masked figure injects him with a serum. The serum turns the man into a zombie.

Marripalem Obul Reddy alias "Mario" wakes up to a text from his friend Bhadram that the lockdown has finally been lifted. A joyful Mario goes to breakfast with his family consisting of his mother, his father, Pratap Reddy, and his sister Preeti. Pratap berates his son for being a gamer and tells him to get a real job. Mario corrects his father, telling him that he is a game designer. Mario's game becomes famous overnight with over a million downloads. Mario meets up with his friends, Bhadram and Maggie, who helped him design the game. As they read the reviews, they realize that a bug in the game causes the game to crash at higher levels. Mario calls his friend, Kalyan, who is also the programmer. Kalayan tells them that he is getting married and asks them to bring the code to the wedding. He invites them to the district of Kurnool and tells them to come to Bhooma Reddy's house.

Bhooma Reddy is revealed to be a don who rules the village. He tells his men, Kasi Reddy and Masi Reddy, to hide all weapons until Kalyan is married off to his daughter, Pushkala. Bhooma Reddy is interrupted by the arrival of Nandini Reddy, the daughter of Bukka Reddy, one of Bhooma Reddy's friends who gave his life for Bhoom Reddy. Bhooma Reddy welcomes Nandini as his daughter.

Mario, Bhadram, and Maggie drive to Kurnool. On the way, they hit a man on the road. When Bhadram goes to check on him, the man wakes and bites him. An old man injects the man with a substance and takes him away, claiming that the man is an escaped mental patient. The trio continues on their way and asks for directions to Bhooma Reddy's house. They are given directions by Aagam Reddy, who takes them to Veera Reddy's house instead. Veera Reddy is another don who has a deep-standing enmity with Bhooma Reddy. Veera Reddy commands Aagam Reddy and his men to attack Mario, Bhadram and Maggie. Mario manages to fight them off, and the three of them escape. They make their way to Bhooma Reddy's house, where they are greeted by Kalyan and Nandini. When they attempt to warn Mario about Veera Reddy, Nandini lies and says that Veera Reddy was playing a prank on them. This allays everyone's fears, but Mario still remains suspicious.

While visiting the temple, the temple priest tells the story of the temple's history. While at the temple, Mario overhears many of the villagers discussing the fate of Kalyan and how he will be sacrificied like a sacrificial goat by Veera Reddy. Mario attempts to warn Kalyan again, but Kalyan doesn't believe him.

Meanwhile, Bhadram's condition begins to worsen as he transforms into a zombie. He bites a household maid, who in turn bites a laborer, spreading the zombie virus, even further. Mario observes Nandini talking with a man. He observes Nandini carrying a knife. In an effort to get proof, Mario begins to film Nandini and follows her. Mario follows her into a room and accidentally records her about to change. Nandini cries out and tells everyone that Mario tried to film her changing. Kalyan saves Mario from an enraged Bhooma Reddy, by asking for forgiveness. Bhooma Reddy lets Mario go, but warns him not to misbehave. Kalyan becomes upset with Mario and accuses him of sabotaging his wedding on purpose. He gives Mario the code to fix the program and reveals that he had already fixed the code but held onto it because he thought that Mario would leave after getting the code. He tells Mario to leave. The next day Mario asks for forgiveness, and the two make up. Mario puts sleeping pills in Kalyan's drink so that he will be able to kidnap him and save Kalyan from Bhooma Reddy.

At the wedding, Mario confronts Nandini and tells her that he is onto her plan and that he is going to save Kalyan from the wedding. Nandini reveals that she switched his and Kalyan's drinks. The sleeping pills knock Mario unconscious, and Nandini has him stashed away in a storeroom. Meanwhile, the virus has spread to Pushkala, the bride, but the wedding goes off successfully. During the wedding night, a zombie Pushkala attempts to bite Kalyan, but he misinterprets it as playfulness. Pushkla accidentally pushes Kalyan out of the window. Meanwhile, the virus has spread to the village. Bhooma Reddy and his men go to the village to investigate the reports of people behaving strangely. Mario wakes from his stupor and witnesses Veera Reddy's men kidnapping Kalyan. Mario goes to find Nandini. The two begin to argue until they both witness a zombie attack on one of Bhooma Reddy's workers. The two of them realize that the entire household has succumbed and become zombies. They lock themselves in the house along with Maggie and Kasi Reddy, one of Bhooma Reddy's men. In order to escape, they put makeup on themselves so that they resemble zombies. Mario also realizes that the zombies have an advanced sense of smell, so he pours kerosene on himself. The zombies surrounding the house are distracted by Masi Reddy, one of Bhooma Reddy's men who is drunk. While they are distracted, Mario gets to the car and escapes along with Maggie, Nandini, Kasi Reddy and Masi Reddy.

