Magadheera

Magadheera is a 2009 Indian Telugu-language fantasy action film, written by K. V. Vijayendra Prasad and directed by S. S. Rajamouli. The film stars Ram Charan and Kajal Aggarwal, with Dev Gill and Srihari in supporting roles, and was produced by Allu Aravind of Geetha Arts. The reincarnation-themed plot revolves around four people: a valiant warrior in charge of the princess' safety, the princess who is in love with him, the commander-in-chief of the army who lusts after the princess, and an emperor who wants to conquer their kingdom. They all die before their wishes are fulfilled and the plot jumps forward 400 years, at which point the reincarnation of the warrior starts having flashbacks upon a chance encounter.

Made on a budget of ₹35 crore,production began on 2 March 2008 while principal photography commenced on 19 March 2008. The cinematography was done by K. K. Senthil Kumar, and was edited by Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao. Production design was done by R. Ravinder, while the action sequences were choreographed by Peter Hein and the duo of Ram—Lakshman. The visual effects were designed by R. C. Kamalakannan, with assistance from Adel Adili and Pete Draper. It is the first Telugu film to list a "visual effects producer" in its credits. The soundtrack was composed by M. M. Keeravani, who collaborated with Kalyani Malik to score the background music.

Magadheera was released on 31 July 2009 to critical acclaim, and collected a distributor's share of ₹73 crore. Its 1000-day theatrical run surpassed Chandramukhi (2005) as the longest-running South Indian film The film won the National Award for Best Choreography and Best Special Effects at the 57th National Film Awards as well as winning six Filmfare Awards, nine Nandi Awards and ten CineMAA Awards. The film's success catapulted the lead actors into stardom. In 2014, it was remade in Bengali as Yoddha: The Warrior.

Plot

Harsha, a street-bike racer, is travelling via taxi with his friend to the airport. He spots the blurry outline of a woman trying to flag the auto down and gestures to her that it is already occupied. As he does, their fingers accidentally touch, and Harsha feels an electric current passing through him, which triggers a few fleeting images. After recovering from the shock, he flees the auto in search of the girl and inquires about her to a woman named Indira "Indu", unaware that Indu is the same woman. Indu, thinking he is stalking her, misdirects him by convincing him that the girl is her neighbour. She and her friends exploit Harsha, having him take them to places and promising that the girl will show. After Harsha beats up a group of men who were verbally harassing Indu, she starts to fall in love with him.

Meanwhile, Indu's distant cousin Raghuveer lusts after her seeing her shape. He manipulates Indu and her father into trusting him. However, when he attempts to touch a sleeping Indu, he sees visions of a warrior slitting his throat. Raghuveer consults a tantrik, Ghora, who reveals that in a prior life, Raghuveer was a prince who lusted after Indu, and was killed by her lover, a warrior. Raghuveer is determined to find the reincarnation of the warrior and kill him. Meanwhile, Harsha discovers how Indu and her friends have been defrauding him, and after he pranks her in retaliation, they start to fall in love. Raghuveer discovers that Harsha is the reincarnation of the warrior, murders Indu's father, and frames Harsha. As Raghuveer and Indu leave in a helicopter, Harsha fails to catch them; falling into a lake, he faces a near-death experience and gets a full vision of his past-life in 1609.

In 1609, Emperor Sher Khan is preparing to invade the kingdom of Udaigarh when he hears of the brave warrior Kala Bhairava (Harsha). King Vikram Singh's daughter, Princess Mithravindha Devi (Indu), loves Bhairava, but he holds himself back even though he reciprocates the same. Ranadev Billa (Raghuveer), the king's nephew and Mithra's cousin, lusts Mithra and plans a competition between himself and Bhairava; the winner will marry her and the loser will be banished from Udaigarh. Bhairava's victory leads to Ranadev's banishment. Vikram Singh, however, secretly requests that Bhairava not marry his daughter, because Bhairava has a high chance of dying in the ensuing battle with Khan's forces, and he does not wish to see Mithra widowed. Though shocked, Bhairava concedes to the king's request and publicly declines to marry Mithra, leaving her distraught.

Bhairava takes Mithra, his soldiers, and his caretakers to the Bhairavakona temple atop a cliff to seek blessings from Lord Shiva before the attack. Mithra demands that Bhairava admit his love for her. When he does not respond, she upsets the sacred items they have brought for the puja and, using her blood, paints an image of Bhairava on a rock picturing him leaving his true love to do his duty. An injured soldier arrives to tell Bhairava that Ranadev has aided Khan's army, who have killed Vikram Singh and are now rushing toward them. They arrive, and Khan challenges Bhairava to kill at least 100 of his soldiers. Bhairava completes the challenge but is severely injured in the battle. Khan, impressed by Bhairava's bravery, has a change of heart and accepts him as his friend. However, Ranadev, invoking Khan's promise to aid him in victory, continues attacking, eventually wounding Mithra before being killed by Bhairava. A dying Mithra asks Bhairava to confess his love, but before he can respond, she dies and falls off the cliff. Distraught, he jumps off as well, following her to meet the same fate.

In the present, Harsha is rescued by a fisherman named Solomon (the reincarnation of Sher Khan) and, with Solomon's help, visits Udaigarh. He reaches Raghuveer's palace and overhears Ghora telling Raghuveer that if Indu's past-life memories are not revived within the day they never can be, and she will be with Raghuveer forever. Harsha kidnaps Indu, with Solomon aiding him and takes her to Bhairavakona, and in the process, Raghuveer accidentally kills Ghora. Raghuveer arrives by helicopter and asks Indu to come with him; however Indu sees Mithra's painting, and her past-life memories are revived. She reunites with Harsha and asks him to forgive her. An angered Raghuveer attacks Harsha who fights him, and with the help of Solomon, manages to kill him and the couple reunites.