Gautamiputra Satakarni (2017) User Reviews

"NBK Hits His Century In Style"

[afsalthodupuzha · 7/10 · 13 January 2017]

GPSK,marking the collaboration of Nandi award winners director Krish and veteran actor Nandamuri Balakrishna in his 100th feature film was the talk of the Tollywood industry and critics and audience were equally excited to witness the reel-life presentation of Satavahana king Gautamiputar Satakarni who's believed to unite the empire from internal conflicts and western invasions.

Spectacular preview reports,celebrity applause and initial reviews from benefit shows increased my expectations on the movie which was kept in-tact by Krish who succeeded in creating space for trademark goose-bump sequences from NBK without compromising the historical accuracy of the movie.The most striking thing to be noted here is that Krish and his team could complete the production of this epic historical drama on such big canvas in a mean span of just 79 days! Take a bow Krish __/\__ The movie started of well with a stunning intro of NBK followed by a war sequence on sea that lasted around 15 minutes.Various characters in the story-line were introduced in a short span of time and Krish could create a connect with the Telugu audience instantaneously,thanks to memorable dialogues penned by Madhav Burra that celebrates the oneness and the unity of Telugu people.

Notably,the emotional part too was given due care alongside portrayal of wars,a reason why GPSK could strike a chord with the normal front-benchers and fans of Balayya.The second and final war sequences added with interval punch were shot exceptionally well and the best fraction of the movie that's well-trimmed by Suraj Jagtap and Rama Krishna Arram at around 135 minutes.

Yet another towering performance by Balayya stamped his authority in portraying historical figures with required grandeur on silver screen.The 56-old veteran actor was at his best shooting fiery one-liners,something that he's well-known for among his die-hard fans.Age doesn't seem to have brought any low in the dedication of NBK who manged to portray the war sequence with required zeal as demanded by the screenplay.Shriya Saran as the better half of Satakarni gave a notable performance which will be counted among her best performance s in recent years.Hema Malini too did her part well as Gautami Balashri.Kannada superstar Hattrick Hero Shivaraj Kumar appeared during a stage play sequence and won the hearts with his touching performance.

On the negative side,the CGI part during the initial war sequence was bit on the lower side,but luckily made up in the course of the narration.Also,the second half could have been polished better to increase the pace of the movie.

Cinematography by Gnanasekhar was top-notch and he succeeded in capturing the details exceptionally well ,boosting the impact of war sequences in particular.Music by Bollywood composer Chirantan Bhatt who earlier collaborated with Krish for Gabbar Is Back and Kaanchi was good with the pick among the songs being the duet 'Mruga Nayanaa' sung by legend SPB and Shreya Ghoshal.The Background Score was even better and perfect for a movie of such genre.

Overall,Gautamiputra Satakarni is a pretty well-executed war drama that's sure to win the hearts of Telugu audience.

Poorly crafted film and a one time watch.

[surya-prasad138 · 6/10 · 22 January 2017]

This film riding high on the "Telugu self respect" wave has hardly anything about the Telugu culture. Supposedly a magnum opus by Krish, known for his hard hitting films, this film wanes when it comes to the trademark of Krish. I was totally disappointed when stellar actors like 'Subhalekha' Sudhakar and Tanikella Bharani reduced to seconds and minutes respectively. Actresses Shriya and Hema Malini too don't have much scope to display their acting prowess. But the biggest positive is how well Balayya acts departing from his much stereotyped roles. He delivers the well written dialogues with elan. Balayya is the sole reason this film causes the viewer to sit. 'Sirivennela' Sitarama Sastry's lyrics are poetic and thought provoking. But Chirantan Bhatt's music is too loud and the lyrical beauty is lost in 2-3 songs. The background music is loud and unending. The fight scenes are laughably choreographed. The director included four battles resulting in shallow character sketches.

Why should you watch this film ? - Balayya's acting prowess - The beauty of Telugu which is seemingly waning in this age - This film is a breather in an industry ridden with routine themes and genres

Disappointments: - Not much of Telugu culture - Deplorable background music - Shallow character sketches - Hastily made film ending in poor graphics - Laughable stunts and fights

Verdict: One can't constrict books of history into a 2hr 30 min film. A tight schedule and budget with a story of this sort renders the product ugly. Endpoint: I spent my money on this and got its value rather than the routine and boring crap churned out day by day.

