K.G.F: Chapter 1
K.G.F: Chapter 1 is a 2018 Indian Kannada language period drama action film[5][6] written and directed by Prashanth Neel, and produced by Vijay Kiragandur under the banner of Hombale Films. It is the first installment in the two-part series, followed by K.G.F: Chapter 2. The film features Yash as Rocky, in the lead role, while debutante Ramachandra Raju features as Garuda. Anant Nag narrates the film, while Srinidhi Shetty, Vasishta N. Simha, Achyuth Kumar, and Malavika Avinash appear in supporting roles. The film was shot in Kannada on a budget of ₹80 crore, making it the most expensive Kannada-language film at its time of release.[2] The film focuses on Rocky, high-ranking assassin in Mumbai, who was born in poverty. Later, he poses as a slave-laborer in the Narachi Company (Kolar Gold Fields), aiming to assassinate a billionaire gold smuggler named Garuda, who is the son of Narachi’s owner.
The film’s development began in early 2015, after Neel finished writing the screenplay.[7] Filming began two years later, on 15 January 2017.[8] Most of the film is set in the Kolar Gold Fields and was filmed in locales such as Kolar, Mysore, and parts of North Karnataka. The film’s production was completed on 17 August 2018.[9] Bhuvan Gowda handled the cinematography and Srikanth Gowda edited the film. Composer Ravi Basrur scored the film.[10]
The Kannada version of K.G.F: Chapter 1 was released on 20 December 2018 and the dubbed versions in Telugu , Tamil, Malayalam and Hindi released the next day, receiving positive response from audiences.[11] However, critics gave the film mixed reviews. The film performed well commercially and collected ₹250 crore in its entire theatrical run, breaking the record for the highest grossing Kannada film of all time.[12] At the 66th National Film Awards, the film won two awards for Best Action and Best Special Effects.[13] At the 66th Filmfare Awards South, the film won two awards from five nominations, including the award for Best Film and Best Actor for Yash, respectively.[14]
Journalist Anand Ingalagi’s book El Dorado, which detailed the events at the Kolar Gold Fields between 1951 and 2018, was banned by the Indian government, and all published copies were burnt. However, a television news channel procures a copy and interviews him. Ingalagi narrates that government-commissioned officials discovered gold ore in the southern part of India’s Mysore State (in present-day Kolar district, Karnataka) in 1951. Rocky was also born on the day of the discovery in the Mysore region to a poor widow. Suryavardhan, a powerful don who accompanied the officials, killed them. Anticipating the increasing Cold War demand for gold by the United States and the Soviet Union, Suryavardhan deceitfully sets up a company, Narachi, on that land, bought for a 99-year lease under the pretext of mining limestone. He has five associates, all of whom operate away from KGF: Kamal, son of a former associate Bhargava; Rajendra Desai and Andrews who oversees operations in the Konkan and Malabar Coast, respectively; from Bangalore, Guru Pandian, a powerful politician and president of the DYSS party; and his brother, Adheera. However, each of them has their eyes on the mines. Shetty, Andrews’ underboss, is a gold smuggler in Bombay, though another rival smuggler, Dubai-based Inayat Khalil, also has his eyes set on the city.
