Love Story (2021 film)

In September 2018, Narayan Das K. Narang and Pushkar Ram Mohan Rao of Asian Cinemas, a prominent distribution and multiplex venture announced their maiden film production, through its subsidiary Sree Venkateshwara Cinemas.[6] Sekhar Kammula was reported to direct for the banner, along with his own production Amigos Creations and was reported to be a musical romantic comedy film featuring debutants. Dimple Hayathi was signed to play the lead.[7] However, the project was later shelved after a minor shoot.[8]

Kammula later approached Naga Chaitanya for the project, whom he eventually agreed after reading the script.[9] Sai Pallavi was also chosen for the female lead role,[10] marking her second collaboration with Kammula after Fidaa (2017).[11] A formal launch event with a pooja ceremony was held on 27 June 2019 at the Venkateshwara Temple in Tirupati.[12] Love Story was reported as a tentative title, which was confirmed as the film's official title in January 2020.[13][14]

Kammula announced that Chaitanya will be seen speaking Telangana dialect in the film, and Pallavi "could spring a surprise for the audience."[15] Devayani, Rao Ramesh, Posani Krishna Murali, Rajeev Kanakala and Easwari Rao amongst others were reported to appear in supporting roles,[16] along with Satyam Rajesh and Thagubothu Ramesh.[17] Sekhar Kammula roped in debutant Pawan Ch, an alumnus of A. R. Rahman's KM Music Conservatory, to score music for the songs and the background.[15] Vijay C. Kumar and Marthand K. Venkatesh who regularly worked in Kammula's projects, handled the cinematography and editing respectively.[17]

The principal photography of the film commenced on 9 September 2019 in Hyderabad.[18] After shooting crucial scenes in Hyderabad and surrounding areas, and the team traveled to Dubai for their next schedule in February 2020,[19] which was stalled in the same month due to the COVID-19 pandemic.[20]

Filming was resumed on 5 September 2020 with a limited crew of 15 members being present in the final schedule.[20] In mid-September, a song featuring Chaitanya and Pallavi was shot at the Bodakonda falls in Ranga Reddy district.[21] One of the songs were reported to be choreographed and instructed by Pallavi, with the team stating her "extraordinary talent in dancing".[22] The shooting of the film was completed in November 2020.[23][24]

Prior to the release, the film made a business of ₹32 crore (US$4.0 million) from its theatrical rights,[36] Geetha Arts' subsidiary digital service Aha, claimed the acquisition for the film's post-theatrical streaming rights, with the television broadcasting rights were acquired by Star Maa.[37] Advance bookings for the film began on 22 September, two days before the theatrical release and it fetched ₹1 crore (US$130,000) from the worldwide pre-booking sales.[36] The film premiered on Aha on 22 October 2021.[38] The film's Hindi version dubbed by Aditya Movies was premiered on Sony Max on 13 February 2022.[39]

Love Story received mixed reviews from critics who praised the performances while the lengthy runtime received criticism.[42] Neeshita Nyayapati of The Times of India called the film Kammula's "ode to love." She said that Chaitanya has delivered one of his career's best performances and Pallavi was "dream to watch" while also praising the supporting cast of Kanakala, Easwari Rao and Uttej. However, Nayapati felt that the ending was a little rushed.[43] Hindustan Times's Haricharan Pudipeddi stated: "In spite of the hurried climax and the predictable ending, the film works to a large extent because of its sensible treatment and earnest performances of Naga Chaitanya and Sai Pallavi, who complement each other so well."[44]

The Hindu critic Sangeetha Devi Dundoo appreciated the performances of Chaitanya and Pallavi, and Kammula's taking, writing, "Love Story could have been yet another Sairaat, but Sekhar expertly steers it in a different direction in the last act. Romance is one of the most commonly explored genres in commercial cinema and after a point, one tends to view it with cynicism. But this one kept me invested; I watched with bated breath, hoping that Revanth and Mounika cross the hurdles in their path.[45] Gabbetta Ranjith Kumar of The Indian Express called the film Kammula's best yet. "With its foot-tapping music, captivating dance moves and engaging script, it gives you bang for your buck and then delivers a social commentary that you take home with you," he wrote.[46] In another positive review, a critic from Deccan Chronicle appreciated the direction and performance, writing, "Love Story movie illustrates the prevalent caste discrimination amid a love story, and director Sekhar Kammula gets it right for most part, balancing the two aspects of the film."[47]

Balakrishna Ganeshan of The News Minute called Pawan Ch's music as one of the film's biggest strengths. He appreciated Kumar's cinematography but criticized the poorly done CGI to show the iconic Purana pul bridge. Ganesan also compared Love Story with Uppena which was released earlier that year, saying that both the protagonists were Dalit Christian but were deprived of a happy ending.[48] Murali Krishna Ch of Cinema Express said that despite a promising start, the film lost its steam as it progressed due to uninspired writing. He opined that Kammula has changed the usual style of filmmaking but the premise of the film itself is an old trope in Telugu cinema.[49] Vijaya Mruthyunjaya from Deccan Herald opined that the film lacked "heart" with unnecessary backstories and needless subplots, adding that Love Story paled out in comparison to other Telugu films of the same genre like K. Balachander's love tragedy Maro Charitra (1978).[50] Reviewing the film for Business Standard, J Jagannath criticized Kammula's direction saying that he treated the sensitive climax portions in an "almost flippant manner by leaving the audience high and dry with a hurried ending."[51]

Love Story grossed ₹60 crore worldwide at the box office.[3] It earned ₹16.5 crore worldwide on its opening day, with ₹10.3 crore coming from the states of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.[52] Box Office India reported that the film netted 8.75 crore in India on day one, making it the 8th highest opener post-COVID-19 pandemic and the highest since cinemas began to be shown in theatres, after the theatres being reopened after the second wave.[53] In its opening weekend, the film grossed ₹10.25 crore with distributors obtaining a share of 5.7 crore.[54] The film grossed ₹50.05 crore in its first seven days of release.[55] The film entered the profit zone on its 16th day, grossing over ₹58 crore.[56]

Aha acquired and premiered Love Story on 15 February 2020.[57]