Takkari Donga (transl. The sly thief) is a 2002 Indian Telugu-language western film directed and produced by Jayanth C. Paranjee. The film starred Mahesh Babu, Lisa Ray, Bipasha Basu, and Rahul Dev in pivotal roles. Mostly shot in the United States, upon release, Takkari Donga received mixed reviews, and was a box office flop. It won five state Nandi Awards including Best Audiography, Best Cinematography, and Best Action.
| Takkari Donga | |
|---|---|
 Poster | |
| Directed by | Jayanth C. Paranjee |
| Written by | Satyanand (Story & dialogues) Jayanth C. Paranjee (Screenplay) |
| Produced by | Jayanth C. Paranjee |
| Starring | Mahesh Babu Lisa Ray Bipasha Basu |
| Cinematography | Jayanan Vincent |
| Edited by | Marthand K. Venkatesh |
| Music by | Mani Sharma |
Production company | Jayanth Fulcrum Cinergies |
Release date |
|
Running time | 146 minutes |
| Country | India |
| Language | Telugu |
Plot
editThe film starts with the slain bandit Shaka killing his own elder brother for information related to diamond valley, who is also known to rancher Veeru Dada. In the encounter, Veeru jumps off into a river from a cliff. After 18 years in Gajner, Rajasthan, we have Veeru with an amputated leg, giving info to Raja, a mischievous, and tough outlaw who loots banks in style. Raja gives Veeru a share of 50% for all his tip-offs. Raja becomes more daring as the price tag on his head increases by thousands. There is another mischievous thief, Panasa. She and her uncle follow Raja so she can dupe him and escape with all the looted money. As things go on a frolicking way between Panasa and Raja, Shaka is searching for Veeru. Veeru realizes Shaka will kill him soon.
Hence, Veeru offers a large diamond to Raja and asks him to take his daughter Bhuvana to his brother Dharma's place via a dangerous route. Enroute, there are some romantic encounters, and they fall in love. Raja sees a house that emotionally disturbs him. When Bhuvana asks about it he reveals that it is his childhood house and his father and sister were killed by an unknown masked person and he became a thief on the journey of finding him. When Bhuvana asks how will he identify the killer, he tells her there is a scar on the killer's hand by which he can identify him.
Later, when they go to Dharma's place, Dharma is killed. Raja goes to a nearby shop to arrange a funeral for Dharma. But it is Shaka who is disguised as the shop owner. When Shaka arrives he sees a map in Bhuvana's hand. He forcibly tries to take it and in excitement he said that for that map he killed his brother, Bhuvana's father, Dharma and that map is the way to diamond valley. Meanwhile, a fight ensues in which the map is burnt. Then Shaka ties Raja to a tree and forcibly takes Bhuvana as only she knows the route to that hidden diamond treasury.
Meanwhile, Raja releases himself and went to Shaka. A fight takes place. Later, Shaka reveals he knows who killed Raja's father and he will give details about him only when Raja helps him cross the dangerous terrain to reach diamond valley with hidden treasure. Raja agrees. With the help of Raja, Shaka finds the path to the hidden treasure. While Shaka is taking the diamonds, Raja notices the scar on Shaka's hand by which he realizes it is Shaka who killed his father and sister. Raja kills Shaka and reunites with Bhuvana.
Cast
edit- Mahesh Babu as Raja
- Lisa Ray as Bhuvana
- Bipasha Basu as Panasa
- Kolla Ashok Kumar as Veeru Dada
- Rahul Dev as Shaka
- Tanikella Bharani as Doobey (Panasa's uncle)
- Rajasimha as Bartender
- Krishna (special appearance)
- RK (special appearance)[1]
Production
editThe film was launched on 8 October 2000 at Ramanaidu Studios.[2] The film was predominantly shot in the Colorado Plateau including Monument Valley and Arches National Park.[3] The climax fight was shot at Chalakudy.[4]
Music
editThe soundtrack was composed by Mani Sharma and the lyrics were written by Bhuvana Chandra, Vennelakanti, Chandra Bose and Kula Sekhar.
- Theme - Instrumental
- "Nalugurikee" - Shankar Mahadevan, Lyrics by Chandrabose
- "Aleba Aleba" - K. K, Kalpana, Lyrics by Bhuvana Chandra
- "Hey Mama" - Tippu, Kalpana, Lyrics by Vennalakanti
- "Bagundammo" - SPB Charan, Usha, Lyrics by Kula Sekhar
- "Chukkallu Chandhrudee" - S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, Prasanna, Lyrics by Bhuvana Chandra
Reception
editA critic from Deccan Chronicle wrote that "A smooth, technically brilliant movie after a considerable time in Telugu, Takari Donga is entertaining and, in spite of its stereotypical pitfalls, is certainly a refreshing break from the deluge of routine love stories".[5] A critic from The Hindu said that "Though it is not new for the Telugu film makers to make cowboy films, this film scores in technical quality, with cinematographer Jayanan Vincent leading in his department. The visual is set against a kind of dusty hue throughout its run, reflecting the wild West".[6] A critic from The Times of India stated that "If you don't mind half a dozen songs slackening the pace of the film Takkari Donga is a complete entertainer".[7] Jeevi of Idlebrain.com wrote that "Takkari Donga is a sweet and sensible film".[8]
Release
editThe film was dubbed into Hindi as Choron Ka Chor by Goldmines Telefilms in 2014 and into Tamil as Vetri Veeran.[9]
Awards
edit- Best Audiographer - P. Madhusudhan Reddy [10]
- Special Jury Award - Mahesh Babu
- Best Fight Master - Vijayan
- Best Cinematographer - Jayanan Vincent
- Best Child Actor - Koushik Babu
References
edit- ^ Ganeshan, Balakrishna (1 August 2019). "A fight for survival: 'Hyderabad Nawabs 2' director speaks about Deccani industry". The New Minute. Archived from the original on 22 January 2022. Retrieved 22 January 2022.
- ^ "Mahesh Babu as cowboy". Idlebrain. 9 October 2000. Retrieved 26 October 2024.
- ^ "Happy Birthday Mahesh Babu: 5 underrated performances of the 'Greek God of Telugu Cinema'". The Times of India. 9 August 2020. Archived from the original on 11 June 2023. Retrieved 11 June 2023.
- ^ "Cowboy in climax shoot". Telugu Cinema. Archived from the original on 5 November 2001. Retrieved 22 November 2024.
- ^ Revalli, Usha. "Takkari Donga". Deccan Chronicle. Archived from the original on 27 March 2023. Retrieved 3 December 2022 – via Idlebrain.com.
- ^ Srihari, Gudipoodi. "Western entertainer". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 27 March 2023. Retrieved 3 December 2022 – via Idlebrain.com.
- ^ K., Sangeeta Devi. "Takkari Donga". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 27 March 2023. Retrieved 3 December 2022 – via Idlebrain.com.
- ^ jeevi (12 January 2002). "Movie review - Takkari Donga". Idlebrain.com. Archived from the original on 30 August 2023. Retrieved 30 August 2023.
- ^ "Reaping double benefits". The Hindu. 19 August 2003.[dead link]
- ^ "నంది అవార్డు విజేతల పరంపర (1964–2008)" [A series of Nandi Award Winners (1964–2008)] (PDF). Information & Public Relations of Andhra Pradesh. Archived (PDF) from the original on 23 February 2015. Retrieved 21 August 2020.(in Telugu)