Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire

Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire is a 2023 Indian Telugu-language epic action thriller film written and directed by Prashanth Neel, and produced by Vijay Kiragandur. The film stars Prabhas as the title character alongside Prithviraj Sukumaran, Shruti Haasan, Jagapathi Babu, Bobby Simha, and Sriya Reddy. Set in the fictional dystopian city-state of Khansaar, where monarchy still exists, the film follows the friendship between Deva (Prabhas), the exiled prince of Khansaar, and Varadha (Prithviraj), the current prince of Khansaar. When a coup d'état is planned by his father's ministers and his relatives, Varadha enlists Deva's help to become Khansaar's undisputed ruler.

The film's initial storyline was pitched from Prashanth Neel's debut film Ugramm (2014) and is the maiden part of a two-part film. It was officially announced in December 2020 under the title Salaar, however, in July 2023, the official title was announced as Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire. Principal photography commenced in January 2021, and occurred sporadically in several legs over nearly three years, before wrapping in late 2023. Filming locations included Telangana, Italy and Budapest. Production difficulties, ranging from the pandemic, reshoots and VFX delays, postponed Salaar's release date several times. The music is composed by Ravi Basrur, cinematography handled by Bhuvan Gowda and editing by Ujwal Kulkarni.

Salaar was theatrically released on 22 December 2023 in standard and IMAX formats to generally positive reviews from critics, with Neel's direction, story, world building, characterization, cast performances, action sequences, music, background scores, cinematography, technical aspects, and the realistic depiction of modern-day monarchy receiving praise. It was a commercial success, earning ₹700 crore on a ₹270 crore budget, making it the highest-grossing Telugu film of 2023, fourth highest-grossing Telugu film of all time, fifth highest-grossing South Indian film of all time, fourth highest-grossing Indian film of 2023, and the 12th highest-grossing Indian film of all time.

Plot
In 1985, Deva and Vardharaja "Vardha" Mannar are close friends in Khansaar, a puissant city-state, which is ruled by a monarchical form of Government by Vardha's father, Raja Mannar. Raja Mannar orders the annihilation of the Shouryaanga tribe, leading a violent mob to attack Deva and his mother. Vardha intervenes, exchanging his territory to save their lives. Deva vows to return if Vardha ever calls for him.

In 2017, business tycoon Krishnakanth learns his daughter Aadhya is in Varanasi for her mother's last rites. His rivals plan to abduct her, but Krishnakanth's ally Bilal protects her, taking her to Deva's home in Tinsukia, Assam. Aadhya pretends to be an English teacher at Deva's mother's school. When discovered, Deva, on his mother's orders, defends Aadhya from the goons. Deva's mother plans to flee, but Aadhya and Bilal are taken by a convoy marked with Khansaar's emblem. Deva's mother signals him to rescue them. He intercepts the convoy, catching Vardha and his step-sister Radha Rama Mannar's attention. Radha orchestrated Aadhya's abduction to avenge a past wrong by Krishnakanth. She aims to pit Deva against Vardha, knowing opposing Khansaar's seal means death. Bilal explains Khansaar's history to Aadhya.

In 1127, dacoits from the Mannar, Shouryaanga, and Ghaniyaar tribes establish control over Khansaar. In 1947, post-independence, Raja Mannar's father Shiva Mannar ensures Khansaar's autonomy from India. He divides Khansaar into 101 provinces, appointing Kapus (governors) and 8 Doras (noblemen) under the Karta (king). In 1985, after Shiva's death, Dhaara of the Shouryaanga tribe is to become king, but Raja Mannar seizes power, killing Dhaara and the Shouryaanga tribe. Raja Mannar appoints his allies and family as Doras, giving 5 seats to the Ghaniyaar tribe and 3 to his family.

In 2010, Bhaarava, Vardha's brother-in-law, suggests reconciling with Vardha, who was exiled in 1985. Raja Mannar sacrifices Ranga's Dora position for Vardha, igniting Ranga's rage. Radha Rama opposes the ceasefire during Raja Mannar's absence, and a vote is scheduled. Doras bring mercenaries, planning to usurp the throne. Vardha seeks Deva's help in Bharuch, Gujarat. Deva returns, enduring humiliation for Vardha. Deva kills Narang's son Vishnu for abusing girls, leading to Narang attacking Vardha. Deva beheads Narang in a trial, shocking everyone. Vardha, Deva, and their allies are imprisoned.

