# Sahasa Simha

Sahasa Simha (transl. Adventurous/Brave Lion) is a 1982 Indian Kannada-language action crime film directed by Joe Simon and produced by M. Pandurangan and M. Ramalingam. The film stars Vishnuvardhan, Kajal Kiran, Rajya Lakshmi, Dheerendra Gopal, Thoogudeepa Srinivas, Vajramuni and Tiger Prabhakar. The music was composed by Satyam, with cinematography and editing were handled by H. G. Raju and P. Venkateshwara Ravu.
The film is based on the novel Chakravyuha by Manu, although the similarities with Ronald Neame's film The Odessa File (1974) have been widely discussed.
Sahasa Simha was released on 10 February 1982 and became a commercial success at the box office. The film marked a milestone in Kannada cinema, achieving cult status in Karnataka. it played a key role in elevating Vishnuvardhan's stardom. Following its success, a series of similar action films featuring Vishnuvardhan in the lead role were produced.

## Plot

Prathap, a police officer in Bangalore, lives with his sister Lakshmi. They were raised by Pratap's superior, Chowdhary, who treats them as his own children. One day, Prathap and Chowdhary investigate the murder of a man named Dheerajlal and discover a diary that reveals Dheerajlal’s real identity as Shankaralal. Shankaralal had been involved with a criminal gang led by Rathanlal and his associate Peter, who ran a child trafficking racket. After witnessing the gang’s brutal activities, including an acid attack on a child, Shankaralal felt guilty and decided to leave the gang. He chose to lead a peaceful life after seeing the boy reunited with his father.
Upon learning this, Prathap seeks Chowdhary's approval to go undercover and bring down the gang. Though initially reluctant, Chowdhary agrees. Prathap travels to Mumbai, where he meets Nandanlal from the Mumbai Police Department. Nandanlal reveals that Rathanlal and Peter died in an accident 25 years ago. That night, Prathap meets his new superior, Chakravarthy, who explains that Inspector Gopal Rao, Chakravarthy's close friend, had been assigned to capture Rathanlal and Peter. Gopal Rao had a personal motive, as the boy who was the victim of the acid attack was his son. Though Gopal Rao successfully apprehended them, the trio died in an accident while being transported to prison.
Prathap further reveals to Chakravarthy that Nandanlal is connected to Shankarlal, as their house addresses match. While leaving, Prathap is captured by crime bosses Robert and Jeevanlal, who demand to know the reason for inquiries about Rathanlal and Peter. Prathap remains silent but discovers that Nandanlal is working with them. To escape execution, Prathap fabricates a story, joins the gang, and reconnects with his girlfriend Rekha. He learns about the gang's operations, but his deception is eventually exposed. In a bid to protect himself, Prathap uses Shankaralal’s diary to prove his knowledge of the gang’s activities.
Nandanlal confronts Prathap and reveals that he is Shankarlal's son, seeking information about his father. Prathap asks him about Rathanlal and Peter, and Nandanlal reveals that Jeevanlal and Robert are actually Rathanlal and Peter, who faked their deaths after killing Gopal Rao in a car accident. Prathap reveals that Shankaralal's death was orchestrated by Rathanlal/Jeevanlal and Peter/Robert. Enraged, Nandanlal seeks revenge, but Prathap advises him not to act impulsively. With Nandanlal's help, Prathap escapes. Despite Prathap's warning, Nandanlal kills Peter/Robert for his father's death but is later killed by Rathanlal/Jeevanlal
Prathap meets Chakravarthy, presents his findings, and plans to raid the gang’s hideout. However, he learns that his sister, Lakshmi, has arrived in Mumbai to meet him. Lakshmi is confronted by Vijay, Rathanlal/Jeevanlal's son, who had previously attempted to harass her. In self-defense, Lakshmi kills Vijay. Vijay's associates capture her and take her to Rathanlal/Jeevanlal. Prathap arrives at the hideout to find Lakshmi dead. Enraged, he attacks Rathanlal/Jeevanlal’s associates and confronts the criminals, revealing that Gopal Rao’s son had suffered due to the acid attack on his family. Prathap unmasks himself and declares that he is Gopal Rao’s son. He then violently confronts a terrified Rathanlal/Jeevanlal, who soon dies. Chakravarthy, along with his team and Rekha, is horrified to witness Prathap's vengeance as he leaves the hideout.

## Cast

* Vishnuvardhan as Prathap
* Kajal Kiran as Rekha
* Rajyalakshmi as Lakshmi
* Vajramuni as Shankarlal/Dheerajlal
* Dheerendra Gopal as Ratanlal/Jeevanlal
* Thoogudeepa Srinivas as Peter/Robert
* Shakti Prasad as Chakravarthy
* Tiger Prabhakar as Nandanlal
* Sudheer as Inspector Gopal Rao
* Arikesari
* Udaykumar as Chaudhary (cameo)
* Chethan Ramarao in a cameo
* Ramanujam in a cameo
* Nithyanand in a cameo
* Vinodkumar
* Dr Rudresh
* Negro Johnny
* Gopalakrishna
* Jr Narasimharaju

## Production

Joe Simon, in an interview when asked about his experiences while filming Sahasa Simha, said that at the climactic scene Vishnuvardhan was supposed to pass through a tunnel and at the end of the tunnel he is supposed to climb bricks and push a chamber cover to go outside. He said that the tunnel had insufficient oxygen to breath. Most of the crew including the director, cameraman and technicians started to feel breathless and finally he decided not to continue and to shoot the climax in a studio, but Vishnuvardhan insisted that the shot be completed than and there and asked the director to continue with the shooting. Finally the shooting of the climax was completed on the same day.

## Soundtrack

The music was composed by Satyam.
| No. | Song | Singers | Lyrics | Length (m:ss) |
| 1 | "Mareyada Nenapanu" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam | R. N. Jayagopal | 04:24 |
| 2 | "Innu Endu" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam, S. Janaki | Chi. Udaya Shankar | 04:23 |
| 3 | "Bittare Sigalaara" | S. P. Balasubrahmanyam | Chi. Udaya Shankar | 03:42 |
| 4 | "Hegiddaru" | Vishnuvardhan, Renuka | Chi. Udaya Shankar | 03:46 |

## Reception

Sahasa Simha received critical acclaim for its cast performances (especially Vishnuvardhan and Thoogudeepa Srinivas), action sequences and plot. The film was a turning point in Vishnuvardhan's career as he was catapulted into superstardom. Following the success of the film, a series of similar action films were made with Vishnuvardhan in the lead role, modelled after Bachchan's angry young man persona. The film has over the years attained a cult status in Karnataka.

## Re-release

The film was re-released on 13 May 2016 and became the first of Vishnuvardhan's films to be re-released. The film was released in CinemaScope with 5.1 D.T.S sound. Upon re-release, the film received good response on the opening day, where it saw theatres having large cutout posters of Vishnuvardhan with fans flooding the movie halls.

## Legacy

Sahasa Simha is considered to be the turning point in Vishnuvardhan's career as it shot him into superstardom in Kannada cinema. Even the dialogues from the movie are still famous today. The success of the film bestowed the title of Sahasa Simha and The Angry Young Man of Kannada Cinema on him. The film inspired a comic book series titled Sahasa Simha Comic series. The comic revolves around Detective Sahasa Simha who solves mysteries with the help of his grandchildren and fights stemmed through social issues. The protagonist of the comic is based on Vishnuvardhan whereas the grandchildren's characters are based upon the Vishnuvardhan's real-life grandkids Jyestavardhan and Shloka.