Spyder (film)

Spyder is a 2017 Indian action thriller film  written and directed by A. R. Murugadoss and produced by N. V. Prasad. The film was simultaneously shot in Telugu and Tamil languages, and stars Mahesh Babu, S. J. Suryah and Rakul Preet Singh in the lead roles. Murugadoss wrote the Tamil dialogue while the Paruchuri Brothers wrote the Telugu version. The film was edited by A. Sreekar Prasad, with cinematography by Santosh Sivan and music by Harris Jayaraj.

This film marks the Tamil debut of Babu, after a failed attempt at a simultaneous release in Tamil of Brahmotsavam (2016). Originally, the film was rumoured to be titled Abhimanyudu and Sambhavami, before the official title was finalised as Spyder on 18 March 2017. The film began production in July 2016, followed by the commencement of principal photography. Shooting mainly took place in Chennai, with some portions in and around Hyderabad and Vizag, while the songs were filmed overseas, before wrapping up in August 2017.

Spyder was released theatrically worldwide in Telugu, Tamil, Arabic and Malayalam on 27 September 2017 and in the US and Gulf countries on 26 September. The film received mixed reviews from critics. It grossed ₹118 crore against a budget of ₹120 crore. It was a flop at the boxoffice.

Plot
Shiva is an IB officer who develops a program to spy on people's calls and messages in order to help them. On the night of 16 March, Shiva listens to Charlie (Shalini in the Tamil version) talk about her wish of getting 98% in her exams, up from 96%, to get a US scholarship with her friend. In order to do that, she decides to go on a blind date with a guy believing it will help her concentrate on her studies. Shiva follows her and both start to fall for each other, but Shiva finds it hard to focus on his love life because of his job. On the night of 28 April, Shiva listens to a young girl asking her friend for help as she is alone in her house and scared, due to a power outage at her house despite everyone else on her street having power.

Alarmed, Shiva sends his constable friend Renuka to the girl's address to help her. However, the next day news headlines report about the gruesome death of the two women. Shiva visits the crime scene and resigns from the IB due to guilt, but his father encourages him to find the killer. Shiva sets out to check the girl's chats and whereabouts, where he finds out that a guy followed her to a café. Through Facebook, Shiva is able to track down another person who knew the stalker. With the provided information, Shiva travels to the village where the stalker grew up and begins his search. From an elderly villager, Shiva finally learns about the man's past.

Past: Sudalai (Bhairavudu in the Telugu version) lives with his mother, father and younger brother at a cemetery. His father performs funeral rites for the dead to take care his family, but this occupation leads to Sudalai suffering from S.P.D., where he develops an unusual desire to kill victims and watch their families grieve. One day, a child witnesses him killing someone and reveals this to the other villagers. An infuriated mob decides to burn down Sudalai's house, killing his parents. Enraged, Sudalai leaves the village to continue his killing spree, along with his younger brother.

Present: Shiva catches Sudalai and interrogates him in a dense hideout, but learns that he is actually Sudalai's brother. Sudalai goes on live television with a mask covering his face and reveals he has killed 23 people and hidden their corpses in 23 pillars of a metro bridge, and threatens the citizens to leave his brother unscathed. He also reveals that he plans to destroy a hospital. Shiva kills Sudalai's brother in front of the victims' families, including an enraged Sudalai, who is hiding in the crowd. An upset Sudalai plans to kill Shiva's family, but Shiva finds out when his mother calls him and tells him she is scared because there is no electricity at their house, just as the girl victim had described earlier. With the help of his team, Shiva is able to save his family.

Shiva becomes Sudalai's next target, and he tries to kill Shiva on his way home, with Shiva ending up impaled on a truck. Shiva slowly recovers and resumes the search for Sudalai, as he had shot him before he fell unconscious. He deduces that Sudalai has hidden himself in a house where he can heal, but has imprisoned the owners. Through the use of technology and information from local women, Shiva finds Sudalai and arrests him, but Sudalai tells him that he has already planned a rock fall in the city. Shiva manages to stop the big rock while Sudalai escapes from police custody and continues with his plan to destroy a hospital.

Shalini learns about the targeted hospital, but refuses to tell Shiva due to a misunderstanding. Shiva tracks down her taxi, where she tells him about the hospital. Shiva rushes to the hospital and starts to evacuate the people inside, trying to save as many as he can, but is unable to save some patients in time, which leaves him heartbroken. Sudalai sees Shiva's grief and becomes delighted. Shiva spots Sudalai and becomes enraged. The two of them fight, with Shiva overpowering and killing Sudalai. In the aftermath, Shiva tells the media about the importance of showing humanity and leaves with Shalini, who was worried about Shiva.