On voting day, Raja Mannar returns, supporting Radha's ceasefire. Vardha ends it with his vote. Chaos ensues as everyone claims the throne. Vardha and Deva kill Ranga. Raja Mannar reveals Bhaarava's Shouryaanga lineage. Bhaarava and surviving Shouryaangas vow revenge. Rudra allies with his uncle Om for the throne. Bhaarava's ally Thiru discloses Deva's true identity as Devaratha Raisaar, Dhaara's son and rightful heir. Vardha addresses Deva as his Salaar, confirming his Shouryaanga heritage.

Development
In August 2020, Prabhas approached Prashanth Neel to direct his next film after watching Neel's debut Ugramm (2014). The new film was set to begin production in 2022, as both were busy with prior commitments at the time; Prabhas was filming Radhe Shyam and Adipurush, Neel was making KGF: Chapter 2. In November, Neel was reported to begin production for his next directorial ventures with either N. T. Rama Rao Jr. or Prabhas soon. On 2 December, Hombale Films announced that Neel would collaborate with Prabhas next, on a Telugu-language film (Neel's first) titled Salaar.

A muhurtam pooja ceremony was held on 15 January 2021 with the presence of the film's cast and crew in Hyderabad. Ravi Basrur was roped in to compose the score, in his fourth consecutive film with Neel, while Bhuvan Gowda and Ujwal Kulkarni were approached to handle the cinematography and editing, respectively. Initialed to be a one-part movie, on 8 July 2023, the production house announced that Salaar would be released in two parts, with the first subtitled Ceasefire.

Casting
On casting Prabhas, Neel stated "I was drawn to his innocence. Prabhas exudes more innocence compared to most other actors. To draw out this innocence and show it on screen will be fantastic.", while Prabhas stated that his character is "extremely violent", something that he "haven’t really done before". The latter was reported to get more fit and muscular for his role. He was further reported to play a dual role, which was later denied.

On 28 January 2021, Prabhas wished Shruti Haasan a happy birthday, and welcomed her to the Salaar team. She played the role of Aadhya and received a remuneration consisting inr 80000000. Prabhas, during a press meet for Radhe Shyam in Kochi, revealed that Prithviraj Sukumaran would play a role in the film thus, marking Prithviraj's return to Telugu cinema after Police Police (2010).

Madhu Guruswamy, Jagapathi Babu, Easwari Rao, Sriya Reddy, Tinnu Anand, Bobby Simha, Ramachandra Raju, Prudhvi Raj, Jhansi, Saptagiri were cast to play prominent roles. Mime Gopi and John Vijay's presence in the promotional trailer revealed their inclusion.

Filming
Principal photography commenced on 27 January 2021 at a set in Godavarikhani, a town in Telangana. Haasan joined the production two days later. A action sequence featuring Prabhas was reportedly filmed. A day later, an on-set picture of Prabhas was leaked to social media and went viral, prompting tight security to be arranged during filming. On 8 February, cinematographer Bhuvan Gowda announced that the first leg had concluded.

The second leg commenced on 3 August 2021 in Hyderabad, with the filming of a scene featuring Prabhas and Shruti. Since the filmmakers wanted Salaar to look "next level at any given angle", it became the first Indian film shot via Dark Centric Theme technology. By 12 August, the second leg concluded.

Shortly after the release of Prabhas' film Radhe Shyam in March 2022, filming was halted, mainly due to him getting an knee surgery done in Spain and later joining the sets of Kalki 2898 AD. By May 2022, 30 percent of filming was reportedly completed. The third leg was reported to begin on 24 May, but commenced instead on 18 May. The studio shared a behind-the-scenes video that day, which showcased the crew setting up a set for an action sequence. The fourth leg commenced on 28 June in Hyderabad. The schedule reportedly had a huge set erected for an action sequence, which featured Prabhas, Shruti and various fighters, stunt-choreographed by the duo Anbariv. It was reported that the schedule would be a lengthy one. In December, producer Vijay Kiragandur revealed that 85 percent of filming was finished.