Reflection of Heritage

[baluquasar · 6/10 · 26 February 2017]

Starting with the titles, the movie started with great spirit of unification of India, especially the screenplay is astounding, the technical team is truly amazing for their visual effects and the vision of director in reflecting the role of heroism is astounding. Sound effects and background scores, character introductions and their roles were perfectly presented by each and every member of cast and crew. In terms of costumes, weapons and traditional reflections are truly presented by the director, in the mission of the title. In simple, this is the most entertaining movie after Bahubali, when we try to understand the DNA of both the movies, we don't need to compare them, they are the master pieces of their own identity.

Great Historical Film

[harishnj · 6/10 · 19 June 2022]

One of the great historical films ever made in Indian cinema. The story plot makes the audience complete engaged throughout the run time of the film. Performances from Balakrishna sir and Shriya mam is completely fantastic.

Gautamiputra Satakarni is a must watch film for its terrific performances,dialogues,top notch visuals and especially its story about an unsung Telugu emperor.

[shobanchittuprolu · 8/10 · 12 January 2017]

Gautamiputra Satakarni (2017): What could be more interesting than the combo of Krish and Balayya and that too as Balayya's 100th film.Curiosity is generated since the project announcement and when the news is out that Satakarni is the the great Telugu emperor who ruled a major part of India from Amaravathi.Not many people in the current generation are aware of this part of history before the announcement of this film.Director Krish who has made some memorable movies like Gamyam Vedam and recently Kanche further created huge expectations on the movie after releasing a stunning trailer. So, has this historical movie lived up to expectations?

Plot:

The story of the film is based on Gautamiputra Satakarni(Balakrishna), one of the most powerful kings who belonged to the Satavahana dynasty in India.He aims to bring various states/rajyas under one rule and unite them as one country. Although his wife Vasishta Devi (Sheiya) doesn't like his war-spree, his mother Balasri (Hema Malini) supports him.After winning a major battle against western king Nahapana, he prepares to fight against external forces such as Greek King Demetrius. But this fight is not going to be on a small scale. Can Satakarni win this battle?

Plus Points:

1)Performances: There is no doubt in saying that no one other than Nandamuri Balakrishna would have suited Satakarni's role as the star hero did. Right from Balayya's screen presence to his command over grandhika Telugu is an asset to the character.Balayya's dialogue delivery is in top form during war scenes and will surely bring goosebumps to fans all over.GPSK is one of the career best performances of Balayya.Shreya looked gorgeous and delivered wonderful performance.Her expressions in emotional scenes are very good.Hema Malini gave decent performance.The actress who played the Greek soldier role is seductive.

2)Dialogues: Dialogues are written beautifully by Sai Madhav and also mouthed by Balakrishna effectively.Krish films are well known for its meaningful thought provoking dialogues and this movie got plenty of them.Many dialogues are striking and entire credit goes to Sai Madhav for his talent for writing effective dialogues in Grandhika Telugu.

1)Sharanam ante Prana Bhiksha...Ranam ante Marana Bhiksha 2)Aadadhaani Kanneelu Gundello vuntey Puttillu Kallalo vuntey Attharillu..

There are lot more striking dialogues like these.

3)Cinematography and Visuals: Gnana Sekhar's excellent cinematography is the major highlight, he has filmed war sequences with aplomb. His eye for detailing has made the frames perfect.Gautamiputra Satakarni has some top class technical values.The movie has superb art work and graphical output. Visual effects in war sequences are terrific.

4)Direction: Krish should be applauded for bringing another epic heroic drama to Telugu Audience.His idea of making a biopic of an unknown ruler is a commendable job.Krish amazes everyone by opting for less CG and keeping things real. His story is very powerful and he as a director does not vary much in his narration.Kudos to him for showcasing the film in such a grand manner with whatever limited budget and resources he had (Within 80 days).

5)Costumes: This is one of the few movies where costumes,armory chose used for the war look realistic.

Minus Points:

1)Slow Pace: Gautamiputra Satakarni is not a regular commercial masala film.Even though Krish added a bit of commercial touch in few scenes,still this movie may not go well with commercial movie lovers.War Scenes are lengthy but effective

So,Gautamiputra Satakarni is a must watch film for its terrific performances,dialogues,top notch visuals and especially its story about an unsung Telugu emperor.

My rating 8/10

Bland and boring movie with no plot.

