Jai Lava Kusa is a 2017 Indian Telugu-language action drama film written by Kona Venkat and directed by K. S. Ravindra (Bobby Kolli) and produced by Nandamuri Kalyan Ram under his banner N. T. R. Arts. The film stars N. T. Rama Rao Jr in a triple role as Jai, Lava and Kusa, alongside Raashii Khanna, Nivetha Thomas, Tamannaah (Special Appearance), Ronit Roy (in his Telugu film debut), Posani Krishna Murali, Pradeep Rawat, Pavitra Lokesh, Sai Kumar and Nassar.
The film follows identical triplets, Jai, Lava, and Kusa, who get separated at a young age and follow different paths in life. Jai becomes an evil criminal named Ravan, Kusa becomes a small-time crook and Lava becomes a bank manager. Jai, the eldest of the identical triplets, was sidelined at a very young age due to stammering. He then develops a hatred for his younger brothers and creates havoc in their lives as they all reunite as adults.
The film was launched formally on 10 February 2016, whereas the commencement of principal photography took place the very same day. The shooting took place on Hyderabad, except a few scenes shot at Pune, and was wrapped up in September 2016. The film score and soundtrack were composed by Devi Sri Prasad, with cinematography by Chota K. Naidu and editing by Kotagiri Venkateshwara Rao and Thammi Raju.
The film was released on 4,000 screens, during the first day of the Navratri season on 21 September 2017. The film received mixed to positive reviews from critics, with N. T. Rama Rao Jr 's performance in the triple role receiving praise, while the writing also garnered appreciation. The film collected over 150-175 crore worldwide and was a commercial success at the box office. It was screened in Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival in Category of "Best of Asia" in South Korea.
Plot Jai, Lava, and Kusa are identical triplets raised by their maternal uncle following their mother's demise. Though Jai deeply loves his brothers, he is ostracized due to his severe stammering. Despite his natural acting talent, he is excluded from drama performances, while Lava and Kusa receive all the affection and praise. Consumed by feelings of isolation and anger, Jai sets the drama stage on fire during a performance by his brothers and flees into the night. Though the three brothers survive, they are presumed to be perished in the fire.
Twenty years later, the brothers lead vastly different lives. Kusa is a petty thief in Hyderabad desperately scheming to move to the United States, though his plans are derailed by demonetisation. While escaping a botched robbery, he crosses paths with Lava, a naive and principled bank manager whose overly trusting nature costs him his job after he unknowingly sanctions a loan for fraudulent business. Meanwhile, Lava falls in love with Priya, a marriage consultant, and wins her affection. Seeking a quick fortune, Kusa impersonates Lava to rob the bank, framing him for the heist before vanishing.
Shortly after, Priya mysteriously disappears, and Lava is falsely accused of bank robbery and her abduction. When Lava confronts Kusa, Kusa admits to the theft but denies kidnapping Priya. Kaakha, a gangster posing as a police officer investigating Priya's abduction, reveals that Jai is alive. Having fled the fire, Jai was taken in by Kaakha in Odisha, growing up to become Raavan, a feared crime lord and aspiring politician. Kaakha brings Lava and Kusa to Jai's estate, where Jai reveals that he orchestrated Priya's kidnapping to force his brothers into serving his ambitions.
While Lava is instructed to impersonate Jai in public to soften his image and win public support for the upcoming election, Kusa is tasked with wooing Simran, the resentful sister of his late henchman, whom he intends to marry. Remorseful over their childhood mistreatment of Jai, Lava attempts to reform his brother with Priya's support, while Kusa cooperates with Simran, who seeks vengeance against Jai believing he had caused her brother's death.
As Lava successfully wins over the electorate while posing as Raavan and Simran pretends to reciprocate Jai's affection while having fallen in love with Kusa, Jai plots to eliminate his brothers by rigging their vehicle with explosives. Realizing the trap, Lava and Kusa choose to enter the car anyway, hoping their sacrifice will finally reform Jai. Their uncle, who has been captured by Jai, begs him to spare them, but he remains stoic.
Before the bomb can detonate, Sarkar, a rival crime lord, ambushes the vehicle. Unaware of the triplets' existence, Sarkar demands to know which of the two captives is the real Raavan. In an attempt to protect each other, both Lava and Kusa claim the identity. Sarkar shoots Lava, believing him to be Raavan. A violent brawl ensues until Jai arrives at the scene, killing Sarkar and his henchmen to protect his brothers. Severely wounded in the crossfire, a dying Jai tearfully confesses his lifelong love for his brothers and asks for their forgiveness, finally redeeming himself before succumbing to his injuries.
Cast
Production Development
After the success of Janatha Garage (2016), N. T. Rama Rao Jr., signed his next project tentatively titled #NTR27, under the direction of screenwriter Vakkantham Vamsi, marking his debut as a film director and to be produced by his family banner N. T. R. Arts. Although the project was eventually announced on 20 May 2016 (which coincided with Jr. NTR's birthday), in September 2016, sources stated that the project was shelved after the actor was not satisfied with the script. In October 2016, reports had stated that Anil Ravipudi will direct #NTR27, as he was keen to direct Jr. NTR. A Behindwoods article report stated that he had earlier discussed a story in which NTR was to play a blind person which didn't work out, but the actor seemed keen to work with Anil and asked him to come up with another script, for which he immediately came up with a new idea. However, on 26 December 2016, Nandamuri Kalyan Ram took to Twitter to announce that #NTR27 will be directed by K. S. Ravindra. Kalyan Ram stated that he will produce the film under the home banner N. T. R. Arts, which will be made on a huge scale, and he also planned to hire top technicians in order to get very best product in technical standards and production values.