Filming was reported to be in the final leg in early February 2023, and set to conclude by the month end. In this leg, the crew shot a 20-minute-long action sequence in the middle of the sea, at a cost of around inr 100000000. Haasan joined the sets on 10 February, after being busy for the post-production and release works for Veera Simha Reddy and Waltair Veerayya. She completed filming her portions by 23 February. In mid March, production moved to Matera, Italy; filming would then continue in Naples, then Rome and Budapest. The initial release date of 28 September 2023 was postponed due to reshoots in mid-September. It was reported that after watching the final edit, Neel felt that there was room for improvement. In late October, a "big war sequence" was filmed, featuring over 750 vehicles, including jeeps, tanks and trunks. Principal photography wrapped after a total of 114 working days over nearly three years.

Post-production
In December 2022, Vijay Kiragandur stated that visual effects work would take around six months. By August 2023, post-production work was moved to Basroor village in Karnataka, where composer Ravi Basrur's studio is located, reportedly to ensure security and prevent leaks. Shruti Haasan began dubbing her portions in mid-August 2023, and did so in Telugu, Kannada, Tamil, Malayalam and Hindi. She completed her dubbing work by early September. Prithviraj Sukumaran would do likewise by 10 December.

Approximately 600 VFX shots were still pending in mid-September which, along with the reshoots, caused the postponement of the original 28 September release date.

Soundtrack
The music and background score is composed by Ravi Basrur, in his fourth collaboration with Neel after Ugramm, KGF: Chapter 1 and KGF: Chapter 2. The audio rights were acquired by Divo. The first single titled "Sooreede" was released on 13 December 2023. Three more singles—"Prathi Gaadhalo", "Sound of Salaar" and "Vinaraa"—followed on 21, 22 and 26 December respectively. The entire soundtrack album was released on 31 December 2023.

Marketing
When the teaser of Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire was released on 6 July 2023, it had more than 83 million views in 24 hours, breaking the record for an Indian film. The first trailer of the film was released on 1 December 2023. The second trailer was released on 18 December 2023.

Theatrical
Salaar Part 1 – Ceasefire was theatrically released on 22 December 2023 in standard and IMAX formats. It was released in Telugu along with dubbed versions of Kannada, Hindi, Tamil and Malayalam languages. The film received an A (adults only) certification from the Central Board of Film Certification on the account of intense action sequences and violence. The makers expected a U/A (parental guidance) classification, but were unwilling to make cuts, and since the board had updated their rules, the makers accepted the adult classification.

Earlier in August 2021, it was announced that the film was going to release on 14 April 2022. The film was later postponed due to Neel and Hombale's film, KGF: Chapter 2 which was scheduled to release on that date. In March 2022, producer Vijay Kiragandur in an interview with Pinkvilla stated that the film was postponed to the second quarter (April–June) of 2023 due to production delays owing to the COVID-19 pandemic. In August 2022, the release date was announced as 28 September 2023 but postponed to 22 December 2023. On 5 July 2024, the film released in Japan, achieving the third-biggest opening for an Indian film.

Distribution
It was released by the production house Hombale Films in Karnataka. The film was distributed in North America by Moksha Movies and Prathyangira Cinemas jointly. Prithviraj Productions distributed the film in Kerala. The Tamil Nadu distribution rights were acquired by Red Giant Movies. AA Films distributed Salaar in North India. It was distributed across Andhra Pradesh by Sree Siri Sai Cinemas, Lakshmi Narasimha Sri Manikantha Films, Geeta Films Distributor, KSN Tele Films, Sri Vengamamba Cinemas and Shilpakala Entertainments while Mythri Movie Makers distributed the film in the Nizam region.

