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Pelli Choopulu

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Pelli Choopulu
Theatrical release poster
Directed byTharun Bhascker
Written byTharun Bhascker
Produced by
  • Raj Kandukuri
  • Yash Rangineni[1]
Starring
CinematographyNagesh Banell
Edited byRavi Teja Girijala
Music byVivek Sagar
Production
companies
  • BigBen Cinemas
  • Dharmapatha Creations
Distributed by
Release date
  • 29 July 2016 (2016-07-29)
Running time
118 minutes
CountryIndia
LanguageTelugu
Budget₹60 lakh–₹1.2 crore[2][3][4]
Box officeest. ₹30 crore[5]

Pelli Choopulu (transl. Matchmaking) is a 2016 Indian Telugu-language romantic comedy film written and directed by Tharun Bhascker and produced by Raj Kandukuri and Yash Rangineni. It features Vijay Deverakonda and Ritu Varma in the lead roles. Partly based on a real-life incident of "Spitfire BBQ" food truck,[6] the film revolves around a boy and a girl who meet during match-making. How their aspirations bring them together forms the rest of the story.

The film was released worldwide on 29 July 2016 to positive reviews from critics and became a commercial blockbuster.[7][8] The film provided breakthrough for the film's cast and crew. It is considered one of the "25 Greatest Telugu Films Of The Decade" by Film Companion.[9]

The film won two National Film Awards–Best Telugu Film and Best Screenplay, two Andhra Pradesh State Nandi Awards–Best Feature Film and Best Actress, Telangana State Gaddar Film Awards for Second Best Feature Film, and two Filmfare Awards South including Best Telugu Film.[10][11] The film was remade in Hindi as Mitron (2018), in Malayalam as Vijay Superum Pournamiyum (2019) and in Tamil as Oh Manapenne! (2021).[12]

Plot

[edit]

Prasanth, an unmotivated engineering graduate who took five years to clear his backlogs, arrives at Chitra's house for an arranged matchmaking meeting. Despite his laziness, Prasanth harbors a secret dream of becoming a chef and opening his own restaurant, a passion his traditional father completely refuses to support. Chitra, by contrast, is an ambitious and highly focused woman working toward her dream of moving to Australia, though her father ignores her aspirations due to regressive gender biases. During their introductory meeting, Chitra's young cousin accidentally locks the bedroom door from the outside. Because the door frequently jams, the two are left trapped inside. To pass the time while waiting for a locksmith, they begin discussing their past lives.

Chitra reveals that she was previously in love with a North Indian man named Vikram, with whom she planned to launch a food truck venture. While Vikram traveled to Delhi to secure his family's approval for their relationship and business, an enthusiastic Chitra bought the truck to surprise him. However, Vikram never returned, succumbing to his family's demands for a lucrative dowry elsewhere. Realizing they were abandoned, Chitra's humiliated father decided to hastily arrange her marriage to any available suitor.

Prasanth then shares his own background, explaining how he spent his post-college years unemployed, hanging out with two equally aimless friends. Seeking an easy path to success, they initially produced online cooking videos to showcase Prasanth's genuine culinary talents. When the channel proved unprofitable, they pivoted to making public prank videos, which abruptly ended when Prasanth's father caught them red-handed. Forced into a call center job through his father's connections, Prasanth began dating a woman simply to boast to his friends. The relationship imploded when her secondary boyfriend called him at his desk, prompting Prasanth to pick a fight with his boss and quit on the spot.

Following their lengthy conversation, the door is finally opened, leading to the sudden realization that Prasanth had accidentally entered the wrong house number and missed his actual appointment. Prasanth departs for his correct matchmaking date with a wealthy family, while Chitra formally rejects her intended suitor, stating she has no interest in domestic life. However, because the family of Prasanth's wealthy prospective bride demands he demonstrate business acumen before marriage, Prasanth approaches Chitra with a proposal. They agree to partner up and operate Chitra's idle food truck, utilizing Prasanth as the head chef and Chitra as the business manager. The joint venture faces immediate friction due to the sheer laziness of Prasanth and his friends, culminating in a major argument that temporarily halts the business.

Determined to set things right, Prasanth visits Chitra's father, advising him to take pride in his independent daughter and asserting that anyone would be fortunate to have a child like her. Touched by his sincerity, Chitra retaliates by visiting Prasanth's father. By preparing one of Prasanth's signature recipes, she successfully demonstrates his immense culinary talent to his critical family. Reinvigorated by the newly earned support of both their households, the duo relaunches the food truck, which quickly becomes a massive commercial success.

