Bhagavanth Kesari

Bhagavanth Kesari  is a 2023 Indian Telugu-language action drama film written and directed by Anil Ravipudi and produced by Sahu Garapati and Harish Peddi, under the banner of Shine Screens. It stars Nandamuri Balakrishna in the titular role alongside Sreeleela, Arjun Rampal (in his Telugu debut), and Kajal Aggarwal. The soundtrack and background score was composed by Thaman S, while C. Ramprasad and Tammiraju handled the cinematography and editing, respectively.

The film was theatrically released on 19 October 2023, on the occasion of Dasara. The film received mixed reviews from critics, praising Balakrishna's performance and the action sequences.

Plot
Nelakonda Bhagavanth Kesari is an ex-prisoner who becomes the guardian of Vijayalakshmi "Viji" after the death of his friend and Viji's father, CI Srikanth in an accident. Bhagavanth wants her to join the Indian Army as per her father's wish and seeks the help of psychologist Dr. Kathyayani. However, Vijji is against joining the Army, stemming from a phobia in her childhood; she is keen on marrying her boyfriend, Karthik.

Meanwhile, Rahul Sanghvi is a business magnate who seeks to steal the country's prestigious project-V, but the Deputy CM accumulates incriminating evidence against him. Rahul assassinates him, but his PA absconds with the evidence, and Rahul is behind his hunt. Karthik proceeds with his parents with the proposal, but Bhagavanth denies it, for which Viji starts to detest Bhagavanth. While escaping from Rahul's men, the PA fortuitously uses Viji's laptop to secure the data, and Rahul's men target her instead. Bhagavanth learns about this and shields Viji. Rahul is shocked upon seeing Bhagavanth, revealing that the two are past rivals, and Viji soon learns about Bhagavanth's past.

Past: Bhagavanth is a gallant Circle Inspector at a tribal zone called Nelakonda, where he locks horns with Rahul's politician father Sarath Rahul after he massacres the forest department. Bhagavanth outrageously butchers his men and publicly arrests Sarath, who later commits suicide. To exact vengeance, Rahul incriminates Bhagavanth under trumped-up charges and has him sentenced to prison.

Present: After learning this, Viji oaths to fulfill Bhagavanth's ambition. They go to Hyderabad along with Kathyayani and admit Viji to a training academy where the coach disdains the women but later accepts an apology after Bhagavanth glorifies their eminence. Viji cannot climb her last leg because of neurosis, whereas Kathyayani provides insight to raise her mental strength and courage. Rahul intends to kill Bhagavanth and his loved ones whilst also capturing the PA. However, Bhagavanth tarnishes Rahul's plans with the support of Ratan Shukla, whom he befriended in prison, and procures the evidence from the PA. Bhagavanth makes a deal with the politicians to schedule a dual war with Rahul and receives approval. As directed by Kathyayani, Bhagavanth keeps himself at risk, and Viji soon turns violent to safeguard him. Bhagavanth finally kills Rahul and his men, while Viji is selected into the Army, fulfilling her father's and Bhagavanth's dream.

Production
Filming started on 8 December 2022 in Hyderabad. Arjun Rampal completed filming his scenes in August 2023.

Music
The soundtrack and background score is composed by Thaman S, which marks his fourth collaboration with Balakrishna after Dictator (2016), Akhanda (2021), and Veera Simha Reddy (2023); first collaboration with Ravipudi.

The first single titled "Ganesh Anthem, was released on 1 September 2023. The second single, "Uyyaalo Uyyaala" was released on 4 October 2023. The third single, "Roar of Kesari" was released on 17 October 2023.

Theatrical
The film was theatrically released on 19 October 2023, on the occasion of Dasara.

Home Media
The film's digital streaming rights were brought by Amazon Prime Video, while the satellite rights were brought by Zee Network in all languages. The film was premiered on Amazon Prime Video on 24 November 2023 in Telugu, along with dubbed versions in Tamil, Malayalam, Kannada, and Hindi.

Critical response
The film received mixed to positive reviews from critics praising Balakrishna's performance and action sequences.

123Telugu gave 3.25/5 stars and wrote "Bhagavanth Kesari delivers an engaging blend of action and emotional drama, fueled by finest performances from Balakrishna and Sreeleela. Their combo scenes are a delight to watch, especially in emotional scenes. However, a sluggish second half and occasional unnecessary scenes do challenge the film's overall pacing. Balakrishna's compelling screen presence and impactful dialogues provide a treat for fans."

Raghu Bandi of The Indian Express gave 2.5/5 and wrote "Bhagavanth Kesari tries hard not to be a regular Nandamuri Balakrishna movie, while having all the signature moments die-hard fans will expect from him." Sangeetha Devi Dundoo of The Hindu wrote "Anil Ravipudi's Bhagavanth Kesari starring Nandamuri Balakrishna oscillates between hypermasculine action and an emotional drama that hammers the message of women empowerment."

Janani K of India Today gave a rating of 2.5/5 and wrote, "Bhagavanth Kesari is an enjoyable entertainer where you see Balayya teaching a bunch of school children about good touch and bad touch. It's a film that has a mix of everything for the audiences." Jahnavi of The News Minute gave a rating of 1.5/5 and wrote "But even as a formulaic film hinging on the heroism of the male star, the formula itself is confusing." Eenadu reviewed the movie and noted that, aside from a few scenes in the first half, the film is commendable. Ram Venkat Srikar of Film Companion wrote, "Bhagavanth Kesari is a pretty entertaining outing from both Balakrishna and Anil Ravipudi. Despite having some issues, it works pretty well to a large extent, offering us an action entertainer with its heart in the right place, which surprises on the emotion and the 'message' front.