Casting In February 2017, Raashii Khanna was signed to play the lead actress opposite Jr. NTR and a source revealed that her role will have huge importance in the film. On 25 March 2017, Hamsa Nandini was signed to play a cameo appearance in the film, whereas the same month, Nivetha Thomas of Gentleman fame was signed to play the second female lead. Samantha Akkineni was initially added to the cast as one of the three female leads, and reports stated that she will play a negative role, although she turned down the offer. On 21 April 2017, Nanditha Raj was added to the cast to play a special cameo in the film. Priyadarshi Pullikonda confirmed his inclusion in the film and stated that he shot for three days.
In April 2017, the makers decided to rope in Kannada actor Duniya Vijay, as the main antagonist, and offered a call sheet to complete his portions with in 15 days. While the actor was banned by the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce, due to the freak accident held at the sets of Maasthi Gudi (2017) claimed the lives of two stuntmen. The makers hired Bollywood actor Ronit Roy to play the antagonist, marking his debut in Telugu film industry.
Crew The team initially hired C. K. Muraleedharan to handle the cinematography for the film, however due to creative differences, the makers replaced him with Chota K. Naidu after Muraleedharaan opted out of the project. Devi Sri Prasad was hired to score the music, while A. S. Prakash was assigned as the art director.
In April 2017, the production house announced that the Hollywood prosthetics and Legacy Effects expert Vance Hartwell who earlier worked in movies like Lord of the Rings trilogy, Enthiran (2010), Iron Man (2008) and Shutter Island (2010), was signed to take care of NTR's look in the movie, and was flown down from Los Angeles to take the measurement for a facial mask, in which NTR would play three characters in the film. Anil Paduri of Advitha Creative Studios was hired as the visual effects supervisor.
Filming The film was formally launched in Hyderabad on 10 February 2017, at the new office of N. T. R. Arts. The ceremony was attended by Nandamuri Harikrishna, Nandamuri Ramakrishna, V.V. Vinayak, Dil Raju, Shirish, B. V. S. N. Prasad, Yalamanchili Ravi, Kilaru Sitish, S. Radha Krishna, Suryadevara Naga Vamsi and others. The honorary clap was given by Jr. NTR while the camera was switched on by Nandamuri Harikrishna. Director V.V. Vinayak directed the first shot, which was picturised on the photos of deities.
Principal photography began in February 2017 in Hyderabad while Jr. NTR joined the sets in the mid of March. A wedding scene between the lead pair NTR and Raashi Khanna was picturized in the surrounding area of Chilkur. Actor Priyadarshi also joined this shoot. Nandamuri Harikrishna, father of Jr. NTR and Kalyan Ram, visited the shooting spot in latter half of March and a picture of him on the sets revealed that one of the characters played by Jr. NTR is a bank manager named "N. Lava Kumar". The team spent to erect a massive set at Ramoji Film City where a major portion of filming took place. Bollywood actor Ronit Roy joined the shoot in the mid June 2017 and some action sequences were shot in a stone quarry in Hyderabad.
The shooting of the film got further delayed, after Jr. NTR was hired to host for the Telugu version of Bigg Boss Season 1 for Star Maa. The film's second schedule in Pune was held on 26 July 2017, were a couple of songs and scenes were shot accordingly, which was expected to take place for 20 days. On the first day of the schedule, Tarak changed 42 different costumes for 13 scenes, all being shot in a single day, which impressed the film's crew members. The film's major portion of shooting was completed on 15 August, excluding for three songs, with NTR started dubbing for his portions ofn 22 August. On 28 August, Tamannaah Bhatia was hired for a special number, which was shot in a single day. The shooting finished in September 2017.
Music
The film's music is composed by Devi Sri Prasad, with lyrics written by Chandrabose and Ramajogayya Sastry. The soundtrack was released as a soft launch with a formal press meet on 3 September 2016, after plans for a grand event being cancelled. The album was directly released online through Lahari Music.
Release Initially planned for a Dusshera release, Jai Lava Kusa was scheduled for a worldwide theatrical release ahead of the Dusshera festival, on 21 September 2017, and also coinciding with the day of Navratri. The film was released in more than 4000 screens, marking it the second highest release for a Telugu film after Baahubali 2: The Conclusion, and also the biggest release in Jr. NTR's career. The film opened in 975 screens in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, 225 screens in Karnataka and other parts of India, 190 screens in the US and 162 screens in the UK, Gulf, Australia, Germany and other international markets. The film released earlier on United States on 20 September, where it was premiered in more than 70 locations.
Marketing On the occasion of Sri Rama Navami (5 April 2017), the makers announced the title of the movie as Jai Lava Kusa.
The pre-release event was held on 10 September 2017, at a grand ceremony held at Shilpakala Vedika in Hyderabad. The film's theatrical trailer was released on the same day, and crossed 3 million views within 24 hours.
Pre-release revenue