[dhruvkota · 4/10 · 17 January 2017]

Gautamiputra Satakarni is a disappointment. This movie is very slow, with an extremely boring plot. The visual effects on the screen almost make you cringe, and are not fit for a war movie. It is just war, war, war, with poor effects and replaying of the same scene! Also, Balakrishna is too old to be in such a movie, and he is literally shaking while moving on the horse. Fight scenes are terrible, slow, and plainly mediocre. The only good parts of the movie is some dialogue and the screenplay of Shriya. I do not suggest going to this movie unless you have a deep love for Telugu history. I was literally trying not to sleep halfway through the film.

Gautamiputra Satakarni is a must watch film for its terrific performances,dialogues, especially its story about an unsung Telugu emperor.

[sai-46998 · 10/10 · 13 January 2017]

The story of the film is based on Gautamiputra Satakarni(Balakrishna), one of the most powerful kings who belonged to the Satavahana dynasty in India. Even though there are many stories about how he ruled India, Krish showcases how he went on to win two crucial kingdoms ruled by Indian kings and also defeated the mighty Greeks who invaded India during the good old ancient days.

There is no doubt in saying that no one other than Nandamuri Balakrishna would have suited Satakarni's role as the star hero did. Right from Balayya's screen presence to his poise as the striking emperor, everything looks top notch. He looks regal as Satakarni and works extremely hard in all the war scenes. Balayya's dialogue delivery is in top form during war scenes and will surely bring goosebumps to fans all over. Shreya is the surprise package of the film as she gives her career best performance as Vasistha Devi. Shreya looks gorgeous as the princess and emotes supremely well throughout the film. The interval bang and the war scenes that come during the last part of the first half are very good. Hema Malini plays her supporting role to the T and brings a dignity to the film.

Credit should go to Krish for bringing life into the story of an unsung king and narrating it in a hard hitting way. Production values are top notch as Krish amazes everyone by opting for less CG and keeping things real. His story is very powerful and he as a director does not vary much in his narration.

Couldn't bear it anymore after watching for 1/2 an hour!

[danny_alam007 · 1/10 · 6 October 2017]

I started watching this film seeing its positive feedback on IMDb. And if I'm not wrong it is one of the biggest Telugu hits of 2017. But after watching for half an hour, I couldn't bear it anymore. What a load of garbage? I don't know what kind of actor Bala Krishna is and the type of audience who actually watches such BS type movies. The movie is based on a historical character; however, no historical context or story at the beginning other than some flamboyant dialogues. Then the hero just wages war and wins everything single-handedly! I couldn't understand how this man needs an army!!!

Best movie I've seen this month

[giorgi-kenchiashvili · 10/10 · 18 August 2018]

I genuinely enjoyed every scene of this wonderful film

Gauthamiputra Sathakarni is a lengthy war scenes movie which tests your patience.. except 2 scenes, rest all yawn feeling..

[raghuraamn · 1/10 · 29 January 2017]

Gautamiputra Satakarni has been made with a limited budget in a short span of time. But the director has not managed to get production values. The choreography of war and action scenes are not upto mark, background score, picturisation and the weak dialogues are on the moviefront. Considering its production cost and time, its VFX works are good, but they are not up to the expected mark, fans say. To begin with, the story of the film is almost nonexistent. There are three principle characters and two of them have absolutely no arc. They are what they are from start to end. This is the biggest problem with the film as many don't get what the movie was all about. There is one war scene following the other and then the film ends. There is even a format for this type of films and an execution in that style too would have worked but that also doesn't happen.

Drawbacks of the film: Lack of story.. eak direction and Second half is not good at all.. Worst Telugu culture - Pathetic background music - No background on rise of Satakarni.. Balakrishna's makeup in certain scenes looks very odd.

Verdict: Sathakarni is a relentless war to bring the different kingdoms under single Satavahana rule. The wars he wages to achieve that is basically what the film is about. There are no major twists or turns in the life story of this emperor. Hence, the movie is lacking in drama. Movie is boring with no plot.

Excellent movie. Great watch

[flamesandthunders · 10/10 · 16 January 2017]

Do not miss this movie, it is a great experience indeed.I went with pretty low expectations, but to my amazement the movie is nothing like the regular balayya movies. In fact it is much better than Bahubali. The visuals were amazing and the story just breezes through. There was not a single moment of boredom. For a change the critics are right about this one. The war scenes were breath taking. They reminded me of many recent Hollywood movies.I am still surprised how the directory was able to pull this through in such a short time span. One would expect poor VFX etc. But man this was just not like that. Go for it without any hesitations.