Pre-production
Originally, Mahesh Babu planned to make his direct debut in Tamil, after the dubbed Tamil version of Srimanthudu (2015), titled Selvandhan, received a decent response from audiences. He officially announced that his next film with Srikanth Addala, titled Brahmotsavam (2016) and produced by PVP Cinema, would be bilingual and shot simultaneously in Telugu and Tamil with the same title. After opining that the script had the potential to be commercially successful in both languages without making many changes, Babu accepted the proposal of a Telugu-Tamil film. However, the plan was later dropped.

In November 2015, Babu announced his next project would be a Tamil-Telugu bilingual film directed by A. R. Murugadoss. It marks Babu's first direct Tamil debut, as well as Murugadoss' return to the Telugu cinema industry, a decade after his last film Stalin (2006) starring Chiranjeevi.

Development
The project was expected to kickstart the following year, with Santhosh Sivan, who worked with Murugadoss in Thuppakki (2012), as the cinematographer, and Harris Jayaraj, who scored music for Murugadoss' earlier films, Ghajini, 7aum Arivu and Thuppakki, as composer.

It was reported that Babu would play the role of a police officer in the film, although other reports claimed that Babu would play the role of a RAW agent. The title of the film was also rumoured to be Abhimanyu. However, in December 2016 the filmmakers announced the tentative title of the film as Sambhavami, which received a mixed response from fans. On 18 March 2017, the film's title was revealed to be Spyder.

Casting
In March 2016, Parineeti Chopra was initially signed to play the lead actress and make her debut in South Indian cinema. However, her unavailability after she was finalised in Takadum, starring Sushant Singh Rajput, meant that the creators approached Rakul Preet Singh for the leading role. S. J. Suryah was hired to play a negative role for the first time after featuring in lead roles, marking his second collaboration with Mahesh Babu after directing him in Naani (2004). Murugadoss was a former assistant of S. J. Suryah in the films Vaali and Kushi. Tamil actor RJ Balaji signed onto the film in January 2017, playing the role of Shiva's friend. In December 2016, Bharath was signed on to play a negative role.

Twin stunt choreographers Anbariv were eventually roped into the film to choreograph action sequences, although Peter Hein was also roped into the film. R. C. Kamalakannan, who supervised visual effects for Baahubali 2: The Conclusion (2017), was roped in as part of the technical crew. Kamalakannan claimed that the film has heavy visual effects, and a Russian principal studio was working on the film. Nayanthara was initially rumoured to have a crucial role in the film, although Murugadoss denied it.

Filming
The film's principal photography commenced on 29 July 2016. Rakul Preet Singh joined the set in August 2016, and the creators started a fresh shooting schedule, focusing on the romantic scene between Singh and Babu. The second schedule of the film took place in mid-September 2016, in Pune and Bangalore, after the Chennai schedule was wrapped up. On 21 October 2016, Singh received a minor injury on her left hand while shooting for an action episode, although the actress, who was advised to rest for a day, resumed shooting immediately. The third schedule was kickstarted in Hyderabad in November 2016, with filming taking place for three weeks. After wrapping up the shoot on 22 November, the team headed to Ahmedabad and Surat for the fourth schedule. Babu extensively shot the schedule for two weeks. After a brief break, the makers resumed the shoot in Mumbai in January 2017, where the introductory scenes featuring Babu were shot. During March 2017, Chiranjeevi made a visit to the film sets. More filming occurred in Vietnam between late March and early May. Some of the action scenes were shot there with local stunt artists, such as the rollercoaster chase.

The final schedule of the film was expected to take place on 20 April 2017 in Hyderabad, although shooting started on 4 May 2017. Art director Rupin Suchak revealed to a source that 98% of the film was shot in Chennai, with the backdrop being changed to Hyderabad through computer graphics for the Telugu version. Babu did the film's stunts by himself without using body doubles. In some of the more intense scenes, he continued to perform his own stunts despite sustaining various injuries, leading to a physiotherapist being posted on set permanently for him, and eventually he "couldn’t get up for a week after the shooting schedule". On 16 May 2017, a source claimed that the makers planned for a climax sequence with high-octane action scenes, instead of a normal climax, which was originally scheduled to be shot at the NIMS Hospital in Bibnagar, Hyderabad. Due to legal issues, the makers shifted the location to Chennai.

As of May 2017, the makers had completed the dialogue portions of the film, and only two songs were pending, with the makers having started post-production work. The filming was planned to be completed by 2 June 2017, but the final schedule was started on 13 June, where minor dialogue portions were filmed, with shooting to last for only four days. In July 2017, the makers filmed a song sequence in Hyderabad for ten days. The last song of the film was shot abroad on 2 August, and the principal shoot was wrapped following its completion.

