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Power — news, coverage & facts — IJR

Notable quotes

“Nothing attracts the powerful quite like more power.”
— Ben Aaronovitch, Lies Sleeping (2018), , p. 102
“It is not possible to found a lasting power upon injustice, perjury, and treachery.”
— Demosthenes, reported in Josiah Hotchkiss Gilbert, Dictionary of Burning Words of Brilliant Writers (1895), p. 455
“Most people can bear adversity; but if you wish to know what a man really is give him power. This is the supreme test. It is the glory of Lincoln that, having almost absolute power, he never used it except on the side of mercy.”
— Robert G. Ingersoll, (1883), Unity: Freedom, Fellowship and Character in Religion, Volume 11, Number 3, The Exchange Table, True Greatness Exemplified in Abraham Lincoln, by Robert G. Ingersoll (excerpt), Quote Page 55, Column 1 and 2, Chicago, Illinois. (Google Books Full View)
“No matter what kind of promises a man who’s looking for power makes, he’s not going to turn out to be any different from the one he replaces.”
— Mike Resnick, Santiago: a Myth of the Far Future (1986), chapter 3
“Man is constantly being assured that he has more power than ever before in history, but his daily experience is one of powerlessness. … If he is with a business organization, the odds are great that he has sacrificed every other kind of independence in return for that dubious one known as financial.”
— Richard Weaver, Ideas Have Consequences (Chicago: 1948), p. 16
“When I resist, therefore, when I as a Democrat resist the concentration of power, I am resisting the processes of death, because the concentration of power is what always precedes the destruction of human initiative, and, therefore of human energy.”
— Woodrow Wilson, governor of New Jersey, speech, New York City, September 4, 1912. The Papers of Woodrow Wilson, ed. Arthur S. Link, vol. 25, p. 100 (1978). This speech was delivered to the Woodrow Wilson Workingmen's League "dollar dinner", at the Yorkville Casino.

Quotes via Wikiquote (CC BY-SA), each with its original source.

Plot

Baldev Sahay, a corrupt yet valiant ACP in Kolkata, attempts to save a dreaded gangster named Ganguly Bhai, but he loses his life, and Ganguly is kidnapped by Baldev's allies Kundan and Rajeev. Home Minister Jayavardhan is concerned about Ganguly being apprehended. Upon hearing the news of Baldev's death, his mother loses consciousness and is admitted to the hospital. Jayavardhan promises the people that he will apprehend Ganguly and offer his resignation if he is not successful.

In Hyderabad, Tirupathi, a doppelganger of Baldev Sahay, is a happy-go-lucky guy whose sole aim in life is to become a cop, but he does not achieve success. He lives with his brother-in-law Animutyam, who is a CI. To change his fortunes, Tirupathi approaches Nirupama, who claims to be a trader in astrological gemstones, which can change a person's fortune. In reality, she is a con artist. She gives Tirupathi a ring that actually has no powers.

Tirupathi ends up helping Animutyam apprehend a dangerous convict. However, Animutyam takes all the credit at the press meet, which Tirupathi also attends. Animutyam later reveals that he had rejected Tirupathi's application to the police academy. However, Jayavardhan notices Tirupathi on the news and tells him to pretend to be Baldev and put Ganguly in prison. Tirupathi accepts and visits Kolkata, where he is posted to Kalighat, impersonates Baldev, and frees Ganguly from Kundan and Rajeev. Tirupathi takes Ganguly to Jayavardhan, but Jayavardhan stabs him and reveals that Ganguly is his actual brother and not Baldev, as he had made him believe earlier, and leaves. Kundan and Rajeev track down Tirupathi and admit him to the hospital. When Thirupathi recovers, they narrate Baldev's past.

Past: Kundan and Rajeev are appointed as Baldev's assistants by A. K. Mishra, the Police Commissioner of Anti-Corruption Bureau, to acquire proofs of Baldev's corruption. Baldev is always accompanied by Venkat, a corrupt cop, as well as Kundan and Rajeev. He meets Ganguly and makes a deal with him for a huge ransom to hand over Tiwari, the only witness in the murder case of Gautham and his family, whom Ganguly and his brother Chotu killed on the former's order.