Mario drives them to Veera Reddy's house, saying that he will not abandon Kalyan. When they reach Veera Reddy's house, Maggie and Masi Reddy stay in the car, while Mario, Kasi Reddy, and Nandini go look for Kalyan. Mario and Kasi Reddy go one way, while Nandini goes the other. Mario and Kasi Reddy come upon Konda Reddy, Veera Reddy's lame father, who is bedridden. To avoid capture, Mario and Kasi Reddy take Konda Reddy and hide in the wardrobe. While Veera Reddy and his men search for Konda Reddy, Mario and Kasi Reddy find Kalyan being held prisoner by Aagam Reddy. They tie Aagam Reddy up and free Kalyan. As they are about to leave, they find a woman bound and gagged. When they free her, she reveals herself as the real Nandini Reddy and that she was captured by Veera Reddy on her way to the wedding. The woman who has been as masquerading as Nandini this entire time is revealed to be Sailaja Reddy, Veera Reddy's daughter, who was sent as a spy to Bhooma Reddy's house. Veera Reddy reveals that it was all part of his plan to enact a twenty-five year old vengeance. Twenty-five years ago, Bhooma Reddy's younger brother was engaged to Veera Reddy's sister, Talambari. Bhooma Reddy's brother eloped and left Talambari at the altar. Talambari went mad as a result, her mind forever stuck in that moment. Veera Reddy plans to get his vengeance by killing Kalyan and making Bhooma Reddy's daughter, a widow. Mario intervenes and says that Veera Reddy should be taking revenge not on Kalyan, but on Bhooma Reddy's brother, who eloped. A portrait reveals that Bhooma Reddy's younger brother is none other than Pratap Reddy, Mario's father. Mario pretends to take Talambari hostage and escapes with Kalyan, Maggie, and Masi Reddy, but not before pushing Talambari into Veera Reddy.

Veera Reddy, along with Sailaja and his men, pursue Mario into the village. The village erupts into chaos as zombies begin attacking the villagers. Veera Reddy's men are bitten by Konda Reddy, who has turned into a zombie. During the scuffle, a mob of zombies swarm and attack Veera Reddy. Filled with grief, Nandini joins forces with Mario, Maggie, and Kasi Reddy and begins fighting the zombies. They discover that the only way to kill the zombies is by damaging their brains. The zombies chase Kasi Reddy up a palm tree. A horde of zombies led by a zombified Bhadram attack Maggie. Maggie can't bring herself to shoot her friend and is bitten by Bhadram as a result. Mario, Sailaja, and Kalyan flee once again.

Mario recalls the man who bit Bhadram in the woods must have been a zombie. He also recalls the old man who injected the zombie. Following a path in the woods, they find the old man's house. Inside is the original zombie, trapped in a glass cage along with the hidden lab. They are confronted by the old man. Mario demands to know who he is. The old man reveals that he was once a world famous virologist, but the government banned him, citing his practices as unethical and inhumane. Desperate to recover his former reputation, the old man began developing a cure for the coronavirus and began testing it on humans directly. The zombie virus came from a failed vaccine. The old man claims that he has found a cure for both viruses and gives Mario a video camera. Before he can tell them about the cure, the caged zombie breaks free and begins attacking the old man. The trio escape and are picked up by Bhooma Reddy, who reveals that the villages have been completely overrun. Mario goes over the footage in the video camera. The recording stops when the old man says that he has found the cure. Mario sees a symbol carved onto the wall in the background. They determine if they find the symbol, they will find the cure.

They make their way to the temple. On the way, they are attacked by zombies and Sailaja is scratched by a zombie. She asks Mario to leave her behind, but Mario takes her into the temple and bars the doors. While searching for the symbol, they come upon Veera Reddy, who is revealed to be alive. When a joyful Sailaja runs to her father, an angry Bhooma Reddy confronts Veera Reddy for plotting against him. Veera Reddy accuses him of the same, saying that he secretly brought his brother's son to the wedding. A shocked Bhooma Reddy asks Mario if he is Pratap Reddy's son. When Mario says yes, Bhooma Reddy says that Pratap disgraced him and the family by leaving a girl at the altar. Mario admits what his father did was wrong but also confronted Bhooma Reddy about getting his daughter married to Kalyan without informing him about Veera Reddy. A zombie attacks Veera Reddy and is killed off by Bhooma Reddy. Veera Reddy, in awe of Bhooma Reddy, saving his life, decides to make amends. The zombies surrounding the temple begin attacking the temple doors. Bhooma Reddy and Veera Reddy decide to hold them off, while the others continue looking for the symbol.

