| Mahanati | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Nag Ashwin |
| Written by | Nag Ashwin |
| Dialogue by | |
| Produced by | Priyanka Dutt |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Dani Sanchez-Lopez |
| Edited by | Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao |
| Music by | Mickey J. Meyer |
Production companies |
|
Release date |
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Running time | 177 minutes[1] |
| Country | India |
| Language | Telugu |
| Budget | ₹25 crore[2][3] |
| Box office | est. ₹83 crore[4] |
Mahanati (transl. The great actress) is a 2018 Indian Telugu-language biographical drama film based on the life of actress Savitri. It is written and directed by Nag Ashwin, and produced by Priyanka Dutt under Vyjayanthi Movies and Swapna Cinema. The film features Keerthy Suresh[a] as Savitri while Dulquer Salmaan (in his Telugu debut) plays Savitri's husband Gemini Ganesan. The film also stars Samantha Ruth Prabhu and Vijay Deverakonda, along with Rajendra Prasad, Prakash Raj, and Bhanupriya who appear in supporting roles. Naga Chaitanya and Mohan Babu, among others, play guest appearances. The plot follows Savitri's life, depicting her turbulent rise to prominence, marriage with Ganesan, and subsequent fall from grace, which is viewed from the perspective of a journalist and a photographer, played by Samantha and Deverakonda respectively.
Ashwin began working on the biopic of Savitri following the release of his directorial debut Yevade Subramanyam (2015). Its principal photography began in May 2017 and ended in March 2018 with filming taking place in Hyderabad, Palakollu, Bangalore, Chennai, Mysore, and Delhi. Dani Sanchez-Lopez performed the cinematography while Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao edited the film. The film features the score and soundtrack composed by Mickey J. Meyer. Mahanati released theatrically on 9 May 2018 while its dubbed versions in Tamil released on 11 May 2018, with the title Nadigaiyar Thilagam (transl. The pride of actresses) and in Malayalam on the same day as Mahanadi (transl. The great actress)
Mahanati received universal critical acclaim for Keerthy's performance as Savitri and Ashwin's screenplay and direction. Budgeted at ₹25 crore, the film grossed ₹83 crore worldwide and became the highest-grossing female-centric South Indian film. The film won three awards at the 66th National Film Awards, namely, Best Feature Film in Telugu, Best Actress for Keerthy and Best Costume Design. The film also won four Filmfare Awards South including Best Film and Best Actress in Telugu category. Mahanati was screened at the International Film Festival of India, the Shanghai International Film Festival, and the Indian Film Festival of Melbourne.
- ^ "Mahanati (PG)". British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on 25 May 2021. Retrieved 25 May 2021.
- ^ Hooli, Shekhar H. (23 May 2018). "Mahanati 14-day box office collection: Keerthy Suresh's film crosses Rs 80-crore mark". International Business Times. Archived from the original on 23 May 2018. Retrieved 24 May 2018.
- ^ Kumar, Hemanth (3 July 2018). "Rangasthalam, Bharat Ane Nenu and Mahanati emerge as biggest Telugu hits in first half of 2018". Firstpost. Archived from the original on 15 July 2018. Retrieved 24 May 2018.
- ^ Hooli, Shekhar H. (10 September 2018). "Tollywood box office report of 2018: highest grossing Telugu movies of year; List of hits and flops". International Business Times. Archived from the original on 5 June 2020. Retrieved 24 May 2018.
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