Daaku Maharaaj

Plot

1996: Krishnamurthy, a wealthy philanthropist, lives a peaceful life with his orphaned granddaughter, Vaishnavi, in Madanapalle, Chittoor district. Krishnamurthy reports illicit wildlife trade on his leased-out tea estate, administered by MLA Trimurthulu Naidu's younger brother, Manohar Naidu. Manohar escapes custody and the estate gets seized; Trimurthulu intimidates Krishnamurthy and his family to retreat, but he refuses to budge and enlists police protection. Govind Gujjar, a dacoit pretending to be a servant of Krishnamurthy, notifies their notorious leader Sitaram alias Daaku Maharaaj, who is imprisoned in a prison in Bhopal, of the family's hardship. Maharaaj flees from prison with the aid of his henchmen and joins the family as their new driver under the alias Nanaji to protect Vaishnavi and builds a good rapport with her. Maharaaj further threatens Manohar and compels him into surrendering to the police.

Inspector Stephen Raj, a feared encounter specialist, traces Maharaaj and takes him away without exposing him to the family. Meanwhile, Trimurthulu and Manohar are revealed to have been cultivating high-quality cocaine on the tea estate for Bablu Singh Thakur and his uncle, Prince Balwant Singh Thakur of the Thakur royal family. Bablu visits Krishnamurthy and puts him in the picture regarding the cocaine cultivation and asks him to withdraw his complaint so that he can export the yield and offers him a partnership; Krishnamurthy bluntly rejects it, prompting Bablu to launch an attack on his residence that night and simultaneously dispatch his men into the estate to harvest the crop. He also cuts Trimurthulu's throat after he questions Bablu's methods in speaking with Krishnamurthy about the lease. Though SI Janaki and Govind try to ward off the assassins from the family, the situation starts to get out of hand. Maharaaj's men hold the SP and his family at gunpoint, forcing him to free Maharaaj. Maharaaj comes to the family's rescue and resists Bablu's men in the estate and beheads Bablu, but is severely wounded and admitted to a hospital. Govind tells Krishnamurthy and his family about Maharaaj's past.

1992: Govind and the other dacoits are peasants from a water-scarce settlement called Bajrangpur in the Chambal division. Balwant Singh Thakur and his elder brothers use their royal power, exploit the villagers' misery and force them to work in their marble quarries under harsh conditions in exchange for a weekly water supply to their villages. The villagers approach IES officers Sitaram and his wife, Kaveri, for a solution; they figure out that a dam could be built to irrigate their fields, but the Thakur brothers' illegitimate mines pose a hindrance to the project. Sitaram and Kaveri approach Nandini, the DC, to propose the construction of the dam and shut off the mines. However, Nandini is revealed to be Balwant's wife and Balwant learns about Sitaram's proposition. He calls Sitaram to the Thakur palace and offers a bribe to Sitaram, but when the latter declines, he massacres the entire village, including the children, to teach him a lesson.

Production

Development

After the release of Chiranjeevi-starrer Waltair Veerayya (2023), its director Bobby Kolli was reported to be collaborating with Rajinikanth on a potential film, which would mark his Tamil cinema debut and be produced by Dil Raju's Sri Venkateswara Creations. However, Rajinikanth was not convinced by Bobby's script and chose not to sign the film. Bobby then narrated the same script to Nandamuri Balakrishna, who was interested in the script and agreed to be a part of the film.

Tentatively titled NBK109 because it was Balakrishna's 109th film as the lead actor, the film was produced by Suryadevara Naga Vamsi and Sai Soujanya under Sithara Entertainments, Srikara Studios and Fortune Four Cinemas, and was announced on Balakrishna's birthday (10 June 2023). A traditional pooja ceremony was held on the same day for the film's launch. The film's title Daaku Maharaaj was announced with a teaser trailer on 15 November 2024.

Casting

In November 2023, Bobby Deol was reported to play the film's antagonist, while his involvement was confirmed on 27 January 2024, coinciding with Deol's birthday. Although it was the second Telugu film he had signed after Hari Hara Veera Mallu: Part 1, this film was the first to be released, marking his Telugu cinema debut. Pragya Jaiswal was cast as the female lead. Kannada actor Rishi, who was known for acting in the television series Shaitan (2023), was also cast as the secondary antagonist.