A herd of zombies surrounds and traps Kalyan in a booth. Meanwhile, Sailaja turns into a zombie and attacks Mario. Mario pushes Sailaja, and as Sailaja falls at the base of the Shiva lingam, the water from the spring falls into her mouth. An amazed Mario watches as the water begins to heal Sailaja, and she reverts to her normal self. Mario looks at the wall and sees the symbol, and realizes that the water from the spring must be the cure. Mario blows a conch, summoning all the zombies in the nearby countryside to the temple. As they zombies chase him, Mario jumps into the spring-fed pond. As the zombies follow him into the water, they begin to get cured.

In the aftermath, Mario is hailed as a hero for stopping the virus. A proud Pratap joins Bhooma Reddy and Veera Reddy, now that both families have made amends. Kasi Reddy plays cards with Aagam Reddy. Sailaja offers Mario a sweet, along with her phone number. A cured Talambari offers the same to Pratap. It's revealed that Mario's mother was the house maid who eloped with Pratap Reddy twenty-five years ago. As both families joyfully celebrate, a zombified Konda Reddy enters the room. Veera Reddy tells them as the zombie virus allowed his father the ability to walk, that he kept him as a zombie for the time being.

Mario drives off with a cured Maggie and Bhadram as they celebrate the takeoff of Mario's game. Mario christens the game "Zombie Reddy". Then it hints towards a sequel titled "Zombie Reddy - Level 2 Revenge of the dead".

Cast[]

Production[]

The film was officially announced on 8 August 2020 by releasing a motion poster of the film.^[7][8][9] The film is Prasanth's third film after Awe and Kalki.^[10] The music is composed by Mark K. Robin who is known for his works in 2019 film Agent Sai Srinivasa Athreya.^[11] The film is Sajja Teja's debut film as a lead actor.^[12][13]

Soundtrack[]

Zombie Reddy
Soundtrack album by Mark K. Robin
Released	February 5, 2021 (2021-02-05) (Jukebox)
Recorded	2020-2021
Genre	Feature film soundtrack
Length	15:48
Language	Telugu
Label	Aditya Music
Producer	Mark K. Robin
External audio Audio Jukebox on YouTube

All music is composed by Mark K. Robin.

IndiaGlitz stated about "GO Corona" single that "This song is 2020 in a nutshell. The rap draws material from some of the most popular memes of the year when the pandemic played havoc. The very title of the song is drawn from a notoriously funny slogan that a political leader gave. And there is a smattering of meme-worthy stuff like 'Aipayee', which was triggered by a spiritual sermon. Modi's call for lighting diyas and clapping for COVID warriors also gets a comical interpretation. The rap is enjoyable, while the singers immerse do their job well. Sri Krishna, Anudeep Dev, PVNS Rohit, and Hymath are the chorus singers. The female ones are Harika Narayan, Sahithi Chagunti, and Sony Komanduri."^[14]

Release and home media[]

The theatrical trailer of the film was released on 2 Jan 2021, and Zombie reddy was released on 5 Feb 2021.^[1] The film collected a gross of ₹2.26 crore (US$320,000) on its first day of release.^[15] The digital rights of the film were acquired by aha. The satellite rights of the film were purchased by Star Maa, and premiered on 28 March 2021, and registered an average TRP rating of 9.72.

Reception[]

Critical response[]

Sangeetha Devi Dundoo of The Hindu wrote that "In one stroke, director Prasanth Varma juxtaposes different worlds — a pandemic looming large, zombies, Rayalaseema faction rivalry — to hilarious effect. Zombie Reddy is a satirical potpourri replete with pop culture references at every turn. It builds up rather slowly but rises to a crescendo of madness, offering laughter and scope for a franchise. The film unfolds like a game and also turns to the higher powers of faith when things spiral out of control. 'Mrutyunjay' potion could well be a metaphor for the much-needed vaccine during the pandemic."^[16]

Neeshita Nyayapati of The Times of India stated "Zombie Reddy does have its moments, and all the cast, including Teja, Anandhi and Daksha, seem to have fun with what they're offered. This is not a bad film by any means, if only Prasanth had not gone down the predictable route, it would've been something more."^[17] Hemanth Kumar from Firstpost gave 3 out of 5 stars and stated "Zombie Reddy is the first zombie film in Telugu cinema and to its credit, it does a fairly good job in simplifying the storytelling to the bare essentials. The plot itself banks on a tried-and-tested formula, but with zombies at the centre of the story, you can't help but grin at the fun twist to the factionalism-based movies. The sight of hundreds of zombies chasing humans somewhere in Andhra Pradesh doesn't seem too far-fetched on screen. This, perhaps, is the sign of the fear that a mysterious virus can wreak havoc anywhere anytime, and zombies are a manifestation of our collective fear. That's what makes Zombie Reddy click."^[18] A review from The Hans India rated the film 3 stars of 5 and wrote: "Zombie Reddy makes a decent attempt to entertain the audiences."^[19]

Box office[]

The film collected a gross of ₹2.26 crore (US$320,000) on its first day of release.^[15]

References[]

External links[]

• Zombie Reddy at IMDb