Home media
Salaar earned inr 3500000000 from non-theatrical distribution rights including satellite, digital and audio before release. Disney Star acquired the satellite rights of Telugu and other dubbed versions. The digital streaming rights were acquired by Netflix for five languages. The film was premiered on Netflix from 20 January 2024 in Telugu and dubbed versions of Tamil, Kannada and Malayalam languages. An English dubbed version began streaming from 5 February 2024. The Hindi dubbed version was premiered on Disney+ Hotstar from 16 February 2024.

Critical response
Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire received positive reviews from critics praising Neel's direction, story, world building, charecterisation, cast performances, action sequences, music, background scores, cinematography, technical aspects and the realistic depiction of modern-day monarchy in the film. However, the film received criticism for its pacing, first half and its similarities with Neel's other films like Ugraam and KGF.

Paul Nicodemus of The Times of India gave the film 3.5/5 and wrote "It is a riveting watch for those with a taste for grand and epic narratives. Fans of Prabhas and Prithviraj Sukumaran will find much to admire in this intense and captivating film. It's a film that will entertain and impress with its scale, but might require some patience in the initial stages." Janany K of India Today gave the film 3.5/5 and wrote "Salaar: Part 1 - Ceasefire is a mass masala action entertainer that celebrates Prabhas's stardom. Now, get ready for Salaar: Part 2 - Shouryaanga Parvam". S. Devasankar of Pinkvilla gave the film 3/5 and wrote "Prashanth Neel’s Telugu debut is nothing short of a masterpiece, a visual spectacle. The film engages fans with brilliantly choreographed action sequences without losing track of the underlying story and drama. Prithviraj Sukumaran was right when he said that Salaar at its core is a drama. The drama definitely works out, and the filmmaker has hit it out of the park, with the help of his star-studded cast."

Bollywood Hungama gave the film 3/5 and wrote "On the whole, Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire boasts of whistle-worthy moments that will be loved by the masses. However, the excessive violence, a needlessly complicated second half and a limited showcasing due to Dunki will affect its box office prospects to an extent." Mayur Sanap of Rediff gave the film 3/5 and wrote "[Prashanth] Neel ups the ante on all of the formulaic elements from KGF by instilling them with more ambition and technical dazzle that sustain his bonkers vision." Sangeetha Deva Dundoo of The Hindu wrote "Salaar is tailored to cater to lovers of mass action entertainers. There is a lot of indulgent ‘build up’ with nearly every character — the mother, Obulamma, Rama, the businessman who fears for his daughter Aadya, the children, and several aides — talks in exalted terms about Deva at regular intervals. At one point, I wanted the film to cut the chase and tell us what makes him a fiery warlord."

Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV gave the film 2.5/5 and wrote "Solid star turns from Prabhas and Prithviraj Sukumaran are the main draws of Salaar: Part 1 - Ceasefire. The rest of the film's appeal lies in the lure of unbridled excess." Sonil Dedhia of News18 gave the film 2.5/5 and wrote "Overall, Salaar is only for Prabhas fans and for those who feel an assault on the senses is a form of cinema. But if you love your eardrums and have had your fill of the super-heroic exploits of an underdog-turned-top dog hero, you can give this film a probable miss." Shubhra Gupta of The Indian Express gave the film 2/5 and wrote "Salaar Part 2 promises more, more, more. Are we ready for it? Most of part one is eye-glazing enough, making you numb to the murder and mayhem: all noise, meaning very little."

Monika Rawal Kukreja of Hindustan Times wrote "Prabhas makes a stellar comeback, film snatches Animal's 'most violent movie of the year' crown."

Box office
Salaar: Part 1 – Ceasefire earned inr 950000000 domestically on the first day while it collected a total of inr 1787000000 worldwide. It received positive reviews from critics and emerged as the highest-grossing Telugu film of 2023, fourth highest-grossing Telugu film of all time, fifth highest-grossing South Indian film of all time, fourth highest-grossing Indian film of 2023 and 12th highest-grossing Indian film of all time. It has grossed ₹700 crore worldwide.

Sequel
The sequel of the film, titled Salaar: Part 2 – Shouryaanga Parvam, is in active development. In January 2024, Kiragandur confirmed that the script is ready and that the sequel will release in the second half of 2025. The filming of the sequel will continue from August.