# Gabbar Singh (film)

Gabbar Singh is a 2012 Indian Telugu-language masala film directed by Harish Shankar. It is a remake of the 2010 Hindi film Dabangg. The film stars Pawan Kalyan and Shruti Haasan. Devi Sri Prasad composed the film's music and Jayanan Vincent was the cinematographer. The plot follows Venkataratnam Naidu, a police officer who, inspired by a film character, adopts the name Gabbar Singh. Posted in a village, he faces off against a local thug aspiring to join politics who manipulates his half-brother. Gabbar Singh embarks on a mission to dismantle the thug's corrupt political ambitions and restore justice.
Made on a budget of ₹30 crore, the film was formally launched on 18 August 2011 at Hyderabad with shooting primarily held in Pollachi district. The film grossed around ₹101 crore worldwide, becoming the 2nd highest-grossing Telugu film at the time, emerging as the highest-grossing Telugu film of the year.
Kalyan's performance was acclaimed for its charisma and energy, blending mass appeal with comedy, earning him the Filmfare Award for Best Actor – Telugu, the SIIMA Award for Best Actor – Telugu, a CineMAA Award, among other accolades. A sequel, Sardaar Gabbar Singh, was released in 2016.

## Plot

Venkataratnam Naidu lives with his mother, stepfather Naidu, and younger half-brother Ajay in Kondaveedu. His stepfather is always partial towards Ajay, much to Venkataratnam's anger. He stops caring about others' opinions and renames himself after the fictional character "Gabbar Singh." As his resentment towards his brother and stepfather grows, Gabbar Singh runs away from home. His stepfather eventually finds him and sends him to a boarding school away from Kondaveedu.
Twenty-one years later, Gabbar Singh is a police officer posted as the Circle Inspector (CI) for the Kondaveedu region. His anger towards his brother and stepfather remains unchanged, and he lives separately from them. Though he wants to live with his mother in his new house, she prefers to stay with Naidu. Ajay is a gambling addict with debts all over the village. Gabbar Singh falls in love with a handicraft vendor named Bhagya Lakshmi.
Siddhappa Naidu is a local goon who, with his uncle's help, aspires to become the MLA of the region in the upcoming by-election. He seeks nomination from the ruling party. Although Siddhappa despises Gabbar Singh for obstructing his illegal activities, he tries to win him over. Gabbar Singh refuses, stating that he knows Siddhappa's true nature and warns him. Angered by Gabbar Singh's response, Siddhappa sends goons to disrupt the Kondaveedu market yard. Gabbar Singh confronts and defeats them, reopening the market yard. Enraged, Siddhappa plans to kill Gabbar Singh, but his uncle advises speaking with the Home Minister to have Gabbar Singh transferred out of Kondaveedu. The minister denies their request and advises Siddhappa to make peace with Gabbar Singh or risk his political ambitions.
Meanwhile, Gabbar Singh proposes to Bhagya Lakshmi, but she rejects him, stating she must care for her ailing, alcoholic father and cannot marry while he is alive. Gabbar Singh returns home to find his mother dead. He attempts to make peace with his stepfather, but Naidu rejects him as an outcast. Gabbar Singh is then attacked by Siddhappa's men at a handicraft exhibition. He defeats them and confronts Siddhappa, warning him to stop interfering and declaring he will never allow Siddhappa to become an MLA.
Provoked by Siddhappa's men, Ajay brutally injures one of his creditors. Siddhappa calls the police to warn them about the fight. Gabbar Singh publicly beats his brother, disgracing him. Siddhappa tries to exploit the situation to have Gabbar Singh suspended, but Naidu resolves the issue by accepting Gabbar Singh's apology. Angered by the outcome, Siddhappa challenges Gabbar Singh, warning that something significant will happen in the next 24 hours. Gabbar Singh interrogates Siddhappa's henchmen and learns Siddhappa arranged Bhagya Lakshmi's marriage to a local merchant by bribing her father to enrage Gabbar Singh. Gabbar Singh crashes the wedding, confirms Bhagya Lakshmi's love for him, and marries her on the spot.
As a last effort, Siddhappa tries to bribe the high command for a party nomination, offering ₹5 crore. Gabbar Singh learns of this and steals the money. Ajay, in desperate need of money, is approached by Siddhappa, who offers help in exchange for Ajay's assistance in his election campaign. Siddhappa instructs Ajay to deliver a cellphone and a box of sweets to the Minister's house, unknowingly containing a bomb that kills the minister. Knowing that it was Gabbar Singh's brother behind the blast, the district superintendent suspends Gabbar Singh. Gabbar Singh confronts Naidu about the actions of Ajay. Naidu suffers a heart attack and is hospitalized, where Gabbar Singh cares for him, rekindling their bond.
Ajay, shocked by the blast, convinces Siddhappa to kill Gabbar Singh. Although he has no intention of killing his brother, he agrees to escape Siddhappa's grasp and confesses to Gabbar that he was sent to kill him. Gabbar attempts to take Ajay to the commissioner for a confession, but Siddhappa reveals he killed Gabbar's mother while searching for his money. In a final battle, Gabbar Singh storms Siddhappa's house, kills his goons, and defeats Siddhappa. Gabbar Singh then hires most of Siddhappa's henchmen for low-profile police jobs while discussing his future with Bhagya Lakshmi.