Through their shared triumphs, Prasanth and Chitra gradually fall in love, though neither openly acknowledges it due to their respective upcoming arranged marriages to other people. As the weddings approach, the two emotionally drift apart in silence. Realizing the depth of their feelings at the final hour, their mutual friends intervene, organizing a public confession on a popular live radio show. Backed by the blessings of their fully reformed families, Prasanth and Chitra happily call off their weddings and permanently unite as romantic and business partners.

Cast

[edit]
  • Vijay Deverakonda as Prashanth
  • Ritu Varma as Chitra
  • Priyadarshi Pulikonda as Kaushik
  • Abhay Bethiganti as Vishnu
  • Nandu as Vikram
  • Anish Kuruvilla as Businessman
  • Kedar Shankar as Prashanth's father
  • Khenisha Chandran as Richa
  • Yogi Khathri as Event Manager
  • Padmaja Lanka as Satya, Prashanth's mother
  • Gururaj Manepalli as Chitra's father
  • Sujata Gosukonda as Chitra's mother
  • Anisha Alla as Prashanth's ex-girlfriend
  • Keshav Deepak as Prashanth's Boss

Production

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Development

[edit]

After making numerous short films, Tharun Bhascker made his directorial debut with this film.[2] According to Tharun, Pelli Choopulu "is a very urban comedy set in a middle class in Hyderabad. It shows the contrast between the old and young generations and the comedy of errors that can happen within the space."[13] Tharun had this basic idea of two contrasting personalities meeting for match-making, both getting stuck in a room is a metaphor for dating while food truck is a metaphor for live-in relationship.[2]

Casting

[edit]

Ritu Verma who earlier worked in Tharun's Anukokunda was selected as lead actress while Vijay Deverakonda, who portrayed a supporting role in Yevade Subramanyam (2015), made his debut as lead actor with this film.[14] Vijay agreed to do this role as he found it "realistically very lazy" and "so close to my heart because young attitude, irresponsible behaviour was a part of my personal life".[15]

Filming

[edit]

Tharun shot the entire film in sync sound as he feels it offers freedom for artists to improvise their dialogues. The sync sound equipment, from Mumbai, that was used for Gangs of Wasseypur was used for this film.[13] The filming was completed within 35 days.[15]

Distribution and Box-office

[edit]

The film's budget was ₹60 lakh to 1.2 crore.[2][3][4] The producer had spent another ₹60 lakh on its promotion. D. Suresh Babu acquired the theatrical rights for an amount of ₹1.50 crore and released it under his banner Suresh Productions across Andhra Pradesh and Telangana.[3]

The film collected over ₹5 crore gross at the AP/TG box office in its opening week. In five weeks, the film has grossed over ₹30 crore.[5] The film's theatrical rights in the US had been bought for $200,000 and it went on to gross over $1.22 million, making it the biggest overseas hit in terms of return on investment.[5][16][17]

Gemini TV had acquired its satellite rights for an amount of ₹2.35 crore.[3]

Themes and influences

[edit]

Tharun followed character arcs from Knocked Up (directed by Judd Apatow). For the food truck business thread, Tharun revealed he drew inspirations from films like 100 foot journey and Chef.[2]

Soundtrack

[edit]
Pelli Choopulu
Soundtrack album to Pelli Choopulu by
Vivek Sagar
Released29 July 2016
Recorded2016
StudioTapeloop
GenreFeature film soundtrack
Length19:18
LanguageTelugu
LabelMadhura Audio
ProducerVivek Sagar
Vivek Sagar chronology
Race
(2013)		 Pelli Choopulu
(2016)		 Yuddham Sharanam
(2017)

This film has six songs composed by Vivek Sagar and lyrics are written by Rahul Ramakrishna, Shreshta, Shri, & Nikhil Bharadwaj. Music released on Madhura Audio.

