Custody
Theatrical release poster
Directed byVenkat Prabhu
Written byVenkat Prabhu
Abburi Ravi (Telugu dialogues)
Produced bySrinivasaa Chituri
Pavan Kumar (presenter)
StarringNaga Chaitanya
Aravind Swamy
Jiiva
Krithi Shetty
Priyamani
Anandhi
R. Sarathkumar
Ramki
CinematographyS. R. Kathir
Edited byVenkat Raajen
Music bySongs:
Yuvan Shankar Raja
Ilaiyaraaja
Score:
Yuvan Shankar Raja
Production
companies
Srinivasaa Silver Screen
Anji Industeries
Release date
12 May 2023[1]
Running time
148 minutes[2]
CountryIndia
LanguagesTelugu
Tamil
Box officeest. ₹15.85 crore[3]

Custody is a 2023 Indian period action thriller film directed by Venkat Prabhu and produced by Srinivasa Chitturi under Srinivasaa Silver Screen and Anji Industries. It was shot simultaneously in Telugu and Tamil languages. The film stars Naga Chaitanya (in his Tamil debut), Aravind Swamy, Krithi Shetty, Priyamani, R. Sarathkumar and Sampath Raj. The music was composed by Ilaiyaraaja and Yuvan Shankar Raja, while the cinematography and editing were handled by S. R. Kathir and Venkat Raajen.

Custody released theatrically on 12 May 2023 to mixed reviews from critics and became a box office disappointment.

Plot

In 1998, Shiva is a happy-go-lucky police constable, who along with his girlfriend Revathi, a driving instructor, decide to elope and get married. However, Shiva gets involved in a road rage case and arrests Rajasekhar alias "Raju", a dreaded gangster who does dirty jobs for CM Dakshayani and her party. CBI George, who is also imprisoned by Shiva in the case, reveals that he has to produce Raju in court situated at Bangalore within 48 hours as Raju has useful information regarding Dakshayani's involvement in a orchestrated bomb blast at Morampudi. Shiva calls George's superior Varghese and confirms the same.

Meanwhile, Dakshayani learns of Raju's arrest and assigns some goons and IG Nataraj to kill him. Nataraj and Dakshyini's goons try to kill Raju and George, but Shiva subdues the goons and escapes with them. Shiva, Raju and George head to Bangalore, where Revathi also accompanies them. Nataraj tracks them down where their car falls into a lake near a dam. Shiva, Raju, Revathi and George sneak into the dam's underground tunnel, where Nataraj attacks them and George is killed in a crossfire. After escaping from Nataraj, Shiva and the others move to an hospital as Raju was injured during the previous shootout, but the hospital is watched by Nataraj's men. Later, the trio arrive at Maj. Gen. Philips Satya Raj and Raju gets treated and recovers.

After this, Shiva and the others are escorted by officers under Varghese's orders, but Nataraj and his goons surround them. Shiva and Raju fight the men, where Philips also arrives and helps Shiva and the others to escape. Due to sudden circumstances, Raju escapes and arrives at a fair, but Shiva manages to find him. Nataraj arrives and tells Shiva to kill Raju in exchange for his father's life. However, Shiva's father tells Shiva to leave and seek justice for his brother Vishnu, who also died in the Morampudi blast. Shiva's father shoots himself and Shiva escapes again with Raju and Revathi. At the railway station, the trio are attacked by Raju's brother Ravi, who was bribed by Dakshayani to kill him in exchange for taking Raju's place. Raju kills Ravi during a fight and Shiva, Revathi and Raju board the train to Bangalore.

Nataraj and his men follow them, where a fight ensues and Raju separates from the compartment in order to save Shiva. Nataraj kills Raju, thus leaving Shiva devastated. The next day at the court, it is revealed that Shiva actually recorded Raju's confession about Dakshayani's involvement in the Morampudi blast and shows the evidence in the court. Raju also confessed that Dakshayani had committed the blasts in order to cover up the murder of an IAS officer, who was investigating her scandals. Dakshayani, Nataraj and the other officers involved are arrested. Varghese thanks Shiva and offers him a position in the CBI, but Shiva declines and decides to continue being in the police force. After this, Shiva and Revathi plan for their marriage preparation.

