Nani's Gang Leader
Nani's Gang Leader is a 2019 Indian Telugu-language action comedy film[1] produced by Naveen Yerneni, Y. Ravi Sankar and Mohan Cherukuri under banner of Mythri Movie Makers and directed by Vikram Kumar.[3] The film stars Nani with Lakshmi, Saranya Ponvannan, Priyanka Arul Mohan, Shriya Reddy, Praanya P. Rao, Kartikeya Gummakonda, Priyadarshi Pulikonda, and Vennela Kishore in pivotal roles.[4] The music is composed by Anirudh Ravichander. In this film, 5 women seek the help of a crime novelist to avenge the death of their loved ones.
Nani's Gang Leader | |
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![]() Theatrical release poster | |
Directed by | Vikram Kumar |
Produced by | Naveen Yerneni Y. Ravi Sankar Mohan Cherukuri |
Written by | Vikram Kumar |
Starring | Nani Priyanka Arul Mohan Kartikeya Gummakonda |
Music by | Anirudh Ravichander |
Cinematography | Miroslaw Kuba Brozek |
Edited by | Naveen Nooli |
Production company | |
Distributed by | Sarigama Cinemas (North America) |
Release date |
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Running time | 155 minutes[1] |
Country | India |
Language | Telugu |
Box office | est.₹20 crore[2] |
The film was released on 13 September 2019, after being pushed back from previously scheduled release date of 30 August 2019.[5] Despite a positive critical reception and a strong opening, the film was a commercial failure.[6]
Plot
Pencil Parthasarathy (Nani) is a small time crime novel writer who watches hit English language movies and rewrites their stories as local Telugu novels. Meanwhile a great robbery takes place in the city where ₹ 300 crores are stolen by 5 individuals. As soon as the robbery is finished, the 5 are found murdered and the money stolen.
5 bereaved women (1 aged woman, 1 middle aged woman, 1 young woman, 1 teen and a small child) who lost their loved ones (the 5 dead robbers) come together and try to find someone who would help them avenge their loved ones. They approach Pencil to help them figure out the culprit. Pencil, at first, refuses to help but sensing a good (and probably his first) original story, agrees to help them.
After a few hilarious twists and turns, the rag tag group finally narrows down on their main suspect: Dev (Kartikeya Gummakonda).
Dev is a small time ambulance driver turned F1 Racer. As an ambulance driver, Dev never lost a patient due to his skilled and prompt driving of patients to the hospitals. But in order to become a successful race car driver, he needed money. In order to get the money, he joined a group of cancer patients (the original five) who were planning on a robbery to set aside money for their loved ones (the 5 women). After the robbery, Dev killed the 5 men, stole the money, and became a successful race car driver. The rest of the movie revolves around how the Gang brings Dev to justice for revenge, with Pencil as their Gang Leader.
Cast
- Nani as Pencil Parthasarathy
- Priyanka Arul Mohan as Priya
- Lakshmi as Saraswathi
- Saranya Ponvannan as Varalakshmi
- Shriya Reddy as Swathi
- Praanya P. Rao as Srinidhi "Chinnu"
- Kartikeya Gummakonda as Dev
- Anish Kuruvilla as Inspector
- Vennela Kishore as Santoor Senakkayala
- Priyadarshi Pulikonda as Parthasarathy's friend/Book publisher
- Satya as Subramanyam, Dev's former colleague
- Vivek Kumar as RTO Officer
- Sukumar as himself (in a guest appearance)
- Anirudh Ravichander as himself ("Gang-u Leader" Promotional video)
Soundtrack
Gangleader | ||||
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Soundtrack album by | ||||
Released | 2019 | |||
Recorded | 2019 | |||
Studio | Albuquerque Records, Chennai | |||
Genre | Feature film soundtrack | |||
Language | Telugu | |||
Label | Sony Music | |||
Producer | Anirudh Ravichander | |||
Anirudh Ravichander chronology | ||||
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The soundtrack of the film is composed by Anirudh Ravichander and lyrics by Anantha Sriram and Inno Genga.
No. | Title | Lyrics | Singer(s) | Length |
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1. | "Ra Ra (Roar of the Revengers)" | Anantha Sriram | Prudhvi Chandra, BasherMax | 04:05 |
2. | "Hoyna Hoyna" | Anantha Sriram, Inno Genga | Inno Genga | 04:52 |
3. | "Ninnu Chuse Anandamlo" | Anantha Sriram | Sid Sriram | 05:33 |
4. | "Gang-u Leader (Promotional Song )" | Anantha Sriram | Anirudh Ravichander | 03:28 |
Marketing and release
The title was announced on 24 February 2019 on the occasion of Nani's birthday. The teaser of the film was released on 23 July 2019 by Mythri Movie Makers.[7][8]
The film was released on 13 September 2019, after being pushed back from previously scheduled release date of 30 August 2019 to avoid clash with Saaho.[5]
Reception
Critical reception
The Times of India gave 3 out of 5 stars stating "Nani's Gang Leader tries to tick all the boxes but comes across as a half-hearted attempt, They succeed — but only in parts".[9]
Behindwoods gave 3 out of 5 stars stating "Gang Leader is an inventive, wildly entertaining comedy with a great ensemble performance.".[10]
Great Andhra gave 2.5 out of 5 stars stating "Vikram Kumar’s flat narration has made it a dull affair. “Nani’s Gang Leader” is the weakest movie in Vikram's career so far".[11]
Indian Express gave 2.5 out of 5 stars stating "Gang Leader has its moments, thanks to Nani's effortless presence. He keeps the scenes lively and bright. It is not a bad film but that doesn't mean it is outstanding either".[12]
References
- "GANG LEADER". British Board of Film Classification.
- "Gang Leader box office day 7: Nani's film mints Rs. 40 crore worldwide in first week". Hindustan Times. 21 September 2019.
- "Nani's Gang Leader with Vikram K Kumar has THIS Chiranjeevi connection". Filmfare. 26 February 2019. Retrieved 13 July 2019.
- "Nani, Vikram Kumar team up for new film Gang Leader, watch video". The Hindustan Times. 25 February 2019.
- "Mythri Movie Makers". Mythri Movie Makers on Twitter. Retrieved 9 August 2019.
- https://www.telugucinema.com/gang-leader-turns-huge-flop
- Mythri Movie Makers (23 July 2019), "Nani's Gang Leader Teaser - Karthikeya - Vikram Kumar - Anirudh Ravichander - Mythri Movie Makers", YouTube, retrieved 19 August 2018
- "Meet 'Pencil', Nani's character in Gang Leader". The Hindu. 24 July 2019. Retrieved 25 May 2019.
- "Gang Leader Movie Review : Gang Leader shines in parts but is let down by a haphazard screenplay". TimesofIndia.
- "GANG LEADER MOVIE REVIEW". Behindwoods.
- "Nani's Gang Leader Review: Unsharpened Pencil". GreatAndhra.
- "Gang Leader movie review: A okayish film saved by Nani's performance". IndianExpress.