Music
The film's soundtrack is composed by Harris Jayaraj, with lyrics for the Tamil version was written by Madhan Karky. Initially, Karky, was expected to pen the songs for its Telugu-dubbed version, thus marking his debut in the Telugu industry, however, Ramajogayya Sastry penned the songs in Telugu. In late June 2017, Brijesh Shandilya recorded one song for the film, which is touted to be "ä desi romantic number". While the Tamil version of the soundtrack, features only five tracks. The Telugu version has a sixth track named as "Akkada Vunnavadu". The film features a lead single "Boom Boom" from the soundtrack album, which was released on 29 July 2017 in Tamil and Telugu. The full soundtrack album was launched on 25 August 2017, at Kalaivanar Arangam in Chennai. The album was also released in Telugu the same day.

Indiaglitz rated the album 3 out of 5, and summarised that "There is a strong Tamil flavour in all of the songs, with even traces of Harris' past works eminently noticeable." 123Telugu gave a positive verdict stating that "Spyder’s audio album attracts the class audience and stands as a different album in Mahesh’s career." Karthik Srinivasan of Milliblog stated that the album is "a predictable Harris Jayaraj package with two good-enough songs."

For the soundtrack of the Tamil version, Behindwoods rated the album 2.5 out of 5, saying, "Though there is nativity missing for Tamil listeners, the album has Harris' usual western style music with superior sounding." Sharanya CR from The Times of India reviewed that "Except for two songs, Harris doesn’t really up the magic quotient for SPYder." Moviecrow rated the album 3 out of 5 stating that "Harris Jayaraj delivers an engaging album filled with the composer’s signature sounds throughout the soundtrack." Siddharth Srinivas from Sify gave 3 out of 5 stating "Spyder is a lightweight, frothy soundtrack from Harris that's high on style but not too much on substance."

Telugu version

Tamil version

Release
During the film's pre-production phase, it was announced that the film would be released on 23 June 2017. The release was pushed to 10 August 2017 due to production delays. The film was again postponed to mid-September and then to Dusherra, due to delays in the film's shooting. The makers finally announced that the film would be released on 27 September 2017. Following the huge reception for the Baahubali franchise, Spyder was also planned to have a simultaneous release in Telugu and Tamil, and also with a Malayalam-dubbed version of the same name. The film was sent to the Central Board of Film Certification for censor formalities on 19 September 2017, where the film received a "U/A" certification and a runtime of 145 minutes.

Spyder was released in the US a day ahead of its release in Indian theatres on 26 September. The film was released in more than 800 screens in the country, thus becoming the widest release for a Telugu film after Baahubali 2: The Conclusion. The film was also speculated to have a dubbed release in Arabic, and was scheduled to be released in the Gulf countries. Hein bought the Vietnamese dubbing rights of the film and released it in Vietnam.

Distribution
The Tamil Nadu theatrical rights for the film were acquired by Lyca Productions for ₹18 crore. Andhra Pradesh and Telangana distribution rights were secured by the production house itself, except for the Nizam rights which were acquired by Dil Raju for ₹24 crore. The overseas distribution rights were sold to Atmus Entertainment for ₹22.5 crore. The ceded rights were sold for ₹12 crore and Vizag rights were sold for ₹8.1 crore. The film earned ₹6 crore in the East and ₹4.5 crore in the West, ₹5.4 crore in Krishna, ₹7.2 crore in Guntur and ₹3.2 crore in Nellore, for a total of ₹70.4 crore from the Telugu States. The film's Karnataka theatrical rights were sold to Goldie Films for ₹10.8 crore, Kerala theatrical rights were sold for ₹1.3 crore, and the Rest Of India rights were sold for ₹1 crore. The film earned ₹124 crore from worldwide theatrical sales alone. Including satellite rights for the Telugu & Hindi versions, which were sold for ₹25 crore, Tamil & Malayalam versions which were sold for ₹6.5 crore, and audio rights which were sold for ₹1.5 crore, the film had a total intake of ₹157 crore before its release.

Marketing
The film's first poster was initially scheduled to release on 29 March 2017, but was eventually released on 12 April. The poster gave a glimpse of a buff and ripped Babu with a gun in his hand. The poster received an overwhelming response from fans. The team launched an official Facebook and Twitter page and an official YouTube channel for the film's promotions. Initially, the makers wanted to release the first glimpse of the film on 31 May 2017, coinciding with actor Krishna's birthday, the father of Mahesh. But it was postponed due to the demise of veteran filmmaker Dasari Narayana Rao. The teaser was launched on 1 June at midnight to positive reviews from fans.

On 9 August 2017, the makers released the official teaser of the film coinciding with the actor's birthday. The teaser crossed 8.6 million views within 48 hours of its release. The official trailer of the film was released on 15 September 2017, during the pre-release event held at Shilpakala Vedika in Hyderabad. The trailer received outstanding reviews, and it crossed 2 million views within a few hours. Before the release of the film, Mahesh Babu revealed that the robotic spider featured in the film's teaser, will not feature in the film as it has no role for it. Mahesh announced it, that he doesn't want his fans to be disappointed.

