KGF: Chapter 1

KGF: Chapter 1
Theatrical release poster
Directed byPrashanth Neel
Written byPrashanth Neel
Produced byVijay Kiragandur
Starring
Narrated byAnant Nag
CinematographyBhuvan Gowda
Edited bySrikanth Gowda
Music byRavi Basrur
Production
company
Distributed by
Release dates
  • 20 December 2018 (2018-12-20) (United States, Canada)
  • 21 December 2018 (2018-12-21) (India)
Running time
155 minutes[1]
CountryIndia
LanguageKannada
Budget₹80 crore[2]
Box officeest.₹250 crore[3][4]

KGF: Chapter 1 is a 2018 Indian Kannada-language period action film[5] written and directed by Prashanth Neel, and produced by Vijay Kiragandur under the banner of Hombale Films. It is the first installment in the KGF series, followed by KGF: Chapter 2. The film features an ensemble cast including Yash Gowda, Srinidhi Shetty, Vasishta N. Simha, Ramachandra Raju, Archana Jois, Anant Nag, Achyuth Kumar, Malavika Avinash, T. S. Nagabharana and B. Suresha. Filmed on a budget of ₹80 crore (equivalent to ₹107 crore or US$13 million in 2023), it was the most expensive Kannada film at the time of its release.[2] In the film, Rocky, a high-ranking mercenary, working for a prominent gold mafia in Bombay, seeks power and wealth in order to fulfill his mother's promise. Due to his high fame, the leaders of the gold mafia where he works hire him to assassinate Garuda, the son of the founder of Kolar Gold Fields.

The film's development began in early 2015, after Neel finished writing the screenplay.[6] Filming began two years later, in January 2017. Most of the film is set in the Kolar Gold Fields and was filmed in locales such as Kolar, Mysore, and parts of North Karnataka. The film's production was completed in August 2018.[7] Bhuvan Gowda handled the cinematography and Srikanth Gowda edited the film. Composer Ravi Basrur scored the film.[8]

The Kannada version of KGF: Chapter 1 was released on 20 December 2018 and the dubbed versions in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Hindi released the next day.[9] The film received positive reviews from critics and dialogues from the film became famous worldwide. Due to this, the film performed well commercially and collected ₹250 crore (equivalent to ₹334 crore or US$40 million in 2023) in its entire theatrical run, becoming the highest-grossing Kannada film until it was surpassed by its sequel. It turned out to be a cult hit.[10] At the 66th National Film Awards, the film won two awards for Stunt Choreography and Best Special Effects.[11] At the 66th Filmfare Awards South, the film won two awards from five nominations, including the award for Best Film and Best Actor for Yash.

  1. ^ Nathan, Archana (21 December 2018). "'KGF' film review: Lots of style and not enough substance". Scroll.in. Archived from the original on 18 January 2019. Retrieved 23 December 2018.
  2. ^ a b "KGF Box Office collection: Record! 1st Kannada movie to release in Pakistan; earns whopping Rs 200 cr worldwide". Zee Business. 17 January 2019. Archived from the original on 8 February 2022. Retrieved 9 December 2020.
  3. ^ "KGF: Chapter 2 - This Bollywood actor to boost box office collections of Yash starrer?". www.zeebiz.com. 29 July 2019. Archived from the original on 30 October 2020. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  4. ^ "Yash's film KGF: Chapter 1 made Rs 250 crore at the box office worldwide and became a magnum-opus. Now, the makers are busy with pre-production work of KGF: Chapter 2.", indiatoday, 9 February 2019, archived from the original on 27 March 2019, retrieved 14 February 2019
  5. ^ "The story of KGF is fresh and special for Indian cinema: Yash". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 12 August 2023. Retrieved 23 December 2018. With Rajinikanth-Akshay Kumar's 2.0 clawing its way up the Indian box-office — arriving on the heels of Baahubali 1 and 2, which proved the theatrical potential of epic crossover films — Kannada cinema seems ready with a massive offering in the period action genre, KGF: Chapter 1.
  6. ^ "Yash And Radhika Pandit To Pair Up Again In KGF!". Filmibeat. 6 March 2015. Archived from the original on 16 October 2019. Retrieved 25 December 2018.
  7. ^ "Yash discusses risks of shooting on a gold mine for KGF". The Indian Express. 20 December 2018. Archived from the original on 20 December 2018. Retrieved 25 December 2018.
  8. ^ Kumar, Hemanth (16 December 2018). "KGF: Chapter 1 — Yash, director Prashanth Neel on their upcoming film, and taking cues from SS Rajamouli". Firstpost. Archived from the original on 30 August 2023. Retrieved 25 December 2018.
  9. ^ Hooli, Shekhar H. (21 December 2018). "KGF movie review: This is what Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam audience say about Yash starrer". International Business Times, India Edition. Archived from the original on 13 November 2021. Retrieved 25 December 2018.
  10. ^ "Yash's film KGF: Chapter 1 made more than Rs 250 crore at the box office worldwide and became a magnum-opus. Now, the makers are busy with pre-production work of KGF: Chapter 2.", indiatoday, 9 February 2019, archived from the original on 27 March 2019, retrieved 14 February 2019
  11. ^ "66th National Film Awards for 2018 announced". Press Information Bureau Government of India Ministry of Information & Broadcasting. Archived from the original on 10 August 2019. Retrieved 9 August 2019.