## Cast

* Pawan Kalyan as Venkataratnam Naidu / Gabbar Singh
** Akash Puri as Young Venkataratnam Naidu / Young Gabbar Singh
* Shruti Haasan as Bhagyalakshmi
* Abhimanyu Singh as Siddhappa Naidu
* Ajay as Gabbar Singh's brother
* Suhasini Maniratnam as Gabbar Singh's mother
* Nagineedu as Naidu, Gabbar Singh's stepfather
* Kota Srinivasa Rao as Bhagyalakshmi's father
* Rao Ramesh as Minister Pradeep Kumar
* Brahmanandam as Recovery Ranjit Kumar
* Ali as Constable Ram Prasad aka 'Samba'
* Jaya Prakash Reddy as Police Commissioner
* Tanikella Bharani as Siddhappa Naidu's uncle
* Prabhakar as Banda Swamy
* Prabhas Sreenu as Siddappa Seenu
* Gayatri Rao As Harathi (Guest Appearance)
* Hari Teja as Bhagyalakshmi's assistant
* Prudhvi Raj as Nagaraju
* Praveen as Yakambaram, Ranjit Kumar's PA
* Saptagiri as Villager
* Dhanraj as Villager
* Fish Venkat as Siddhappa Naidu's henchman
* Harsha Vardhan as Doctor
* Vajja Venkata Giridhar as Police officer
* Narra Srinivas as Police officer
* Chammak Chandra as Villager
* Satya as Tea shop vendor
* Malaika Arora in the item number "Kevvu Keka"
* Gym Ravi as groom

## Production
### Development

In 2011, Pawan expressed interest in remaking the Hindi film Dabangg to Telugu as he was impressed with the film. Arbaaz Khan sold the remake rights to Pawan. It was originally announced that Pawan would produce the film under his newly formed production banner "Pawan Kalyan Creative Works"; however, it was announced that Bandla Ganesh will produce the film under his banner Parameswara Cine Creations. Pawan approached Harish to direct the Telugu remake of Dabangg. Harish Shankar revealed he was supposed to direct Mirapakaay (originally titled "Romantic Rishi") with Pawan Kalyan which was dropped due to various reasons.

### Casting

Harish Shankar signed Shruti Haasan as the film's actress. Shruti had signed the film in November 2011 replacing Ileana D'Cruz who had opted out, and played the role of Bhagyalakshmi, a village girl, which had been played by Sonakshi Sinha in the original version. Parvati Melton and Malaika Arora (who performed an item number in the original movie) were finally selected to perform an item number for which the latter was reported to have been paid ₹1 crore (US$110,000); however, Ganesh denied that Malaika was paid ₹1 crore and also refused to divulge details about her remuneration. Kota Srinivasa Rao, Rao Ramesh and Jaya Prakash Reddy were selected to portray supporting roles.

