Revisting Sekhar Kammula's Leader (2010): Review + Interesting Facts

Banner: AVM Productions

Cast: Rana Daggubati, Richa Gangopadhyay, Priya Anand, Kota Sreenivasa Rao, Suman, Suhasini, Subbaraju, Harsha Vardhan, Tanikella Bharani, Rao Ramesh, Ahuti Prasad, Narsing Yadav and Udaya Bhanu (SA)

Music: Mikey J Meyer
Cinematography: Vijay C Kumar
Editing: Marthand K Venkatesh

Art Direction: Thota Tharani
Story - screenplay - dialogues - director: Sekhar Kammula
Producer: MS Guhan
Release date: 19 February 2010

Interesting Facts: https://www.idlebrain.com/celeb/interview/sekharkammula-leader.html

Music was launched on November 22nd 2009 in Hotel Marriott. Chiranjeevi and Ramanaidu came as chief guests. Allu Arjun also came to the event along with Nagarjuna and Venkatesh in attendance obviously. Siumanth also came. Basically everybody came can see the audio launch photos. 

Finally movie released on February 19th 2010 and got average talk. 

Coming to box office details according to Sekhar Kammula 

What was the commercial outcome of your last film Leader?
Leader was made on a budget of 13 crores. It has collected a theatrical share of 10 crores and made 3 crores on satellite rights. It was a safe project. Leader film had everything going against it compared to commercial flicks. It has no comedy, no romance and the subject was politics and politics are always playing on TV channels. Despite that it made a theatrical share of 10 crore rupees. I feel that minimum market for my films is 10 crores of theatrical share.

Writing/Direction

Basically this is like an unofficial trilogy of common men becoming CM’s or similar type of guy doing his job as CM honestly with Oke Okkadu, Leader and Bharat Ane Nenu. 

When people said BAN was leader, I didnt believe them but its literally just commercialized version of Leader but done in a way entertaining fashion and in more in depth manner. Leader only covers a few things. 

Main themes are honesty and corruption. Very interesting balance since both are opposite of each other. 

Movie starts off is a never funny way so random. Jeeps come and then suddenly it explodes and and drama builds and there’s reasoning for everything to a point. 

Direction by Shekar Kammula is ok. His writing is good in 1st half and political commentary about politics in his eyes, but a terrible 2nd half along with not deeply exploring the various issues and sectors a CM has to deal with gives a incomplete feeling making Leader an average movie. 

Technicalities

Music and BGM by Mickey J meyer is good. Songs are very good and BGM is in sync with rest of the movie. Got goosebumps at start of Venademataram song and taking.