Gandeevadhari Arjuna (transl. Gandiva-wielder Arjuna) is a 2023 Indian Telugu-language action thriller film directed by Praveen Sattaru. The film stars Varun Tej, Sakshi Vaidya and Vinay Rai, while Narain, Nassar, Vimala Raman, Manish Chaudhari, Ravi Varma, and Roshni Prakash play supporting roles.
| Gandeevadhari Arjuna | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Praveen Sattaru |
| Written by | Praveen Sattaru Abhijeeth Poondla |
| Produced by | B. V. S. N. Prasad |
| Starring | Varun Tej Sakshi Vaidya Vinay Rai |
| Cinematography | Mukesh Gnanesh Amol Rathod |
| Edited by | Dharmendra Kakarala |
| Music by | Mickey J. Meyer |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Goldmines Telefilms |
Release date |
|
Running time | 136 minutes[1] |
| Country | India |
| Language | Telugu |
| Budget | ₹46 crore[2] |
| Box office | ₹3.02 crore[3] |
Gandeevadhari Arjuna was released worldwide on 25 August 2023 to mixed-to-positive reviews from critics but it became a box office bomb.[4][5]
Plot
editArjun Varma, an ex-RAW operative, is in the UK for his mother's treatment and is assigned to protect the Indian MoEFCC Adityaraj Bahaddur, who became the prime target of Ranveer. During a chase, Shruti a student gets killed by Ranveer's aides which prompts Arjun to retaliate. It is then revealed that Ranveer is Bahaddur's ex-son-in-law and the CEO of Clean & Green (C&G), a waste management firm and one of the frontrunners to become the UN-assigned watchdog from India for garbage management purposes. Bahaddur had learnt from Shruthi about C&G's crimes in the name of garbage management, and they killed her. To not get exposed and continue with his illegal operations Ranveer wants finish Bahaddur during the UN meet. Arjun learns that his mother was the victim of C&G's crimes, which makes him to expose Ranveer. A cat-and-mouse game ensues in which Arjun manages to rescue Bahaddur's granddaughter Riya, who was kidnapped by Ranveer. Ranveer gets killed by the Interpol officers and Bahaddur's exposes C&G's and Ranveer's crimes, which leads to protest against the government to impose strict garbage laws.
Cast
edit- Varun Tej as Arjun Varma, Ex-RAW operative
- Sakshi Vaidya as Ira, Civil Servant and Adityaraj's Personal Secretary
- Vinay Rai as Ranveer, Chairman of C&G and Adityaraj's ex-son-in-law
- Narain as Ajit Chandra, Interpol Officer
- Nassar as Adityaraj Bahadur, Minister of Environment and Climate Change
- Vimala Raman as Dr. Priya Bahadur, Adityaraj's daughter and Ranveer's ex-wife
- Manish Chaudhari as Vijay Dheeraj, Adityaraj's bodyguard and Arjun's Superior
- Ravi Varma as Devender Singh "Dev", Ranveer's assistant
- Roshni Prakash as Sruthi, Southampton University student
- Abhinav Gomatam as Dinesh, Arjun's friend
- Matthew C. Applegate as The Priest
- Vinay Nallakadi as Venkat
- Kalpalatha Garlapati as Radhika Varma, Arjun's mother
- Malhottra Shivam as Venkat, Ajit's assistant
- Baby Veda Agrawal as Riya, Priya and Ranveer's daughter
Soundtrack
editMickey J Meyer composed the soundtrack and musical score for the film. The first single "Nee Jathai" was released on 1 August 2023.[6]
All lyrics are written by Rehaman
| No. | Title | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Nee Jathai" | Elvya, Nakul Abhyankar | 3:54 |
| 2. | "Gandeevadhari" | Harika Narayan | 3:01 |
| Total length: | 6:55 | ||
Release and reception
editThe film was released on 25 August 2023.[7] A critic from The Hindu wrote that "Watching Gandeevadhari Arjuna is like being privy to a polished mission that never soars. It is a well-intended thriller drama that could have benefited from smarter writing".[8] A critic from The Indian Express rated with 2/5 stars and wrote that "Gandeevadhari Arjuna is a technically competent, soulless action movie. It may be a good watch for action fanatics only".[9] Neeshita Nyayapati of The Times of India gave the film 2/5 stars, calling the story predictable and unexciting, while complimenting the cinematography.[10] The review from 123Telugu.com also gave a mixed review, criticizing the writing and directing, but felt Tej was a "perfect fit" for his role and felt the visual effects were "impressive", giving 2.5 stars out of five.[11] The movie began streaming on Netflix on 24 September 2023.[12]
Controversy
editIn a scene of the film, Nassar, who plays Adityaraj Bahaddur in the film, emotionally explains how exposure to toxic waste affects children. The film includes an unauthorized portion of a documentary on Evan Fasciano, a child with harlequin-type ichthyosis, which causes extremely dry skin to form plates with deep cracks. Prompted by a petition from the Foundation for Ichthyosis & Related Skin Types, B. V. S. N. Prasad apologizes for depicting children with ichthyosis as products of toxic waste exposure when the condition is typically hereditary.[13] Rather than accepting the petition's demand to have the film removed from Netflix's streaming catalog, the film was edited to remove the images of ichthyosis patients.[14]
References
edit- ^ "Crisp runtime locked for Gandeevadhari Arjuna". 123Telugu. 20 August 2023.
- ^ "Makers opens up on the budget spent on 'Gandeevadhari Arjuna'". The Hans India. 21 August 2023. Archived from the original on 29 August 2023. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
- ^ "Varun Tej : మూడు రోజులకే క్లోజైన గాండీవధారి అర్జున.. బడ్జెట్ ఎంత.. వచ్చింది ఎంత." News 18 Telugu. Archived from the original on 28 August 2023. Retrieved 28 August 2023.
- ^ "Gandeevadhari Arjuna Review: 'గాండీవధారి అర్జున' మూవీ రివ్యూ". Sakshi (in Telugu). 25 August 2023. Archived from the original on 25 August 2023. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
- ^ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 16 January 2024. Retrieved 16 January 2024.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Gandeevadhari Arjuna: Varun Tej and Sakshi Vaidya sizzle in the soulful track 'Nee Jathai'". The Times of India. 1 August 2023. Archived from the original on 29 August 2023. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
- ^ "Varun Tej's Gandeevadhari Arjuna To Hit Cinemas On This Date". News18. 18 August 2023. Archived from the original on 20 August 2023. Retrieved 20 August 2023.
- ^ Dundoo, Sangeetha Devi (25 August 2023). "'Gandeevadhari Arjuna' movie review: Slick and well intended, albeit tepidly". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 25 August 2023.
- ^ Bandi, Raghu (25 August 2023). "Gandeevadhari Arjuna review: Varun Tej, Praveen Sattaru film misses the target". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 29 August 2023. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
- ^ Nyayapati, Neeshitha (25 August 2023). "Gandeevadhari Arjuna Movie Review : The scraps of this action drama don't make for a coherent watch". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 29 August 2023. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
- ^ "Review : Gandeevadhari Arjuna – Routine action drama". 25 August 2023. Archived from the original on 28 August 2023. Retrieved 25 August 2023.
- ^ "Gandeevadhari Arjuna OTT Release Date Confirmed". Deccan Chronicle. 21 September 2023. Archived from the original on 6 October 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
- ^ "An Open Letter to Netflix". Foundation for Ichthyosis & Related Skin Types. 2 October 2023. Archived from the original on 14 October 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2023.
- ^ Vargas, Theresa (14 October 2023). "Take Down That Movie, Kids With Rare Condition Urge Netflix". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 27 November 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2023.