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Karthikeya 2
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Wikipedia article
{{Infobox film
| name = Karthikeya 2
| image = Karthikeya 2 Poster.jpeg
| caption = Theatrical release poster
| director = Chandoo Mondeti
| writer = Chandoo Mondeti
| producer =
| starring =
| cinematography = Karthik Ghattamneni
| editing = Karthik Ghattamneni
| music = Kaala Bhairava
| studio =
| distributor = Zee Studios
| released =
| runtime = 145 minutes
| country = India
| language = Telugu
| budget = crore
| gross = crore
}}
'Karthikeya 2' is a 2022 Indian Telugu-language mystery action-adventure film written and directed by Chandoo Mondeti. The film serves as a sequel to the 2014 film 'Karthikeya' and stars Nikhil Siddhartha, Anupama Parameswaran, and Anupam Kher. It is produced by Abhishek Agarwal Arts and People Media Factory. The plot follows Dr. Karthikeya who is on a quest to find the lost anklet of Lord Krishna.
'Karthikeya 2' was officially launched in March 2020. Principal photography commenced in February 2021 and ended in March 2022, with delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Filming took place in India, predominantly in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh, in addition to Spain, Portugal, and Greece in Europe. The film's music composed by Kaala Bhairava with cinematography and editing done by Karthik Ghattamneni.
Made on an budget of crore, 'Karthikeya 2' was released on 13 August 2022 and received positive reviews from critics and emerged as a commercial success.
Plot
After the events from the previous film Professor Ranganath Rao, an archaeological researcher, visits a library in Greece and learns that Lord Krishna has trusted Uddhava to safeguard his anklet which is equipped with solutions to problems faced by humans in Kali Yugam. Karthikeya is a doctor from Hyderabad who believes in science and logic. To fulfil a vow made by his mother years ago, Karthikeya leaves for Dwaraka along with his mother and uncle Sadananda, who is a devotee of Lord Krishna. One night, a wounded Rao meets Karthikeya to reveal something but is kidnapped before Karthikeya could treat him. The following day, his mother goes missing and Karthikeya is arrested by the police who accuse him of murder. The cops ask Karthikeya about the information which Rao allegedly told him in exchange for his release. A woman rescues Karthikeya from the cops, where she introduces herself as Rao's granddaughter Mugdha. Meanwhile, a mysterious man attacks Karthikeya to kill him but stops when he sees the idol of Lord Krishna. They learn through a sage that man is Abheera, a member of an exiled cult that worships Lord Krishna. Their aim is to kill anyone who approaches Krishna's belongings.
Later, Karthikeya finds his mother and allows her to participate in the 11 days of Bhajan of Krishna, so that he can unfold the mystery. They visit Rao's office in Bet Dwarka and read a letter written by him. Rao has found that Udhava had hidden the anklet in an unknown location, leaving clues to find it. For centuries, many adventurous men tried to find it in vain. Pallava King Suryavarman reached the closest and told the penultimate clue to Greek traveller Ptolemy. Ptolemy hid the object with the clue in Krishna Thatakam which Karthikeya retrieves. It is revealed that another professor named Santanu, who is also after the anklet, had killed Rao and notified the cops about Karthikeya. Santanu declares a reward for those who find Karthikeya and Mugdha. However, they decode the peacock-shaped object, locate the final clue in Govardhana Hill and hire Suleman's truck to smuggle them to that place. Upon arrival, they are captured by villagers for the reward, but they manage to escape. They enter the hill with the help of the peacock-shaped object and retrieve a telescope from inside. The following morning, Mugdha escapes with the telescope while Karthikeya and others are captured by Santanu's men, who leave them to die in the desert.
Mugdha returns and rescues them, also finding the contact of Dr. Dhanvanthri, who might help them. They travel to Himachal Pradesh and visit him. Dhanvanthri explains that Rao and Santanu were part of a secret society that believes ancient India has technology far more advanced than the modern world. When Santanu proposed to use Krishna's anklet for selfish reasons, Rao sought to use it for collective good instead. The fate lets Rao choose Karthikeya to carry forward his mission. Dhanvanthri also explains that Krishna was not just a god, but also a person born and brought up on this planet who excelled in various fields. While returning, they are surrounded by the police, but they escape through a frozen river. However, the truck runs out of fuel and drowns. They are attacked once again by Abheera, but is forced to practice peace for 24 hours due to 'Krishna Paksham'. Karthikeya observes the constellations through the telescope and finds the final location. They reach the place through a waterfall but Abheera attacks to kill them. However, Karthikeya joins the peacock-shaped object and telescope to form a flute and places it on Krishna's idol in that cave. The idol turns and opens up an underground hallway filled with snakes that leads to the anklet. Karthikeya successfully retrieves the anklet, where he achieves nationwide fame for finding the anklet while Santanu is brutally killed by Abheera. Subsequently, Karthikeya embarks on a new mission to unfold the mysterious link between Krishna and the deep waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
Cast
Production
The sequel to 'Karthikeya' was announced in October 2017 by Nikhil Siddhartha through Twitter saying that it would commence from the end of 2018. However due to delays from his previous film 'Arjun Suravaram', the film was officially launched in March 2020 in Tirupati with a puja ceremony.