## Themes and influences

Few dialogues were written for and uttered by Pawan Kalyan's character in the film. Dialogues like "Naku konchem thikka undi, kani daniko lekka undi" (I am crazy, but my craziness has a calculation) epitomises the nature of the characterisation of cop roles in Telugu cinema. Director Harish Shankar defended by quoting, "Fans like to see their favourite stars doing incredible things. I just tried to tweak Pawan's character for a better audience connection. The last dialogue of Pawan in the film "Police ane vaadu...Janam lo bhayam pogottevaadu avvali, kaani jananni bhayapette vaadu kaadu" (The policeman should be the one who removes the fear in the people, but not the one who scares the people) sums up our film. I respect police officers and have made sure that we do not offend them in any way". The lyrics of the song "Kevvu Keka" draw heavily from folk literature (Jana Padams), this art form was developed by uneducated farmers who wrote those songs to entertain themselves while working in the fields.

## Music

The soundtrack of the film was composed by Devi Sri Prasad. On 15 April 2012, Pawan Kalyan along with Bandla Ganesh, Harish Shankar and few others visited Tirumala, where they released the first song from the film and soon after that they went to Visakhapatnam and visited Simhachalam Temple where they released the second song from the film.

## Release

The film was released worldwide in around 2500 theaters. Central Board of Film Certification passed the film with an 'U/A' certificate. British Board of Film Classification passed the film with a '15' rating due to strong violence.

### Legal issues

KV Chalapathi Rao, State President of AP Police Officers Association said, "The red towel which Pawan Kalyan wears in one of the movie stills is the point of contention. We see municipality workers in such attire generally and it is derogatory to show a police officer in such light".

## Reception
### Critical reception

Sify wrote, "The first half is filled with mass masala, while the second half turns hackneyed, but the drawback is instantly overcome thanks to the comedy". Rediff wrote, "Entertaining it may be, but Gabbar Singh is filled with violence and some vulgarity and not meant for the very young audience". Sangeetha Devi Dundoo of The Hindu said, "The story is formulaic. Don't expect anything out of the box. What comes as a saver is an engaging screenplay, witty dialogues and performances from the actors". Karthik Pasupulate of Times of India rated the film 4 out of 5 stars stating that: "The movie sets a new benchmark as far as "paisa vasool" goes."

### Box office

The film had collected a record share of ₹27.4 crore worldwide with a record first week share of ₹25 crore from Andhra Pradesh alone. The total three weeks share of the film now stands at ₹50.45 crore. The film has grossed more than US$1 million at the United States box office. The film had earned ₹128 crore (US$15 million) gross worldwide in the first three weeks. The film has completed 50 days in 307 centres on 29 June 2012. Sources added that Gabbar Singh has also registered another record of running in 250 direct centers. The film has shattered the box office collections records and has created a new history by raking around ₹53 crore share after 50 days run.
Gabbar Singh grossed ₹101 crore (US$12 million) worldwide with a lifetime distributor share of ₹60.5 crore (US$6.9 million).

