Gautamiputra Satakarni (film)

Cast

Crew

Soundtrack

Music composed by Chirantan Bhatt. Music released on Lahari Music Company. The Audio launch was grandly held at Sri Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Municipal High School Grounds, Tirupati on 26 December 2016. Central Minister Venkaiah Naidu, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu attended the function as chief guests, along with 100's of industry stalwarts.

Production

The film was officially announced on 8 April 2016, on eve of Ugadi at Andhra Pradesh's proposed capital city Amaravati. The movie opening was held at Hyderabad on 22 April 2016, with eminent personalities like K. Chandrasekhar Rao, T. Harish Rao, Chiranjeevi, Venkatesh, K. Raghavendra Rao, Dasari Narayana Rao, Singeetam Srinivasa Rao, Boyapati Srinu, Sai Korrapati, Sriwass, and Akkineni Ramesh Prasad in attendance. The search for the female lead had been going on for long, as actresses like Anushka Shetty and Nayanthara were on the verge of signing. Finally, actress Shriya Saran was signed on as the lead heroine, after being successful in Telugu with various projects. Bollywood veteran actress Hema Malini is playing Balakrishna's character's mother, Gautami Balashri. Actually Devi Sri Prasad 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 Ilaiyaraaja, M. M. Keeravani are taken into consideration but finally Chirantan Bhatt is the music director. Neeta Lulla is designing costumes and jewellery for the film.

Nandamuri Balakrishna honoured Hema Malini with a saree as a surprise gift on the sets of the film on 4 September 2016, which is currently underway in Rajasthan. The film first look teaser released on 11 October 2016 at 10:15 a.m on the occasion of Vijayadashami and trailer launched on 16 December 2016 at Tirumala theatre in Karimnagar, Telangana.

Reception

Srivathsan Nadadhur of The Hindu 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 Telangana Today 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". 10TV editor Kathi Mahesh gives it 4/5 rating saying "You will know about the telugus history and how they contributed to the nation." IdleBrain Jeevi gives it 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." HMTV Film bureau chief prabhu was in all praise for the movie saying "Krish (director) gave a movie which would make the telugus proud and Balakrishna acted in it" and gives it a rating 4/5 but adds that instead of numbers this is a movie to be visited/reviewed in a different way. Suresh Kavirayani of Deccan Chronicle 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 in interestingly. The film is also memorable for its content and the excellent performance by Balayya. Kannada superstar Shiva Rajkumar 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 travelled path."