| Oopiri / Thozha | |
|---|---|
 Theatrical release poster in Telugu | |
| Directed by | Vamshi Paidipally |
| Screenplay by |
|
| Story by |
|
| Based on | The Intouchables by Éric Toledano and Olivier Nakache |
| Produced by |
|
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | P. S. Vinod |
| Edited by |
|
| Music by | Gopi Sundar |
Production company | |
Release date |
|
Running time | |
| Country | India |
| Languages |
|
Oopiri (transl. Breath) is a 2016 Indian Telugu-language comedy-drama film directed by Vamshi Paidipally and produced by PVP Cinema. The film is shot simultaneously in Telugu and Tamil languages; the latter titled Thozha (transl. Friend). It stars Nagarjuna, Karthi (in his Telugu debut) and Tamannaah Bhatia while Prakash Raj, Ali, Vivek, Jayasudha, Kalpana and Tanikella Bharani playing supporting roles. The narrative focuses on the lives of Vikramaditya, a quadriplegic billionaire, and Seenu, his ex-convict caretaker, highlighting their realisation of the importance of life and relationships over money and disability.
Oopiri is a remake of Éric Toledano and Olivier Nakache's French film The Intouchables (2011). The rights to remake The Intouchables were acquired by Karan Johar and Guneet Monga in May 2014, who later authorised PVP Cinema to produce adaptations in regional languages, making Oopiri its first remake. Principal photography took place from March 2015 to February 2016 in locations including Chennai, Hyderabad, Paris, Belgrade and Novi Sad. Gopi Sundar composed the film's music, while P. S. Vinod was responsible for cinematography. Madhu and Praveen K. L. edited the Telugu and Tamil versions, respectively.
Oopiri and Thozha were released theatrically worldwide on 25 March 2016. Both films garnered critical acclaim for the performances of the lead actors, their cinematography and Vamshi Paidipally's direction in adapting the original story. The films won two awards at the 64th Filmfare Awards South: Best Director (Telugu) for Paidipally and Best Cinematography for P. S. Vinod. Additionally, Paidipally received the Best Director Award at the 6th South Indian International Movie Awards. Oopiri is regarded as one of the "25 Greatest Telugu Films of the Decade" by Film Companion.[3]
- ^ "Oopiri". British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on 31 January 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
- ^ "Thozha". British Board of Film Classification. Archived from the original on 31 January 2022. Retrieved 31 January 2022.
- ^ "25 Greatest Telugu Films Of The Decade". filmcompanion.in. Archived from the original on 17 October 2019. Retrieved 26 June 2021.