Vishwak Sen was initially offered an important role in the film but turned it down because he wanted a substantial role. Similarly, Dulquer Salmaan also denied reports that he was a part of the cast. Prakash Raj was also rumoured to be in this film. Though Gautham Vasudev Menon was reported to play an important role, he did not sign the film. Besides Jaiswal, Shraddha Srinath and Urvashi Rautela were cast as the other female leads. Ravi Kishan, Shine Tom Chacko, Sachin Khedekar, Makarand Deshpande, Chandini Chowdary and Veda Agarwal were cast in supporting roles.

Filming

Principal photography began on 7 November 2023 with the film's first schedule at the Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad. In December, a brief schedule was planned to be held in Ooty for a few weeks, but due to the uncertain weather conditions, the team wrapped the shoot much earlier than planned. Rautela participated in filming in Hyderabad in January 2024. The schedule lasted four months and was completed by February 2024, resulting in 50 percent of the film's shooting being completed.

The second schedule began in late April 2024, with Deol joining the film's production. In July 2024, Rautela suffered a major injury while filming an action sequence, sustaining fractures. The team continued a major production schedule in Jaipur, and Deol wrapped his portions in August 2024. Filming wrapped in December 2024.

Music

The soundtrack and background score were composed by Thaman S. The first single, titled "The Rage of Daaku", was released on 14 December 2024. The second single, titled "Chinni", was released on 23 December 2024. The third single, titled "Dabidi Dibidi", was released on 2 January 2025; however, it faced criticism due to vulgar choreography. After the film's OST received considerable praise, the team released the background chanting track "Sarkaru Raa".

Marketing

The first glimpse of the film was launched on 8 March 2024, coinciding with Maha Shivaratri. The second glimpse was launched on Balakrishna's birthday (10 June 2024). The film's title teaser was launched at the Shilpakala Vedika in Hyderabad on 15 November. The film's trailer was launched at the pre-release event held in Dallas, Texas, on 4 January 2025 at 9:09 p.m. CST, while it was unveiled in India on 5 January at 8:39 a.m. IST.

Release

Theatrical

Daaku Maharaaj was released theatrically on 12 January 2025, during the Sankranti holidays. The Tamil-dubbed version of the film was released on 17 January 2025. The Hindi-dubbed version of the film was released on 24 January 2025.

Distribution

The film's distribution in the Telugu region and overseas was handled by Radha Krishna Entertainments, while distribution in the United States was handled by Shloka Entertainments. Jai Viratra Entertainment Ltd (JVEL) handled the Hindi distribution of the film.

Home media

The film began streaming on Netflix from 21 February 2025 in Telugu and dubbed versions in Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam and Hindi.

Reception

Critical response

Paul Nicodemus of The Times of India gave 3.5/5 stars and wrote, "Daaku Maharaaj is a high-octane entertainer that thrives on Nandamuri Balakrishna’s commanding performance, stylish action sequences, and impressive technical values. While it doesn’t reinvent storytelling, it offers an engaging cinematic experience and a treat for Balakrishna’s fans." Sashidhar Adivi of Times Now gave 3/5 stars and wrote "On the whole, Daaku Maharaaj starts off promisingly with an engaging first half. But follows a routine and predictable fare. Perhaps the second half calls for better writing."

Avinash Ramachandran of The Indian Express gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote "Basically, Daaku Maharaaj had all things in place for a gripping social drama that looks a million bucks, but it crumbles under the weight of the familiar because sound and sight can only do so much to a film that never takes flight." Janani K of India Today gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote "Bobby Kolli tried his best to cover up with the proceedings in the film, but it failed after a while. Daaku Maharaaj is a decent template entertainer with classic Balayya elements to keep you hooked."

Srivathsan Nadadhur of The Hindu wrote "Bobby Kolli’s attempt to dish out a ‘different-looking’ Balakrishna film is a mixed bag. Apart from Balakrishna and Shraddha Srinath's performances, the action choreography, cinematography and the music salvages it to an extent."