Vikrant Rona - 2022

Introduction

Vikrant Rona is an Indian multilingual action-adventure film directed by Anup Bhandari and produced by Jack Manjunath and Shalini Manjunath under the banner of Shalini Artss and Kichcha Creations. The film stars Kichcha Sudeep in the lead role, with an ensemble cast including Neetha Ashok, Siddu Moolimani, and Jacqueline Fernandez. The film was released in 14 languages, including Kannada, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, and Hindi. It is the first Indian film to be shot entirely in 3D.

Vikrant Rona started generating a lot of buzz since its announcement, thanks to its high-concept teaser trailer released in January 2021. The trailer featured Sudeep in a never-before-seen avatar with stunning visuals. In addition, the film's title, "Vikrant Rona," piqued fans' interest, with speculations about the film's storyline and connection to Indian mythology. Although the film received mixed and negative reviews from critics upon its theatrical release in July 2022 and digital release on ZEE5 in September 2022, it became the third highest-grossing Kannada film at its release.

Table of Contents

• Details

• Story

• Release

• Reviews

• Cast

• Crew

• Character Analysis

• Songs

• Behind the scenes

• Controversy

• Box Office Collection

• Awards

• Interesting Facts

• Conclusion

Details

Story

PlayVikrant Rona is set in the village of Kamarottu in Karnataka. It follows Inspector Vikrant Rona as he investigates the mysterious beheading of a cop and the murder of children in the village. Vikrant discovers that the murders are linked to the theft of jewellery from the village's temple and the village's treatment of a family based on their caste. As Vikrant investigates, he discovers shocking truths about his past connection to the village and the family seeking revenge. The movie culminates in a final fight scene, where Vikrant aims to bring the killers to justice and prevent further bloodshed.

Release

The filmmakers initially planned to release Vikrant Rona on 19 August 2021 but postponed it due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Eventually, they released the movie in 3D on over 3000 screens worldwide on 28 July 2022. The film had a budget of INR 75 crore. Besides the original Kannada language, the filmmakers dubbed the movie into Tamil, Hindi, Telugu, and Malayalam languages and released it. Salman Khan Films and PVR Pictures acquired the distribution rights for the Hindi version, while Wayfarer Films purchased the Kerala distribution rights. Zee Studios acquired the Tamil Nadu distribution rights, and Cosmos Entertainment acquired the Andhra Pradesh and Telangana distribution rights. Zee Kannada and ZEE5 purchased the satellite and digital rights of the Kannada version, respectively.

Reviews

IMDb rating: 7.1

Rotten Tomatoes: 40%

Vikrant Rona received mixed reviews from critics. Some praised the film's potential, while others criticised its convoluted plot, weak screenplay, and lack of emotional depth. The film was marketed as an action-adventure fantasy movie, but some critics felt it didn't fit into any of those genres. However, they appreciated Sudeep's acting, set design, art direction, and cinematography.

Despite the mixed reviews, the film grossed over ₹150 crores in eight days. On the first day, the film grossed ₹35 crores. The film's worldwide gross was estimated to be around ₹95-120 crores by the end of the fourth day. The Hindi version grossed ₹5.96 crores in the first four days. The Telugu version also grossed ₹10 crores in six days.

Cast

Crew

• Director - Anup Bhandari

• Producers - Shalini Manjunath, Jack Manjunath, Alankar Pandian

• Cinematographer - William David

• Music - B Ajaneesh Loknath

• Singers - Sunidhi Chauhan, Nakash Aziz, Vijay Prakash, Anup Bhandari, B Ajaneesh Loknath, Harshika Devanath, Deepak Blue, Sanjith Hegde, Chinmayi, Karthik

• Lyricist - Anup Bhandari

• Production House - Kichcha Creatiions, Shalini Arts, Invenio Films India

• Composer - Anup Bhandari, B Ajaneesh Loknath

• Editor - Ashik Kusugolli

• Written By - Anup Bhandari, John Mahendran, Sanjay Upadhyay, Rajshri Sudhakar

Character Analysis

• Inspector Vikrant Rona is a brave police officer on a mission of justice and saving the world from destruction, willing to go to any extent to solve a case, even if it means putting his own life at risk. He is not easily deterred by obstacles or danger and is always ready to face challenges head-on. However, the character also has a vulnerable side, with emotional depth and personal struggles, which add to its complexity. Overall, Inspector Vikrant Rona is a mix of action and mystery and embodies courage and sensitivity.

• Janardhan Gambira is a traditionalist who values caste and religious beliefs, as evidenced by his negative reaction to Panna marrying someone from a different caste. In addition, he is god-fearing and upholds law and order since he banished his own son for stealing jewels from the temple.

• Lawrence Pinto, also known as Madhava, is a complex character, driven by his desire for revenge and haunted by his traumatic past. He comes from a lower caste and, along with his brother Raghava, experienced discrimination and bullying from the upper-caste kids at school. Pinto has a traumatic past where his family was brutally attacked, and his sister was accidentally killed. As a result, he becomes revengeful and acts ruthlessly to seek retribution against those responsible. Pinto is also resourceful, changing his identity multiple times to evade capture for his crimes.

Songs

Behind the Scenes

The making of the movie Vikrant Rona faced several challenges and obstructions. First, the movie's producer, Jack Manju, was hospitalised due to swelling and blood clots in his leg, causing production delays. The movie's lead actor, Kichcha Sudeep, also faced recurring health issues, leading to the cancellation of the Dubai premiere, which caused disappointment among the fans and the team. However, despite the struggles and obstructions, the team behind Vikrant Rona continued working hard to create a visually stunning movie.

Controversy

Vikrant Rona faced several controversies related to its portrayal of Dalit-Bahujans. Actor and activist Chetan Kumar criticised the movie's insensitivity towards the marginalised community. He made controversial comments and accused the film of stereotyping Dalit-Bahujans. Apart from that, the movie also faced controversy over its posters. The filmmakers faced legal action for allegedly copying the poster's design from another movie. Chetan Kumar also took issue with some scenes of the film, and he was not happy with the portrayal of the characters.

Box Office Collection

The box office collection of Vikrant Rona has been impressive. According to reports, the movie had a worldwide gross collection of around Rs. 200 crores within two weeks of its release. It made an opening of over 35 crores on its first day, and within five days of its release, it crossed the 100 crore mark.

Awards

Interesting Facts

• The movie is a fantasy action-adventure film shot in 3D, making it one of the first Indian movies to use this technology.

• The film was initially titled Phantom but later changed to Vikrant Rona.

• The movie's director, Anup Bhandari, had been working on the script for 20 years and was thrilled to finally bring it to the big screen.

• It took three years to make the movie, and it was filmed in Mahabaleshwar and Malshej Ghat, as well as Bengaluru, Ramoji Film City, and Kerala.

• Originally, the movie was supposed to be produced with a budget of INR 15 crore. However, due to the magnitude of the undertaking, the budget was increased to INR 75 crore.

Conclusion

Vikrant Rona generated a lot of buzz after its announcement and teaser trailer released in January 2021. Although the film received mixed and negative reviews from critics upon its theatrical release, it became the third highest-grossing Kannada film at the time of its release. The film's potential was appreciated, but some critics felt it had a convoluted plot, a weak screenplay, and lacked emotional depth. Despite that, the movie had a strong start, grossing over INR 150 crores in eight days, thanks to the amazing cast, set design, art direction, and cinematography.