Vivek Sagar earlier composed music for Tharun Bhascker's short film Sainma, he revealed that the film's music was conceived only after the film was shot.[18] "With no lip sync songs, the music blended in with the narrative", he said.[19]

Track listing
No.TitleLyricsArtist(s)Length
1."Ee Babu Gariki"Rahul RamakrishnaSooraj Santhosh3:10
2."Chinuku Taake"ShreshtaAmritavarshini KC4:38
3."Raalu Raaga Poolamala"Rahul Ramakrishna, ShriShri, Wilson Herald3:23
4."Merise Merise"ShreshtaHaricharan, Pranavi Acharya5.04
5."Aanandamayenu"InstrumentalTejas Mallela (violin), Ranjani Sivakumar (singer)1:41
6."Spitfire Friends"Nikhil BharadwajNikhil Bharadwaj3:22
Total length:19:18

Accolades

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Award[a] Date of ceremony[b] Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
Filmfare Awards South 17 June 2017 Best Film – Telugu Pelli Choopulu Won [20]
[21]
Best Director – Telugu Tharun Bhascker Nominated
Best Actress – Telugu Ritu Varma Nominated
Critics Best Actress – Telugu Won
Best Music Director – Telugu Vivek Sagar Nominated
Best Female Playback Singer – Telugu Amritavarshini K. C. for ("Chinuku Taake") Nominated
IIFA Utsavam 28 – 29 March 2017 Best Picture – Telugu Pelli Choopulu Nominated [22]
[23]
Best Director – Telugu Tharun Bhascker Nominated
Best Story – Telugu Nominated
Best Actor-Telugu Vijay Deverakonda Nominated
Best Actress – Telugu Ritu Varma Nominated
Best Supporting Actor – Telugu Nandu Nominated
Best Performance In A Comic Role – Telugu Priyadarshi Pulikonda Won
Best Music Director – Telugu Vivek Sagar Nominated
Nandi Awards of 2016 14 November 2017 Best Feature Film Raj Kandukuri and Yash Rangineni Won [24]
Best Actress Ritu Varma Won
National Film Awards 3 May 2017 Best Feature Film in Telugu Dharamapatha Creations and Tharun Bhascker Won [25]
Best Screenplay (Dialogues) Tharun Bhascker Won
South Indian International Movie Awards 30 June – 1 July 2017 Best Film (Telugu) Pelli Choopulu – Dharmapath Creations & BigBen Cinemas Won [26]
[27]
Best Debut Director (Telugu) Tharun Bhascker Won
Best Actress (Telugu) Ritu Varma Nominated
Best Comedian (Telugu) Priyadarshi Pulikonda Won
Best Music Director (Telugu) Vivek Sagar Nominated
Santosham Film Awards 12 August 2017 Best Film Pelli Choopulu – Dharmapath Creations & BigBen Cinemas Won
Best Producer Raj Kandukuri Won
Best Debut Director Tharun Bhascker Won
Telangana Gaddar Film Awards 14 June 2025 Second Best Feature Film Raj Kandukuri
Tharun Bhascker		 Won [28]

Remakes

[edit]

Pelli Choopulu was remade in Hindi as Mitron (2018),[29] in Malayalam as Vijay Superum Pournamiyum (2019),[30] and in Tamil as Oh Manapenne! (2021).[31] A Kannada remake Shaadi Bhagya with Gurunandan and Shraddha Srinath in the lead was being planned as of 2017.[32]

Notes

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  1. ↑ Awards are in alphabetical order.
  2. ↑ Date is linked to the article about the awards held that year, wherever possible.