No background on rise of Satakarni, supporting cast looks weak. Balakrishna's makeup in certain scenes looks very odd.

[rambvrm · 1/10 · 23 January 2017]

Most-awaited movies in recent times is Balakrishna's "Gautamiputra Satakarni" which is his 100th movie, a milestone in his long career. A story like Gautamiputra Satakrni should have been told even more elaborately. The makers should have spent more time in establishing who Satakarni actually was. The same goes for the war scenes as well. In spite of being well designed, too much of time is spent on them as they eat away most of the run time.

Krish, who is known to have some strong drama in his film disappoints a bit with this film. Except for Shreya and Balakrishnan's track rest of the film has less drama. The supporting cast looks weak and some better actors would have brought a lot of depth to the film. Balakrishna's makeup in certain scenes looks very odd.

Advantages of the film: Shreya's action Cinematography Sai Madhav's dialogues

Drawbacks: Lack of gripping screenplay and story Shivaraj Kumar's burra katha Movie Climax Weak Supporting actors Very less Drama

On the whole, we get the feeling that there is not much story to tell, as the hero is constantly at the war front. There are no major twists or turns in the life story of this emperor. Hence, the movie though visually appealing is lacking in drama.

As this is about our Telugu people's rich heritage and history, we should applaud Krish for attempting to tell this story. Krish could have concentrated more on story , dramatic moments and Balakrishna's makeup. despite many flaws "Gautamiputra Satakarni" makes a good watch as it is made with rich visuals and the story is about an unsung Telugu emperor.

Gautamiputra Satakarni - An Unsung Story of a Telugu Warrior

[sudheermuleesb · 10/10 · 16 January 2017]

What a performance, screen presence and dialogue delivery by #Balayya. Hats of to you. Jai Balayya Jai Jai Balayya. #DirKrish, you had a great vision and superb time sense, you teach-ed a lot to the TFI. At present you emerged as one of the Great Director from TFI to Indian Film Industry. Superb acting by #Hemamalini, #Shriya, #KabirBedi and other Co Stars. #SaiMadhavBorra, as #Rajamouli said your Pen is like #GPSK's Sword. You created the Dialouges of History for the Historical Film. From now on wards you emerged as a Top Writer. #Chirantan, all songs, music and RR is Excellent, your Music is a big asset. Congrats to the whole Team of #GautamiputraSatakarni. Saho Satakarni Saho. This is ours History. This is ours Pride. This is our Legacy.

Poor execution

[madtej · 4/10 · 1 January 2018]

First balayya did well in his role but in some scenes baalayya looks as a old person with carrybags in her face and very week direction .very boring

best movie ever in the Indian history

[topdifferences · 10/10 · 2 April 2017]

This time director Krish has given an epic to make the world know about the history of an Indian king who is known for his courage and governance. The movie is simply awesome and boost your motivation to the fullest and the war scenes are really mind-blowing and i personally liked the scene where the king take his 5 year old son to war..!!

Poor attempt at a historical epic

[Ansango · 4/10 · 26 January 2024]

Making a film on a historical figure is not a joke, and with GAUTAMIPUTRA SATKARNI it becomes fairly evident that you need more than just sincere intent to pull off a film of this calibre. The atrocious writing of this film turns it into just a typical mass hero worshipping action flick which happens to be set in a historical period. This film is said to be based on the namesake king, but the story is essentially a series of long-drawn war sequences with a little bit of dialogues in between, and I am pretty sure that a king is much more than just his military conquests. The story is very predictable, and despite the film being a series of war sequences, none of those register. All the action sequences are terribly shot and poorly choreographed. The war scene lacks any strategy, and is just shown as people running towards each other with their weapons, and the overall vibe is just really bad. The poor war sequences of this film reminded me of another film directed by Krish named KANCHE which suffered from a similar problem.

Overall, I am not a fan of Krish and this film further reinforces this fact.

A must watch Historic movie

[angarkarsourabh · 8/10 · 8 January 2022]

Nbk has done a good job even in this age looking younger then before.

Screenplay should have been better!

Music was not upto the best. Considering this as a historic movie it is justified.

Overall it's a good movie to watch.