Meanwhile, Baldev falls in love with Vaishnavi, a philanthropist who also reciprocates his feelings. To get proof of Baldev's corruption, Kundan and Rajeev raid his house, where Vaishnavi is also present and livid with Baldev for maligning the goodwill of "Aasha Foundation" that she managed. Kundan and Rajeev also find a flash drive with a list of many cops whom they suspect of being involved with Baldev in his corruption scam. However, they are surprised that even they are on the same list.

Baldev's uncle reveals that Baldev's mother wanted to see him as a cop, and is admitted to a hospital for an important surgery. Baldev pays ₹10 lakh as fees for the surgery. However, at the selection, he is asked to pay a ₹10 lakh bribe, which is common for all candidates, according to the seniors. Baldev returned dejected but lied to his mother, saying he was selected to make her happy. The next morning, Baldev received posting orders and rushed to the hospital to show the same to his mother and uncle, but his mother died as she wished to forego the surgery to make Baldev a cop. Baldev then vowed to turn into a corrupt cop to pay the money on behalf of the honest candidates, who are about to join the police force without their knowledge. After this incident, Baldev and Vaishnavi get engaged.

Meanwhile, Baldev kills Chotu and arrests Ganguly for killing Gautham, with Tiwari serving as the chief witness. When Baldev is about to present Ganguly and Tiwari in the high court, Venkat sells the evidence documents for a huge bribe, along with information regarding Tiwari and Baldev. Acting upon this information, Ganguly's goons kill Baldev's uncle and then proceed to attack Baldev and Tiwari in court. However, Vaishnavi and Tiwari are killed in the hit, while Baldev escapes. Baldev retaliates and kidnaps Ganguly from Venkat's custody with the help of Kundan and Rajeev. In the process, he meets with a car accident in a hilly area, and his car explodes, thus killing him.

Present: Now realizing the truth, Thirupathi decides to set things right. Jayavardhan provides falsified evidence against the incumbent Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, claiming that he was the one backing Ganguly the whole time. After this incident, the CM is forced to step down and subsequently is arrested. Later, Jayavardhan gives his nomination for the post. Ganguly, despite being imprisoned, operates his crime regime from within.

Tirupathi rejoins the force, heads to Jayavardhan's house, and makes a deal with him to keep his post, provided that Tirupathi turns a blind eye to all of Ganguly's activities. Tirupathi then becomes close to Jayavardhan's PA, Raja. who becomes agitated after Jayavardhan insults him. Tirupathi introduces him to Nirupama and gets her to give him a ring to change his fortunes. However, the rings are actually cameras embedded inside the fake gemstone with a microchip to capture audio. With the help of this ring, Tirupathi exposes Jayavardhan's corruption to the media. Jayavardhan gets cornered and runs away "underground" along with his brother. In the process, he kidnaps Nirupama, Rajeev, Kundan, and Animutyam's family.

Meanwhile, Mishra, who has been following up on this case with close interest, reveals to Jayavardhan and Ganguly that Tirupathi is none other than Baldev. Right before the car explosion, Baldev is thrown off the car and falls onto a freight carrier, rendering him unconscious. The truck carries him to Hyderabad, and he is taken to the hospital, where Animutyam is provided with the case. Animutyam's wife had lost her brother named Tirupathi long back in her childhood and has been searching for him ever since. Realizing that Baldev is suffering from amnesia, Animutyam decides to pass him off as Tirupathi to keep her happy, but mainly to satisfy his wife's long search without spending much.

Mishra warns Jayavardhan and Ganguly that if Tirupathi discovers the truth, the consequences will be even deadlier. Tirupathi crashes into Ganguly's stronghold, where he arrests Jayavardhan, and a remorseful Venkat shoots Ganguly. Kundan, Rajeev, and everyone decide not to reveal the truth to Tirupathi/Baldev and thus spare him the anguish over his uncle's and fiancée's death. Tirupathi later marries Nirupama and lives happily ever after in Kolkata while still posing as Baldev.

