Vedam

Plot

Vivek Chakravarthy is an aspiring rockstar from Bengaluru who clashes with his mother over his refusal to follow their family tradition of decorated military service. On the eve of his first major concert breakthrough in Hyderabad, Vivek misses his flight, forcing him and his band to travel by road. Their journey is plagued by misfortune; a deflated tire leaves Vivek and his bandmate Lasya stranded, leading to a violent ambush by a fanatic group. They escape with the help of a passing truck driver and, upon arriving in Hyderabad, survive a minor car accident only to pause their journey to rush a critically injured pregnant woman to the hospital.

Concurrently, Saroja, a sex worker from Amalapuram, plots an escape from her abusive pimp, Rattamma, alongside her close friend Karpooram, a trans woman. After drugging a local sub-inspector to secure their freedom, they flee to Hyderabad, only to be immediate victims of a predatory broker. A chaotic scuffle breaks out, leaving Karpooram severely stabbed. Desperate for emergency medical care, Saroja and Karpooram rush to the exact same hospital where Vivek has just arrived.

Meanwhile, Ramulu, a heavily indebted weaver from Sircilla, faces a family crisis as his young grandson is held captive by an unforgiving landlord over unpaid loans. Having already sold one of his own kidneys in the past, a desperate Ramulu arrives in Hyderabad with his widowed daughter-in-law, Padma, who has agreed to sell her kidney to pay off the debt. At the hospital, the organ broker exploits their desperation, paying them only ₹37,000 out of a promised ₹1,00,000.

In the Old City of Hyderabad, Rahimuddin Qureshi remains deeply traumatized by a past religious riot that caused his pregnant wife to suffer a miscarriage. Intending to leave the country for a fresh start, his farewell night is ruined when the police raid his home and arrest him alongside his nephews on fabricated terrorism charges. The situation turns real when one of his nephews confesses to actual militant ties. During a desperate escape attempt while being transported to remand, Rahim is shot by the police and transported to the hospital for emergency surgery.

Elsewhere in the city, Anand Raj, known as "Cable Raju," is a cash-strapped cable operator from the Jubilee Hills slums who creates a wealthy facade to win the affections of a high-society girl named Pooja. Desperate to buy tickets to an elite New Year’s Eve party to maintain his lie, Raju resorts to chain-snatching. Following a narrow escape from the police and a brief encounter with Saroja, Raju pickpockets Ramulu's hard-earned kidney money. Overcome with sudden guilt after realizing the tragic source of the cash, Raju returns the money, adding his own meager savings to mend the damage.

Production

Development

Director Krish had a visual of an old man walking along with a child in his dreams. However, he felt it as too arty to make a film and also the story was not complete. One day while travelling from Guntur to Hyderabad, he narrated the story of Nagayya (initially he named it Jalayya) to cinematographer Gnana Sekhar, who also worked with him in Gamyam. The second story initially he conceptualised was about a film crew and later changed it to music band. The title of Vedam struck him when he was writing the story at Sirivennela's home. The climax of the film was an inspiration from 26/11 Mumbai blasts in Taj Hotel. After getting a basic storyline he decided to produce Vedam on his banner First Frame Entertainment, before producers Shobu Yarlagadda and Prasad Devineni decided to finance it.

Casting

Krish wanted to do the character of Karpooram, but decided against it after his mother warned him that doing so will affect his marital life. Later, when discussing the story with Anushka Shetty, she suggested her personal make-up person Nikki for the role and Krish liked him. Anushka reduced her remuneration by 30% as the film was a low budget production. Rahimuddin Qureshi (the character played by Manoj Bajpai) is the name of Krish's best friend in intermediate. Newcomer Nagayya was cast in the film. The five principal characters were based on the five natural elements-Water, Air, Earth, Fire and Sky. Manoj Manchu revealed that his character doesn't meet Allu Arjun's character till the climax.

Music

The film's music was composed by M. M. Keeravani while the lyrics were written by Sirivennela Seetarama Sastry, Sahiti, E. S. Murthy and M. M. Keeravani The audio was released in the presence of notable Telugu film personalities on 3 May 2010.

Tracks 9 to 12 of the soundtrack were only made available on the official Digital release and not the physical CD.

Marketing

Vedam notably had no promotional activities since the film's launch in 2010. The first activity happened just before the music launch, by releasing the wallpaper masking the main actors and highlighting the film's title at www.idlebrain.com. After the film's music launch, the wallpaper was re-released by revealing the actors. The film was given A certificate because of violence and Anushka's character by CBFC for video release.

Critical reception

The Times of India gave a review stating "After watching contrived plots and stereotype protagonists, this path-breaking movie arrives like a breath of fresh air. Undeniably, it's another inspiring film from the maker of Gamyam." Rediff gave a review stating "Vedam is a must-watch for its story, screenplay, direction and technicalities. It offers hope to the audience interested in good and sensible cinema that such a film can be made in Telugu. Vedam is a beautiful confluence of writing and technical aspects. It has set a benchmark in Telugu cinema." idlebrain.com gave a review stating "Vedam is a good film. Please watch it and encourage good/meaningful cinema. This film will be liked by classes and A center audiences. If masses and B/C centers patronage Vedam, it will not only do good to the film but to the entire Telugu film industry."

Awards

Nandi Awards of 2010

Best Feature Film - Gold - Shobu Yarlagadda

Special Jury Award - Nagayya

58th Filmfare Awards South

Best Film – Shobu Yarlagadda & Prasad Devineni

Best Director – Krish

Best Actor – Allu Arjun

Best Actress – Anushka Shetty

Nominations

Best Music Director - M. M. Keeravani

Best Female Playback Singer - Sunitha - "Egiripothe Entha Baguntundi"

Best Lyricist - Sirivennela Sitaramasastri - "Now or Never"

2011 CineMAA Awards

Best Actress (Jury) – Anushka Shetty

Best Director (Jury) – Krish

Special Jury – Nagayya