Credits
Banner: Sri Venkateswara Cine Chitra
Cast: Prabhas, Sriya Saran, Bhanu Priya, Kota Srinivasa Rao, Pradeep Rawat, Venu Madhav, Narendra Jha, Shafi, Jaya Prakash Reddy, Jeeva, Sekhar, Ajay, Arti Agarwal, Surya, Mumaith Khan.
Music: MM Keeravani
Story: Vijayendra Prasad
Dialogues: M Rathnam
Lyrics: Veturi, Chandra Bose, Shivashakti Dutta
Art: R Ravinder
Editing: Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao
Cinematography: K K Senthil Kumar
Action: Peter Hynes
Screenplay - direction: SS Rajamouli
Producer: B V S N Prasad
Theatrical release date: 29th September 2005
Context and thoughts: First watched it on VHS, remember it being very violent but remembered interval scene when I was a kid. First mass movie of Prabhas and came after two flops Chakram and Adavi Ramudu. On rewatch, movie is still good but it has it’s own issues which I’ll discuss later. But most of all putting aside the issues, its still entertaining with a good pace. One of Prabhas best performances and emotions wise Rajamouli mark movie.
Interesting Facts: https://www.idlebrain.com/movie/postmortem/chatrapati.html
Writing/Direction: Logline is a guy who lost his mother wants to reunite with her. Difference is he becomes a big don and she doesn;t know what he looks like in present day. How they find each other forms the rest of the story. Out and Out Rajamouli movie because he’s the master of action plus emotions. The writing is excellent for the most part throughout but it’s almost like watching two films on one ticket. Beginning it starts off with Ras Bihari exploiting the slaves for his business and the theme and cinematic take of oppressor vs oppressed comes into play. Prabhas is like a volcano waiting to erupt and finally does when Katraj hurts the little boy Seenu I think.
That entire 20 mins sequence is among the greatest sequences un Telugu cinema history and I feel that the interval bang is the best ever in Telugu cinema history because it was the first interval to give that level of high and the first to be that memorable. Rajamouli speciality is interval bangs and some folks say Baahubali 1 and 2 or RRR but Chatrapathi was the first do it.
Even now if you watch it, the taking, dialogues, and BGM give unlimited goosebumps. The first half is so good and literally perfect that if the movie ends, you’re more than satisfied. But Sivaju reuntiting with his mother is still left to cover.
And the entire 2nd half feels like a Drag because of the ultimate high that the interval bang gave, what ever comes after isn’t able to match the standards set by that. It’s overly melodramatic and more than anything you kind of wait for it to end. Love track is also odd. At first Shirya thinks Prabhas is asking her for money to sleep with her and she’s a prostitute which is not in good taste and then Venu Madhav comedy is there where he says he want to rape Shirya. Also the shark fight in the beginning is terribly done with the graphics. These are all the minus points of the movie.
But the moment in the climax when Prabhas meets him mom after she shoots him and says the dialogue brings water to your eyes.
Overall, Chatrapathi is a perfect movie for one half and the other one doesnt live unto the same level but at the end of the day it;s still entertaining at the end of the day and a Rajamouli mark film.
Technicalities:
Music is decent and BGM by Keeravani is excellent. Gives goosebumps throughout and evokes the right emotions. Chatrapathi is one of the weaker albums in Rajamouli’s career but A Vachi B Pai Vale and Gundu Soodi are the best songs. Pretty sure Aarthi Agarwal has an item song. 2nd combo of Prabhas and Aarti after Adavi Ramudu.
Cinematography by KK Senthil Kumar is amazing. He spoke about the lighting and everything and in the interval scene, the taking and visuals are peaks omg. Wouldn’t say its a visual feast but the movie is definitely grand and set the precedent for his cinematographic style and vision.
Editing by Kotagiri Venkateswara Rao is fine.