Principal photography commenced in February 2021 and was shot in Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh. However in March 2021 filming was stalled due to Nikhil suffering a leg injury. Filming then resumed in April 2021. In March 2022, the makers travelled to Spain, Portugal and Greece for the final schedule.
Soundtrack
The film score and soundtrack album of the film is composed by Kaala Bhairava. The music rights were acquired by Zee Music Company. The full soundtrack album was released on 31 August 2022, while the Hindi version was released on 7 September 2022.
Release
'Karthikeya 2' was released on 13 August 2022 in Telugu along with dubbed version in Hindi. In April 2022, it was announced that the film was going to release on 22 July 2022 but was later postponed to 12 August 2022 in order to avoid a clash with 'Thank You'. It was later pushed back a day due to avoid a clash with another Telugu film, 'Macherla Niyojakavargam'.
'Sakshi' reported that the worldwide theatrical rights of the film were sold at a cost of . Zee Studios acquired theatrical, satellite and digital distribution rights of the film.
The Malayalam dubbed version of the film is scheduled to release on 23 September 2022 in theatres across Kerala.
Reception
Critical reception
'Karthikeya 2' opened to positive reviews from critics. Dhaval Roy of 'The Times of India' rated the Hindi version of the film 3.5 out of 5 stars and called it "an adventurous ride that's a grander and more exciting version of the first part." A reviewer for '123Telugu.com' rated the film 3.25 out of 5 stars and noted, "'Karthikeya 2' is a well made adventure thriller filled with great visuals and engaging narration". Jeevi of 'Idlebrain.com' rated the film 3 out of 5 stars and said, "'Karthikeya 2' is a decent adventurous mystic thriller that works." Neeshita Nyayapati of 'The Times of India' rated the Telugu version of the film 3 out of 5 stars and wrote, "'Karthikeya 2' remains a worthy successor to 'Karthikeya' minus the over-the-top strong-arming of Nikhil's character by the end."A critic for 'Sakshi Post' rated the film 3 out of 5 stars and wrote, "'Karthikeya 2' is a brilliant and stunning thriller." Satya Pulagam of 'ABP Desam' rated the film 3 out of 5 stars and noted, "The story of 'Karthikeya' 2 isn't as good as the first part, but the screenplay of 'Karthikeya 2' is gripping, especially the second half and the climax. Some of the scenes and the drama are extraordinary." A critic for 'Pinkvilla' rated the film 3 out of 5 stars and said, "'Karthikeya 2' executes quite a few dangerous events without building a proper context. The mood of this film is this: it's either spirituality, science or skepticism on display". Grace Cyril of 'India Today' rated the film 1.5 out of 5 stars and wrote "Karthikeya 2 goes through various stages, but this journey could have been narrated in an easier manner."
A critic for 'Eenadu' praised the backdrop, screenplay, and Nikhil's performance and called it an entertaining new journey. A critic for 'Andhra Jyothi' called the film a 'spiritual thriller' and praised the director Chandoo Mondeti for giving the audience a new experience different from routine commercial films. Writing for 'The Hindu', Sangeetha Devi Dundoo opined that the premise is reminiscent of Ashwin Sanghi's book 'The Krishna Key'. She further wrote, "Had the narrative been shorn of its preachy tone, 'Karthikeya 2' would have been a riveting thriller."
Box office
On its opening day, 'Karthikeya 2' collected a total gross of worldwide with a distributors' share of . The film grossed more than at the worldwide box office in its opening weekend".The Hindi dubbed version of the film initially saw a limited theatrical release. However, due to public demand, number of shows were increased from 53 to 1575 within 5 days in North India. The Hindi version netted at the domestic box office in the first three days. The film achieved its break even mark and entered into profit zone in 3 days.
By the fourth week, the film has collected a total gross of $1.5 million at the United States box-office.
Future
Before the film's release, Mondeti announced his intentions to make 'Karthikeya 3.' "I want to tell many stories of Karthikeya and want to make it into a franchise," Mondeti said in an interview with 'The New Indian Express'. The final act of 'Karthikeya 2' sets the stage for 'Karthikeya 3'.
Notes
References
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