Revisiting Simhadri (2003): Review + Interesting Facts + Devara Part 1 Reaction

Credits

Banner: VMC

Cast: NTR, Bhumika Chawla, Ankita, Seeta, Kota Srinivasa Rao, Brahmanandam, Nasar, Mukesh Rushi, Sarad Saxena, Rahul Dev, Rajan P Dev, Chalapati Rao, Bhanu Chandar, Surya, Hari, Venu Madhav, Rallapalli, GV, Kallu Chidambaram, Dharmavarapu Subramanyam, Subbaraya Sharma, Pardhasaradhi, Sangeeta, Hema, Ramya Sri, Sravani, Ragini, Master Sandeep, Master Mahendra

Story: Vijayendra Prasad

Dialogues: Viswanath, Rathnam

Music: MM Keeravani

Songs: Veturi, Sirivennela, ChandraBose, Vennelakanti

Art: Anand Sai

Stunts: A Vijay

Cinematography: K Ravindra Babu

Editing: Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao

Co-director: Thota Rama Krishna

Presented by: V Daraswamy Raju

Producer: V Vijay Kumar Varma

Screenplay - Direction: SS Rajamouli

Release date: 9 July 2003

Interesting Facts

• After Aadi, NTR became a star and the two movies he did after Allari Ramudu and Naaga flopped and he realized he has to keep the stardom (nilapettu kovali) and he listened to almost 80 stories within that gap and didnt like any of them. 
• Finally in VMC Banner, he started a movie with Kalisunam Raa fame Uday Shankar and they filmed 2 songs bit they didnt like the output and they stopped the movie. Then Rajamouli was getting ready for his 2nd movie with Raghavanedra Rao son as hero but due to budget issues, movie stopped, then Vijayanedra Prasad at that time wrote a story for B Gopal Balayya combo. But Balayya didnt like the story and then Rajamouli said we can make this with another hero and kept it. 
• He told Vijayendra Prasad to narrate it to NTR but Vijjayendra Prasad said antha kurrodu cheyyagalda. Rajamouli confidently said chesthadu. Started narrating the scene When NAssar takes a bath and breaks Ravibabu bones first and NTR didnt move at all (kadhalakunda vinnadu) said idhi kadha naaku kavalsindi and said tworaga start cheddam to the producer 
• They started the casting and finalized it, started filming in November 2002, originally Ankitha character was to be done by Aarthi Agarwal but she was busy with Vasantham and couldn’t give dates they took Ankitha 
• With everything in the story already set, filming finished very fast. Hyderabad, Vizag, Kerala filming was done and completed in 100 working days. 9 crores budget and 14 crores pre release business 
• Finally on July 9th, 2003 released with 150 prints. After 2 days, NTR prabhajanam started. SIngamalali was heard everywhere and a perfect mass masala movie idhi raa ante. People were lined up at the theater and everywhere you went only Simhadri Simhadri. People were Fidaa with NTR acting 
• Nenu kavala, adhi kavala scene, interval scene, Bhanuchander champe scene, NTR goppa natudu manaki choopisthayi 
• While watching the climax of Vasantha Kokila, Vijayendra Prasad wrote the story of Simhadri. 
• With this movie NTR become a superstar and was next to only Chiranjeevi in TFI and media projected him as No1 hero in Telugu 
• Coming to box office, created some 1st week records like 50 days in 180 centers and then direct 100 days in 150 centers, appatlo all India record, next 175 days in 52 centers, its still an all time record 
• In Nellore, it collected 92 lakh gross which was all time record until Gabbar Singh in 2012 
• In many towns and cities, it had all time records and was a gigantic blockbuster 
• Collected 25 crores share but it was not an Industry hit at it didnt cross Indra share which was 28 crores. Regardless it was still all time top 2 movie and NTR