Casting

After Ravi Teja was signed to play the lead role, Hansika Motwani was roped in to play the female lead opposite Ravi Teja marking her first collaboration with him. She confirmed the news in her Twitter. She added "I can't reveal much about the character as it's premature to comment on it. But all I can say is that my role would be very unique and something that the audience have not seen so far. All this while, I've been playing bubbly and chirpy roles. But this time, my role is a performance-oriented one and I'm looking forward to it." Apart from them, Prakash Raj, Brahmanandam, Kota Srinivasa Rao, Brahmaji, Posani Krishna Murali, Mukesh Rishi, Ajay, Sampath Raj, Subbaraju, Sapthagiri, Surekha Vani and Jogi Brothers were said to be the other vital cast in the film during the press meet held on the second opening ceremony of the film. It was also reported that Ravi Teja would play the role of a police officer in this film. Soon after the launch of the film, reports emerged that the team is searching for an actress for the role of the second heroine and few actresses names were shortlisted. It was also reported that the makers recruited popular Hindi Television actress Ragini Khanna as the second heroine which marks her South Indian debut.

But Regina Cassandra was selected as the second heroine which she confirmed later. In an interview to The Times of India in early March 2014, Regina, about her role in the film, spoke "It's a big project for me and I'm quite excited about it. I like experimenting with my looks in films and I got a chance to do something radically different in terms of my appearance in Power. Besides, I have a strong characterization in the film. I hope I can pull off the role and get the audience in tune with the emotion in the film. It's going to be a challenging task for sure". After watching Suseenthiran's Pandiya Naadu, Harish Uthaman was selected for a negative role in the film by K. S. Ravindra. About his role, Harish said to the IANS that he would be playing the role of Sampath Raj's brother in this film. This marked his debut in Telugu cinema. It was revealed later that Ravi Teja's character is named ACP Bal Dev while Regina's character is named Vaishnavi.

Filming

The principal photography was planned for a start from 5 November 2013. However it couldn't start then for unknown reasons. It was said during the film's opening ceremony that the film would be extensively shot in Hyderabad and Kolkata from 11 December 2013. After much silent shoot, it was reported that a song was shot on Ravi Teja and Hansika at Orion Mall, Rajajinagar at Bangalore. The song was said to be a mix of Telugu and Hindi words in which the main phrase is Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara. It was choreographed by Vishnu Deva and the song was shot for five days. Later the film's shoot continued in Kolkata and Nagpur for a month. After shooting for a couple of weeks in Hyderabad and Bangalore, it was reported that the unit would proceed to Bangkok to shoot some action sequences. Meanwhile, the film's shoot continued in Hyderabad till Mid March and the next schedule started in Chennai from 17 March. After the team returned from Chennai, Regina joined the sets of the film on 25 March in Hyderabad. After completing shoot in locales of Hyderabad, the unit proceeded to Kolkata to start its next schedule of shoot from 6 April. It continued later at a house set in Annapurna Studios where Manam was shot. In the end of April, it was reported that the film's shoot would proceed later to Bangkok in the first week of May to shoot a fight sequence. There, a heavy chase sequence was planned to be shot in the supervision of Allan Amin which was said to have costed around ₹2 crores.