Cast

Cameo appearances

Production

Development

In late January 2022, it was reported that Naga Chaitanya and Venkat Prabhu were going to collaborate for an official remake of the latter's directional film Maanaadu (2021), which was critically acclaimed and received praise for its concept. Suresh Productions, which reportedly purchased the remake rights, were reported to produce the film.[6] Pooja Hegde was further reported to play the lead actress role.[7] Prabhu, in a interview in late March, revealed that he is in discussion with Chaitanya and the actor liked the story that he had narrated. However, he did not reveal whether if it was a remake of Maanaadu or not.[8]

On 6 April, the project was officially announced. It was revealed that Srinivasaa Chitturi would produce the film under Srinivasaa Silver Screen, while Pawan Kumar would present the film. It was tentatively titled as NC 22.[9] Prabhu revealed that the film would be shot in Telugu and Tamil, marking the film as his directorial debut in Telugu cinema and Chaitanya's acting debut in Tamil cinema.[10] On 23 June, Ilaiyaraaja and Yuvan Shankar Raja were announced to jointly compose the score for the film. Krithi Shetty was also announced playing the lead actress role, marking it as her Tamil cinema acting debut, as in her last bilingual film The Warriorr (2022) were her portions were only shot in Telugu.[11] A muhuratam was held on 20 September at a studio in Hyderabad with the presence of the film's cast and crew.[12]

Three days later, cinematographer S. R. Prabhu, dialogue writer Abburi Ravi, editor Venkat Raajen, production designer Rajeevan, art director Ry Sathyaramayana and action directors Yannick Ben and Mahesh Mathew were announced being a part of the film.[13] In early October, Jiiva was reported to play an important role in the film.[14] On 14 October, it was announced that Sampath Raj, Priyamani, R. Sarathkumar, Premi Viswanath (in her Telugu cinema acting debut), Vennela Kishore (Telugu version) and Premgi Amaren (Tamil version) were a part of the cast.[15] On 23 November, on the occasion of Chaitanya's birthday, the title Custody was revealed.[16]

Filming

Principal photography began on 21 September 2022, with the first schedule at a erected set in Ramoji Film City.[17] Filming took also place in at set in Melukote. However, the set became vandalized as the villagers there were unhappy of them filming there. It was reported that it was because the set was a bar, which made the villagers unhappy as it is a historic temple right beside. It was also reported that it was because that the filming continued longer than permission given, which was two days.[18] Filming later took place in Mysore, before concluding the schedule by 21 October.[19]

The second schedule was scheduled to commence on 11 November,[20] but commenced on 15 November. The filming in the schedule took place at a set in Hyderabad. The schedule reportedly featured a action sequence, and was reported to be a long schedule.[21] The schedule featured a song sequence, choreographed by Shekar Master, which had seven sets erected in Annapurna Studios.[22] The filming wrapped by 24 February 2023.[23]

Post-production

Chaitanya began dubbing his portions in early March 2023.[24] The background score composing began in mid April in Dubai.[25] The film was sent for censor by 8 May and received a U/A certificate on 10 May.[26]

Music

Custody
Soundtrack album by
Ilaiyaraaja and Yuvan Shankar Raja
Released16 May 2023
Recorded2022-2023
StudioU1 Records, Chennai
GenreFilm soundtrack
Length15:04
LanguageTelugu
Tamil
LabelTimes Music
ProducerIlaiyaraaja
Yuvan Shankar Raja
Ilaiyaraaja and Yuvan Shankar Raja chronology
Viduthalai Part 1
Love Today
(2023)
(2022)		 Custody
(2023)		 Music School
Paramporul
(2023)
(2023)

The music was jointly composed by Ilaiyaraaja and Yuvan Shankar Raja, while the latter composed the background score. The film marks as the latter's ninth collaboration with Prabhu. The audio rights were acquired by Times Music.

The first single "Head Up High" was released on 10 April 2023, the second single "Timeless Love" on 23 April, the third single "Ammo Nee Rukkumini" in Telugu and "Ammani Rukkumani" in Tamil on 17 May, the fourth single "Anna Thammulante" in Telugu and "Ettu Thesa" in Tamil on 24 May.

Track listing (Telugu)
No.TitleLyricsMusicSinger(s)Length
1."Head Up High"Ramajogayya Sastry
Shri Shivani V.P.		Yuvan Shankar RajaArun Kaundinya
Asal Kolaar		4:27
2."Timeless Love"Ramajogayya SastryIlaiyaraajaKapil Kapilan4:20
3."Ammo Nee Rukkumini"Ramajogayya SastryIlaiyaraajaPremgi Amaren
Manasi Mahadevan		3:27
4."Anna Thammulante"Ramajogayya SastryIlaiyaraajaVijay Yesudas3:58
Track listing (Tamil)
No.TitleLyricsMusicSinger(s)Length
1."Head Up High"Karunakaran
Sri Shivani V. P.		Yuvan Shankar RajaAsal Kolar
Arun Kaundinya		4:27
2."Timeless Love"Madhan KarkyIlaiyaraajaKapil Kapilan4:20
3."Ammani Rukkumani"MuthamilIlaiyaraajaPremgi Amaren
Manasi Mahadevan		3:28
4."Ettu Thesa"Gangai AmaranIlaiyaraajaVijay Yesudas3:52

Release

Theatrical

Custody released theatrically on 12 May 2023. It released in Telugu and Tamil language.[27]

