Spyder

Spyder is a 2017 Indian action thriller film written and directed by A. R. Murugadoss and produced by N. V. Prasad. It was filmed simultaneously in Telugu and Tamil, and stars Mahesh Babu, S. J. Suryah and Rakul Preet Singh. Murugadoss wrote the Tamil dialogue while the Paruchuri Brothers wrote the Telugu version. The film was edited by A. Sreekar Prasad, with cinematography by Santosh Sivan, and music composed by Harris Jayaraj. In the film, Shiva is an IB officer, who sets out to save the people of Hyderabad/Chennai when he learns that a psychopath is on the loose. This film marks the Tamil debut of Babu, after a failed attempt at a simultaneous release in Tamil of Brahmotsavam (2016). Originally, the film was rumoured to be titled Abhimanyudu and Sambhavami, before the official title was finalised as Spyder on 18 March 2017. The film began production in July 2016, followed by the commencement of principal photography. Shooting mainly took place in Chennai, with some portions in and around Hyderabad and Vizag, while the songs were filmed overseas, before wrapping up in August 2017. Spyder was released theatrically worldwide in Telugu, Tamil, Arabic and Malayalam on 27 September 2017 and in the US and Gulf countries on 26 September. The film received mixed reviews from critics who praised the cast performances (particularly Surya's and Babu's), action sequences and direction but criticised its screenwriting and pace. It grossed 150 crore against a budget of 120 crore and the film was consequently a box-office bomb due to the high production cost. Plot Shiva is an IB officer who develops a program to spy on people's calls and messages in order to help them. On the night of 16 March, Shiva listens to Charlie (Shalini in the Tamil version) talk about her wish of getting 98% in her exams, up from 96%, to get a US scholarship with her friend. In order to do that, she decides to go on a blind date with a guy believing it will help her concentrate on her studies. Shiva follows her and both start to fall for each other, but Shiva finds it hard to focus on his love life because of his job. On the night of 28 April, Shiva listens to a young girl asking her friend for help as she is alone in her house and scared, due to a power outage at her house despite everyone else on her street having power.