In the second week of May, the shooting continued at a police station set in Ramoji Film City where some crucial scenes were shot. Ravi Teja, Brahmaji, Ajay and Kota Srinivasa Rao along with few other fighters were involved in that shoot which lasted for 3 days. Days later, some of the crucial scenes of the film was shot at Tagore House in Ramoji Film City on the lead pair. By that time, it was said that the film is in its final stages of principal photography and may end soon. In the fourth week of May, some key drama and sentimental sequences were shot at Hyderabad in which the lead star cast took part. The next schedule started on 23 June at Hyderabad. After a silent shoot at Hyderabad, the song Nuvvu Nenu Janta was shot on Ravi Teja and Hansika at Bulgaria in the second week of July 2014. The pre-planned Bangkok chase schedule started on 22 July 2014 and lasted for 10 days. On 28 July 2014 a car blast happened in the film's sets while shooting an action sequence at a forest area situated 100 kilometers away from Pattaya. Luckily, none were injured and the shooting schedule completed on that day. Hansika cut short her vacation to join the film's sets for commencement of new schedule. A song shoot was planned on Ravi Teja and Hansika at Ramoji Film City from 6 August to 10 August. The song Notanki Notanki was shot there which completed on 14 August with which the principal photography came to an end.

Critical reception

Sify wrote "There is nothing novel about the movie. We have seen each scene before. It is a concoction of several movies. Power doesn’t come with the expected punch. Ravi Teja and some comedy scenes are plus points. The second half of the film is a let down. Overall, a regular commercial potboiler." Hemanth Kumar of The Times of India rated the film 3 out of 5 and wrote "Directed by K S Ravindra, the film gives ample scope to Ravi Teja to flex his muscles, besides bring the roof down with his gags. For most part of the film, the seriousness with which he approaches both his characters keeps the proceedings going. And truth be told, it's a treat to watch him play the role of a serious cop, just like he did in Vikramarkudu" and added "It would seem that Ravi Teja cannot go wrong when he's in great form and his exuberance more than makes up for all that might have gone for a toss in the film. However, when it comes to his latest film, Power, there's a catch. The film is a fine example to show what happens when an immovable object meets an unstoppable force. And the immovable object in this context is quite clearly the story, which is bogged down by the burden of multiple subplots it tries to carry". Suresh Kavirayani of Deccan Chronicle rated the film 3 out of 5 and wrote "He chooses a script which is an old formula, but he comes up with loads of entertainment. Though some of the scenes are typical film kind of, like wearing somebody’s khakhi uniform and solving cases like a police, but in the end it’s all entertainment. There are a few loopholes, but finally, ‘Power’ is a mass masala film with action, entertainment and glamour. It's a typical Ravi Teja film." Shekhar of Oneindia Entertainment rated the film 3 out of 5 and stated "Power is a powerful entertainer made to impress the fans of Ravi Teja. The film lacks freshness in story, but Bobby's amazing screenplay keeps you engrossed in the film. Apart from Mass Maharaja, Brahmanandam and Saptagiri will also rock the viewers. It is a paisa vasool entertainer for Ravi Teja fans." IndiaGlitz rated the film 3 out of 5 and summarized "A promising film that has borrowed ideas from here and there. But the Kona effect and Ravi Teja's powerhouse act deliver the film. Comparisons with other films can harm the movie's prospects a bit, though one is sure to like it more than any of RT's movies in recent times".

In contrast, Sridhar Vivan of Bangalore Mirror rated the film 2.5 out of 5 and wrote "To sum up; logically, the movie looks 'powerless', while comedy-wise, it is definitely 'powerful'. So, for those planning to watch a movie without any logic and purely for entertainment, then this may just be the right choice." Sangeetha Devi Dundoo of The Hindu wrote "It takes a special kind of nonchalance to package a film with a string of sequences, one illogical than the other, and lull the audience into believing that they are being entertained. Power tries hard to amuse and has a hangover of Kick and Vikramarkudu. Ravi Teja does his part well but the film itself offers nothing new" and remarked "Absurd fun, repackaged. ‘Power’ is only in the title." Behindwoods rated the film 1.75 out of 5 and stated "Astute editing, lustrous cinematography and Ravi's screen presence come as a relief to an easily predictable story with a slow screenplay. Brahmanandham's gimmicks, Ravi Teja's cute expressions and a relatively long story to narrate with a pacifying twist towards the end do grab our attention, but, it's too late." Filmyflavour rated the film 3 out of 5 and wrote "Power movie is a routine Telugu commercial film which has all the entertaining elements that you can try for this weekend"