Home media

Custody was available for streaming from 9 June 2023 on Amazon Prime Video in Telugu, Tamil languages and dubbed versions in Malayalam and Kannada languages.[28][29]

Reception

Critical response

Custody received mixed reviews from critics.[30]

Neeshita Nyayapati of The Times of India gave 3/5 stars and wrote "Custody has the kind of story that’s predictable and some of the characters could’ve been fully realised to make this experience better than what it is".[31] 123Telugu gave 2.75/5 stars and wrote "Custody manages to engage in bits and pieces but apart from those portions, there isn’t anything great to rave about."[32]

Kirubhakar Purushothaman of The Indian Express rated the film 2.5/5 stars and wrote "Venkat Prabhu directorial Custody doesn’t decide what type of movie it wants to be till the very last scene of the film."[33] Latha Srinivasan of India Today gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote "Custody is predictable but if the Shiva-Raju relationship/ story had been completely unlocked, it would have made for terrific viewing."[34]

Balakrishna Ganeshan of The News Minute gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote "For some reason the period of the film is set in 1998. The twist too feels as old as the decade in which the movie is taking place."[35] Manoj Kumar of OTTplay gave 2/5 stars and wrote "Venkat Prabhu, who previously showcased his inventiveness with Maanaadu, disappoints with Custody."[36]

Sangeetha Devi Dundoo of The Hindu wrote "Director Venkat Prabhu’s Telugu-Tamil bilingual ‘Custody’ is not among his best, but has plenty going for it."[37] Haricharan Pudipeddi of Hindustan Times wrote "Naga Chaitanya's latest film is one of those action dramas that never realise their potential and get lost midway."[38]