### Accolades

| Ceremony | Category | Nominee | Result |
| Hyderabad Times Film Awards 2012 | Best Actor – Male | Pawan Kalyan | Won |
| Hyderabad Times Film Awards 2012 | Best Music Director | Devi Sri Prasad | Won |
| TSR – TV9 National Film Awards 2012 | Best Playblack Singer – Male | Vaddepalli Srinivas – "Ey Pillaa" | Won |
| 2nd South Indian International Movie Awards | Best Film (Telugu) | Bandla Ganesh | Nominated |
| 2nd South Indian International Movie Awards | Best Director (Telugu) | Harish Shankar | Won |
| 2nd South Indian International Movie Awards | Best Cinematographer (Telugu) | Jayanan Vincent | Nominated |
| 2nd South Indian International Movie Awards | Best Actor (Telugu) | Pawan Kalyan | Won |
| 2nd South Indian International Movie Awards | Best Actress (Telugu) | Shruti Haasan | Won |
| 2nd South Indian International Movie Awards | Best Supporting Actress (Telugu) | Suhasini | Nominated |
| 2nd South Indian International Movie Awards | Best Actor in a Negative Role | Abhimanyu Singh | Nominated |
| 2nd South Indian International Movie Awards | Best Comedian (Telugu) | Sreenu | Won |
| 2nd South Indian International Movie Awards | Best Music Director (Telugu) | Devi Sri Prasad | Won |
| 2nd South Indian International Movie Awards | Best Male Playback Singer | Shankar Mahadevan for "Akasam Ammayaithe" | Nominated |
| 2nd South Indian International Movie Awards | Best Female Playback Singer | Mamta Sharma for "Kevvu Keka" | Nominated |
| 2nd South Indian International Movie Awards | Best Fight Choreographer | Ram Lakshman | Won |
| 2nd South Indian International Movie Awards | Best Dance Choreographer | Ganesh for "Dekho Dekho Gabbar Singh" | Nominated |
| CineMAA Awards 2013 | Best Actor (Male) | Pawan Kalyan | Won |
| CineMAA Awards 2013 | Best Comedian | Antyakshari Team | Won |
| CineMAA Awards 2013 | Best Director | Harish Shankar | Won |
| CineMAA Awards 2013 | Best Film | Bandla Ganesh | Won |
| CineMAA Awards 2013 | Best Choreographer | Ganesh | Won |
| CineMAA Awards 2013 | Best Editor | Gowtham Raju | Won |
| 60th Filmfare Awards South | Best Film | Bandla Ganesh | Nominated |
| 60th Filmfare Awards South | Best Director | Harish Shankar | Nominated |
| 60th Filmfare Awards South | Best Actor (Male) | Pawan Kalyan | Won |
| 60th Filmfare Awards South | Best Music Director | Devi Sri Prasad | Won |
| 60th Filmfare Awards South | Best Lyrics | Sahithi Pawan – "Kevvu Keka" | Nominated |
| 60th Filmfare Awards South | Best Playback Singer (Male) | Vaddepalli Srinivas – "Pillaa" | Won |
| Mirchi Music Awards South 2012 | Best Album of the Year – Jury Choice | Devi Sri Prasad | Won |
| Mirchi Music Awards South 2012 | Best Album of the Year – Listeners Choice | Devi Sri Prasad | Won |
| Mirchi Music Awards South 2012 | Best Song of the Year – Jury Choice | "Akasam Ammayaithe" | Won |
| Mirchi Music Awards South 2012 | Best Song of the Year – Listeners Choice | "Kevvu Keka" | Won |
| Mirchi Music Awards South 2012 | Best Composer of the Year | Devi Sri Prasad | Won |
| Santosham Film Awards 2013 | Best Editor | Gowtham Raju | Won |

## Legacy

The success of the film made Shruti Haasan one of the most sought-after actresses in Telugu cinema. The film catapulted Pawan again into beckoning after his continuous failures Puli (2010), Theenmaar (2011) and Panjaa (2011). Nisha Kothari starrer Bullet Rani is said to be inspired by Gabbar Singh. Suresh Goswami, director of the film clarified that "I don't mind if my film is called the female version of Gabbar Singh, but it's definitely not a spoof. In fact, Nisha's role is inspired by Pawan's tough cop act in his film".

## In popular culture

The films Kevvu Keka (2012), Gunde Jaari Gallanthayyinde (2013) and Pilla Nuvvu Leni Jeevitham (2014) were named after the songs from the film. The song "Kevvu Keka" was parodied in Atharintiki Daaredi (2013). The "Antakshari" sequence was parodied in Shadow (2013), featuring "Kevvu Keka". In Naayak (2013), Siddharth (Ram Charan) and Nandini (Amala Paul) are seen watching the Bengali dub of Gabbar Singh in a theatre. In Race Gurram (2014), Lucky (Allu Arjun) and Spandana (Shruti Haasan) are watching Gabbar Singh at a cafe. The track "Pillaa" can be heard during the boardroom scene in Trivikram Srinivas's Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo (2020), with Bantu (Allu Arjun) and Sitaram (Sunil) dancing on this song.

## Sequel

Pawan Kalyan announced his intention to star in Gabbar Singh 2, which he would begin working on after his film Atharintiki Daaredi released in October 2013. However, the film was postponed due to the political entry of Pawan Kalyan and was set to go on floors in December 2014. The film will not be a prequel or sequel to the original Gabbar Singh, but a stand-alone film within the Gabbar Singh franchise and the film was scripted by Kalyan himself. Sampath Nandi has been named as the film's director, with Devi Sri Prasad set to compose the film's music. Anisha Ambrose was announced as the lead female role; however, she was replaced by Kajal Agarwal. The regular shooting for Gabbar Singh 2 commenced on 29 May 2015 at Malshej Ghats in Maharashtra. The film (later titled Sardaar Gabbar Singh) was released in April 2016.