Home media
The satellite rights of the film were acquired by Zee Network (for Telugu and Hindi versions) and Sun TV Network (for Tamil and Malayalam versions) for a record sum of ₹30.5 crore. The film's Telugu version was premiered in Zee Telugu on 14 January 2018, coinciding with Sankranthi, and registered a TRP rating of 6.7. The film's television premiere took place on 18 February 2018. The film was also dubbed in Hindi and directly premiered on Zee Cinema on 17 June 2018.

Reception
Spyder received mixed reviews from critics and audiences, who praised the cast performances (particularly Suryah and Babu), action sequences and direction, but criticised its screenwriting and pace.

Tamil version
M. Suganth of The Times of India gave 2/5 stars and wrote "The writing lets Spyder down entirely after a point and, unlike Thuppakki (which was also about a man trying to save and a man trying to destroy), what should have been an edge-of-the-seat cat-and-mouse game between good and evil turns into a movie that cannot decide between wanting to be a crackling thriller and an anything-goes masala movie." S. Srivatsan of India Today gave 2/5 stars and summarised it as "The core of Spyder seems to have been written for [a] Telugu audience. Even for them, Spyder isn't a satisfying star vehicle. Or Maybe Spyder isn't what Murugadoss imagined on paper. Because, some scenes, even on paper, appear to be pompous. Consider the scene from the second half of 7aum Arivu and you'll understand better."

Behindwoods gave 2.5/5 stars and stated that "SJ Suryah's performance and AR Murugadoss' touch makes Spyder a decent thriller." Indiaglitz gave 2.5/5 stars and stated "Watch Spyder for Mahesh's genuine efforts and SJ Surya’s gritty performance. If you are looking for a fitting duel between the hero and villain you might get disappointed for the film shines only on their respective characters and is let down when it comes to their duel." Moviecrow gave 3/5 stars and stated, "This is AR Murugadoss signature style movie with Superhero template without the hero having super powers. This is probably the best launch Mahesh Babu could have asked for. In return, [the] Tamil audience will embrace Mahesh Babu."

International Business Times gave 3/5 stars and stated that "Spyder stands out as an enjoyable entertainer despite its flaws." Baradwaj Rangan of Film Companion wrote "this film is a pretty decent god-vs-demon tale, with a solid hero and a spectacular villain" in his review. Subhash K. Jha of NDTV gave 4/5 stars and stated "Murugadoss takes a familiar bad-guy-good-guy plot and converts it into a compelling cat-and-mouse game shot in colours and favours that suggest life in times of impending death."

Telugu version
Sridhar Adivi from The Times of India gave 2.5/5 stars, stating that "The conflict between the hero and the villain seems like a safe enough plot for a potboiler or a spy film; however, Murugadoss’ writing doesn't manage to give you the chills or thrills the promos promised to." Behindwoods rated the film 2.75/5 and stated that "Beyond a point, the film gets a little too heavy with gore, and one might feel the climax could have been executed better. Apart from these minor issues, Spyder will entertain you if you are an action film lover." Y. Sunita Chowdary of The Hindu stated that "Spyder starts off well but the director’s imagination goes overboard only to turn a purpose ridden plot to a piece of travesty."

Indiaglitz gave the film 2.75/5 stars stating "The spy thriller takes unconvincing liberties in the second half. A tragedy of epic proportions is sought to be reduced into a hero vs villain rivalry without a compelling narrative." 123Telugu rated it 3.25/5 stars and summarised that "On the whole, Spyder is a decent action thriller which has some very interesting moments." Sify gave the film a rating of 2.75/5 stating "Spyder has some riveting moments in the first half, the face-off between Mahesh Babu and S J Surya reeks of brilliance but it turns monotonous in the second half."

Hemanth Kumar of Firstpost gave the film 3.5/5 stars, stating "Spyder is also a true blue action thriller and it stays true to the genre. This isn’t a Mahesh Babu’s film alone and it doesn’t pander to our expectations from his action dramas. And to see him step into the shoes of a character which doesn’t dominate the film is also why Spyder has a very different tone from the very beginning." Karthik Keramalu of Hindustan Times gave 2/5 stars and stated: "Spyder is not great but it’s definitely watchable for Mahesh Babu, Suryah and the touching humanistic angle."

Box-office
On its opening day, the film saw more than 55% occupancy in theatres and managed to collect ₹33 crore gross on its first day at the global box-office. The film grossed ₹13.4 crore on the first day of its release, with a share of ₹5.3 crore in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana and it is said to have collected ₹1.30 crore in two days in Chennai alone. The film had crossed ₹35 crore within three days, and it collected ₹35 crore within five days. In twelve days it collected ₹55 crore gross globally. At the US box office the film collected US$0.5 million in seven days, becoming the fifth film of the actor to do so.