References

  1. ↑ "Custody: Akkineni Naga Chaitanya, Krithi Shetty's film shooting wrapped up, makers announce release date". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 27 April 2023. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
  2. ↑ "Custody: Runtime locked for Naga Chaitanya's Custody". 123telugu. Archived from the original on 9 May 2023. Retrieved 10 May 2023.
  3. ↑ "Custody Collections : కస్టడీ క్లోజింగ్ కలెక్షన్స్.. ఎంత పోయిందంటే." News 18 Telugu (in Telugu). 13 June 2023. Archived from the original on 13 June 2023. Retrieved 13 June 2023.
  4. ↑ "Venkat Prabhu, Naga Chaitanya's NC 22 to have THIS talented Kollywood star playing a crucial role in it". OTTplay. Archived from the original on 2023-05-12. Retrieved 2023-05-12.
  5. ↑ "Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2023-05-15. Retrieved 2023-05-15.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  6. ↑ "Akkineni Naga Chaitanya to star in Telugu remake of 'Maanadu'". The Times of India. 2022-01-31. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 2023-10-24. Retrieved 2023-10-23.
  7. ↑ "Buzz! Telugu remake of 'Maanaadu' to star Naga Chaitanya and Pooja Hegde". The Times of India. 2022-02-24. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 2022-02-25. Retrieved 2023-10-23.
  8. ↑ "Venkat Prabhu's next bilingual film is with this Tollywood star". The Times of India. 2022-03-26. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 2022-07-13. Retrieved 2023-10-23.
  9. ↑ "Naga Chaitanya, Venkat Prabhu, Srinivasaa Chitturi - Bilingual Film Announced". The Times of India. 2022-04-06. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 2022-04-06. Retrieved 2023-10-23.
  10. ↑ "This high-octane script will push Chai's limit as an actor: Venkat Prabhu". The Times of India. 2022-04-07. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 2022-04-08. Retrieved 2023-10-23.
  11. ↑ "Chay to romance Krithi Shetty in his next with Venkat Prabhu and Ilayaraja and his son Yuvan Shankar Raja to compose its music". The Times of India. 2022-06-23. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 2022-11-24. Retrieved 2023-10-23.
  12. ↑ "'NC 22': Akkineni Naga Chaitanya and Venkat Prabhu's bilingual film shoot starts tomorrow". The Times of India. 2022-09-20. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 2022-10-06. Retrieved 2023-10-23.
  13. ↑ "Makers of #NC22 announced the Technical and Creative team of Naga Chaitanya - Venkat Prabhu's upcoming bilingual". The Times of India. 2022-09-23. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 2022-10-05. Retrieved 2023-10-23.
  14. ↑ "Jiiva in Venkat Prabhu-Naga Chaitanya's NC22". The Times of India. 2022-10-07. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 2022-11-03. Retrieved 2023-10-23.
  15. ↑ "Priyamani, Sampath Raj on board Naga Chaitanya's film with Venkat Prabhu". The Times of India. 2022-10-14. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 2022-11-20. Retrieved 2023-10-23.
  16. ↑ "Venkat Prabhu's film with Naga Chaitanya titled 'Custody'". The Times of India. 2022-11-23. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 2022-12-13. Retrieved 2023-10-23.
  17. ↑ "Makers of #NC22 announced the Technical and Creative team of Naga Chaitanya - Venkat Prabhu's upcoming bilingual". The Times of India. 2022-09-23. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 2022-10-05. Retrieved 2023-10-23.
  18. ↑ "#NC22: Akkineni Naga Chaitanya, Krithi Shetty's film gets embroiled in controversy; set vandalised in Karnataka". The Times of India. 2022-10-11. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 2022-10-23. Retrieved 2023-10-23.
  19. ↑ "Venkat Prabhu wraps up key schedule of NC22 in Mysore". The Times of India. 2022-10-21. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 2022-11-01. Retrieved 2023-10-23.
  20. ↑ "Akkineni Naga Chaitanya, Venkat Prabhu's bilingual film huge action schedule begins". The Times of India. 2022-11-11. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 2022-11-24. Retrieved 2023-10-23.
  21. ↑ "Next schedule of Venkat Prabhu's NC22 begins in Hyderabad". The Times of India. 2022-11-15. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 2022-11-30. Retrieved 2023-10-23.
  22. ↑ "Akkineni Naga Chaitanya, Krithi Shetty's 'Custody': 7 massive sets erected for a peppy number". The Times of India. 2023-02-16. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 2023-03-07. Retrieved 2023-10-23.
  23. ↑ "Venkat Prabhu's 'Custody' with Naga Chaitanya wrapped up". The Times of India. 2023-02-24. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 2023-04-04. Retrieved 2023-10-23.
  24. ↑ "Naga Chaitanya begins dubbing for 'Custody'". The Times of India. 2023-03-06. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 2023-03-08. Retrieved 2023-10-23.
  25. ↑ "Venkat Prabhu pens a heartfelt note as he completes 16 years in cinema!". The Times of India. 2023-04-28. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 2023-05-19. Retrieved 2023-10-23.
  26. ↑ "Venkat Prabhu's 'Custody' receives U/A certificate". The Times of India. 2023-05-10. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 2023-06-15. Retrieved 2023-10-23.
  27. ↑ "Famous educationalist, owner of 13 Engineering colleges in Hyderabad C Malla Reddy declares a holiday and postpones exams on May 12th as Naga Chaitanya's 'Custody' is releasing…!". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 18 April 2023. Retrieved 17 April 2023.
  28. ↑ "Official : Naga Chaitanya's Custody is streaming on OTT from this weekend". Track Tollywood. 7 June 2023. Archived from the original on 7 June 2023. Retrieved 7 June 2023.
  29. ↑ "Custody vs Agent: ఏజెంట్ కంటే ముందుగానే ఓటీటీలోకి నాగ‌చైత‌న్య క‌స్ట‌డీ - స్ట్రీమింగ్‌ ప్లాట్‌ఫామ్ ఏదంటే". Hindustan Times Telugu. Archived from the original on 5 June 2023. Retrieved 5 June 2023.
  30. ↑ "Custody box office collection Day 7: No takers for Naga Chaitanya, Venkat Prabhu's film". India Today. Archived from the original on 2023-05-26. Retrieved 2023-10-23.
  31. ↑ "Custody Movie Review : A predictable yet engaging action drama". The Times of India. 12 May 2023. Archived from the original on 12 May 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  32. ↑ "Review : Custody – Works in bits and pieces". 123Telugu. 12 May 2023. Archived from the original on 12 May 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  33. ↑ "Custody movie review: Torn between being a campy Venkat Prabhu film and a formulaic star vehicle". The Indian Express. 12 May 2023. Archived from the original on 13 May 2023. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  34. ↑ "Custody Movie Review: This Naga Chaitanya film had interesting premise but let down by weak screenplay". India Today. 12 May 2023. Archived from the original on 2023-05-13. Retrieved 2023-05-13.
  35. ↑ "Custody review: Naga Chaitanya's film has its moments but falls short". The News Minute. 12 May 2023. Archived from the original on 13 May 2023. Retrieved 13 May 2023.
  36. ↑ "Custody review: Naga Chaitanya fails to break 'pretty boy' image, misses mark as an action hero". OTTplay. Archived from the original on 2023-05-12. Retrieved 2023-05-12.
  37. ↑ Dundoo, Sangeetha Devi (12 May 2023). "'Custody' movie review: Venkat Prabhu's mix of conflict and humour works for this Naga Chaitanya, Arvind Swami actioner". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 12 May 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
  38. ↑ "Custody movie review: Naga Chaitanya's action thriller has too many subplots, needed a lot more to make an impact". Hindustan Times. 12 May 2023. Archived from the original on 12 May 2023. Retrieved 12 May 2023.
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