References

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  1. ↑ "D.Suresh babu presents "Pelli Choopulu" Releasing on July 29th". Idlebrain.com. 17 July 2016. Archived from the original on 24 September 2016. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Post mortem – Pelli Choopulu by Tharun Bhascker – Telugu cinema news". idlebrain.com. Archived from the original on 1 February 2020. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Hooli, Shekhar H. (7 August 2016). "Salman Khan to watch 'Pelli Choopulu' at special screening; is he planning to remake it in Hindi?". International Business Times. Archived from the original on 29 June 2020. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  4. 1 2 "Pellichoopulu 50-days run: Director Tharun Bhascker shares his success story". The Indian Express. 17 September 2016. Archived from the original on 30 June 2020. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  5. 1 2 3 Sudhir, TS (4 September 2016). "Why The Success Of 'Pelli Choopulu' Is Great News For Telugu Cinema". HuffPost. Archived from the original on 24 September 2020. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
  6. ↑ Pasha, Gouse. "Meet The Real-Life Couple Who Inspired The Lead Characters Of Pelli Choopulu!". Chai Bisket. Archived from the original on 27 January 2020. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
  7. ↑ "'Pelli Choopulu' review: A Refreshing and realistic love story". The New Indian Express. 29 July 2016. Archived from the original on 1 October 2016. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
  8. ↑ "Pelli Choopulu review: A gem of a film". The Hindu. 29 July 2016. Archived from the original on 22 October 2021. Retrieved 25 October 2016.
  9. ↑ "25 Greatest Telugu Films Of The Decade". Film Companion. Archived from the original on 17 October 2019. Retrieved 26 June 2021.
  10. ↑ "Nani and Jr NTR bag top honours at SIIMA-2017 | Telugu Movie News". The Times of India. 1 July 2017. Archived from the original on 11 November 2017. Retrieved 6 September 2017.
  11. ↑ "64th National Film Awards" (PDF) (Press release). Directorate of Film Festivals. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 June 2017. Retrieved 7 April 2017.
  12. ↑ "Gaddar Telangana Film Awards: Adivi Sesh Thanks Telangana Government For Honouring Major, Expresses Gratitude To Mahesh Babu". Times Now. 30 May 2025.
  13. 1 2 Chowdhary, Y. Sunita (1 December 2015). "After short films, Tarun Bhasker to direct a feature". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 6 May 2017. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  14. ↑ "From YouTube to 70MM". The Hans India. 30 April 2016. Archived from the original on 20 October 2018. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  15. 1 2 "Interview with Vijay Devarakonda about Pelli Choopulu – Telugu cinema actor". idlebrain.com. Archived from the original on 30 April 2020. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  16. ↑ "Pelli Choopulu box office collection: Telugu indie film mints Rs 6 cr in US". India Today. 21 August 2016. Archived from the original on 27 July 2022. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
  17. ↑ Hooli, Shekhar H. (27 September 2016). "Pelli Choopulu US box office collection: Vijay-Ritu's film grosses $1.22 million in 59 days". IBTimes. Archived from the original on 27 July 2022. Retrieved 27 July 2022.
  18. ↑ Dundoo, Sangeetha Devi (11 September 2017). "Vivek Sagar: Career not driven by an agenda". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  19. ↑ Nadadhur, Srivathsan (27 July 2016). "Eclecticism, his signature". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 21 December 2019. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  20. ↑ "Nominations for the 64th Jio Filmfare Awards (South)". Filmfare. 8 June 2017. Archived from the original on 4 July 2020. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  21. ↑ "Winners of the 64th Jio Filmfare Awards (South)". Filmfare. 17 June 2017. Archived from the original on 16 April 2018. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  22. ↑ "IIFA Utsavam 2017 Telugu nomination list: Janatha Garage, Oopiri get most nods". International Business Times. 14 March 2017. Archived from the original on 19 October 2019. Retrieved 25 August 2020.
  23. ↑ "IIFA Utsavam: Complete winner's list". The Indian Express. 30 March 2017. Archived from the original on 29 July 2019. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  24. ↑ "Nandi Film Awards G.O and Results 2016". APFTVTDC. Archived from the original on 22 October 2021. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  25. ↑ "64th National Film Awards 2017" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. Archived (PDF) from the original on 25 July 2020. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  26. ↑ "SIIMA Nominations: Theri, Janatha Garage, Maheshinte Prathikaram and Kirik Party lead". The Indian Express. 31 May 2017. Archived from the original on 5 July 2020. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  27. ↑ "SIIMA Awards 2017 Telugu winners list: Jr NTR and Rakul Preet Singh declared best actors". International Business Times. 2 July 2017. Archived from the original on 27 September 2020. Retrieved 24 August 2020.
  28. ↑ "Gaddar Telangana Film Awards from 2014 to 2023 announced". The Hindu. 30 May 2025.
  29. ↑ "'Mitron' movie review: A hit and a miss kind of film". The New Indian Express. Archived from the original on 9 September 2019. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  30. ↑ "Vijay Superum Pournamiyum review: A watchable romantic comedy". Sify. Archived from the original on 11 August 2020. Retrieved 7 May 2020.
  31. ↑ Aiyappan, Ashameera (22 October 2021). "Oh Manapenney movie review: Harish Kalyan, Priya Bhavanishankar lead a faithful remake". Firstpost. Archived from the original on 22 October 2021. Retrieved 22 October 2021.
  32. ↑ "Pelli Choopulu is Shaadi Bhagya in sandalwood". The Times of India. 22 February 2017. Archived from the original on 24 February 2017. Retrieved 17 May 2024.
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