Athadu (2005) on Netflix
NR20052h 52mActionCrimeDramaMysteryThriller
Nandu, a hitman, is hired to stage a failed attempt on politician Siva Reddy's life. When the leader is shot dead instead, Nandu is framed and takes a dead stranger's identity.
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- Netflix4.1/5
- IMDb8.2/1016,588 votes
- Rotten TomatoesNot available
Trailer
Plot summary
Raised by a gangster and trained as a hitman, Nandu works with his partner Malli. Opposition leader Siva Reddy and his deputy Baaji Reddy hire the pair for a staged attack on Siva Reddy himself, planned to draw sympathy votes before an election. A sniper shoots Siva Reddy dead first, and Nandu escapes the police by boarding a moving train. There he meets Pardhu, a young man headed back to his village of Basarlapudi after two decades away. Police search the carriage, and Pardhu is shot dead. Nandu travels on to Basarlapudi, where Pardhu's family takes him for their long-lost relative. CBI officer Anjaneya Prasad takes up the murder case.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Athadu (2005)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Murali Mohan wanted his friend and former Telugu actor Sobhan Babu to play Satya Narayana Murthy, a role that would have marked Sobhan Babu's comeback. He sent a blank cheque to Sobhan Babu's residence in Chennai as payment, but the actor politely refused the role.
- Trivikram Srinivas first wanted to make Athadu with Pawan Kalyan and narrated the script to him, but Pawan Kalyan showed little interest in signing and even slept during the narration.
- For Athadu's shoot, 160 digital still cameras were imported from London to shoot freeze-frames in the action sequences, and no more than ten shots were filmed a day. Four or five complicated action sequences were supervised by Peter Hein, and principal photography ended after two years.
- Athadu became a television staple: it is the only Telugu film to have aired over a thousand times on television.
- After seven years, Star Maa renewed its contract for Athadu by paying ₹3.5 crores, a record price for a 2005 Telugu film.
- Athadu opened simultaneously on three screens in Chennai, making it the first Telugu film to be released that way.
