Khaleja

Khaleja
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Trivikram Srinivas
Written by	Trivikram Srinivas
Produced by	Singanamala Ramesh Babu C. Kalyan S. Satya Rama Murthy
Starring	Mahesh babu Anushka Prakash Raj
Cinematography	Yash Bhatt Sunil Patel
Edited by	A. Sreekar Prasad
Music by	Mani Sharma
Production company	Kanakaratna Movies
Distributed by	Geetha Arts
Release date	7 October 2010 (2010-10-07)
Running time	164 minutes
Country	India
Language	Telugu
Budget	₹30−32 crore
Box office	₹18.08 crores distributors' share ₹13.2 crores (Re-release)

Khaleja (transl. Courage) is a 2010 Indian Telugu-language fantasy action comedy film written and directed by Trivikram Srinivas. It stars Mahesh Babu and Anushka, alongside Prakash Raj, Rao Ramesh, Shafi, Sunil, Ali, and Subbaraju in supporting roles. The music was composed by Mani Sharma. The film follows Raju, a taxi driver who is unexpectedly hailed as the prophesied divine saviour of a village suffering from a mysterious disease and must come to terms with his newfound status to protect the villagers.

The film marks Mahesh Babu’s return to cinema after a three-year hiatus and his second collaboration with Trivikram after Athadu (2005). Released on 7 October 2010, Khaleja received mixed reviews and was a box office failure. However, it won two Filmfare Awards South for Best Male Playback Singer and Best Lyricist.

Over time, the film was critically re-evaluated and gained a cult following due to the in-depth storytelling. It is now considered to be one of the greatest Telugu film of all-time. It was later included in Film Companion's list of the "25 Greatest Telugu Films of the Decade."

Plot

A remote village in Pali is struck by a mysterious plague that consumes many lives, leaving the villagers terrified and devastated. The village head prophesies a saviour and sends his assistant, Siddha, in pursuit of him.

Elsewhere in Hyderabad, Raju, a taxi driver, is left with heavy damage to his taxi in an incident where his passengers are violently attacked and murdered. Consequently, his supervisor instructs him to deliver insurance money to one of the victim's families in Rajasthan. While there, a gang of goons sent by GK, a ruthless industrialist, ambush Raju and mortally wound him. After he fends off his attackers, Raju is found by Siddha under circumstances described in the head's prophecy. Siddha rescues him and takes him back to the village.

After recovering, Raju is shocked to find out that he is revered by the villagers as a deity and fails to convince them otherwise. Although he is initially apathetic towards their troubles, Raju is compelled by Siddha to help the villagers. Upon further investigation, he finds out that GK has been deliberately polluting the village's air and water to drive out its residents and extract precious ores from their land afterwards. He also learns that GK had ordered the hits on Raju's passengers, a geologist and a villager, and later on Raju to prevent them from interfering with his plans.

GK confronts Raju in the village, kills Siddha, and threatens to massacre the villagers for uncovering his ploy. Enraged, Raju fights GK's goons and amputates his hand. GK wanders off panicking and meets his death as prophesized, ending the village's calamity.

Cast

• Mahesh Babu as Alluri Seetharama Raju
• Anushka as Subhashini (Subbu), Raju’s love interest (voice dubbed by Sowmya Sharma)
• Prakash Raj as GK
• Sunil as Babji
• Brahmanandam as Lawyer Miriyam,
• Ali as Tom Cruise, Raju's aid
• Amit Tiwari as GK's son
• Supriya Karnik as GK's wife
• Archana as GK's assistant and a scientist
• Sudha as GK's assistant
• Shafi as Siddha, Tantrik’s henchmen
• Subbaraju as Govardhan
• Kota Srinivasa Rao as Raju's grandfather
• Tanikella Bharani as Durga Prasad, Subhashini’s father
• Rao Ramesh as Tantrik, Village Head
• Raghu Babu as Sundaram
• Aman Dhaliwal as John
• Ananth Babu as Ananth
• Dharmavarapu Subramanyam as Taxi Owner
• Gundu Sudarshan
• Sriranjani as Subbu’s mother
• Baby Annie as village girl
• Micky Makhija as Dr. Paranji

Chaitanya as Village girl's father

Music

The soundtrack was composed by Mani Sharma. The music was released on 27 September 2010. The starcast of the film, including Mahesh Babu, actress Anushka, music director Mani Sharma and director Trivikram Srinivas released the audio at Radio Mirchi FM radio station in the Hyderabad. Mahesh Babu's wife Namrata Shirodkar was also present. The album contains six songs and the lyrics are written by Ramajogayya Sastry and Sirivennela Sitaramasastri.

Khaleja
Soundtrack album by Mani Sharma
Released	27 September 2010 (2010-09-27)
Recorded	2010
Genre	Soundtrack
Length	29:16
Label	Sony Music
Producer	Mani Sharma
Mani Sharma chronology
Kalyanram Kathi (2010) Khaleja (2010) Vastadu Naa Raju (2010)

No.	Title	Lyrics	Singer(s)	Length
1.	"Sada Siva"	Ramajogayya Sastry	Ramesh Vinayagam, Karunya,	4:57
2.	"Bhoom Shakana"	Ramajogayya Sastry	Ranjith, Sravana Bhargavi	4:26
3.	"Piliche"	Sirivennela Sitaramasastri	Vedala Hemachandra, Shweta Mohan	4:27
4.	"Makathika"	Ramajogayya Sastry	Karthik, Saindhavi	3:55
5.	"Sunday Monday"	Ramajogayya Sastry	Vedala Hemachandra, Malavika	4:21
6.	"Taxi"	Ramajogayya Sastry	Ranjith	4:49
Total length:				29:16

Reception

Sify rated 3 out of 5 explained, "No doubt, Mahesh is the cynosure of the movie, shouldering the entire responsibility." MSN rated 3 out of 5 and described the film as "just an above average venture", commenting, "Mahesh Khaleja is worth a watch for Mahesh's strong screen presence and charisma. Mahesh carries off his role with elan and looks superb too. Anushka looks pretty but doesn't share a good on-screen chemistry with Mahesh. The first half of the film is dull. It does pick up pace in the second half but the narration is inconsistent and tedious. The climax is little better. Rediff gave a 3 out of 5 rating and noted, "The duo of Mahesh-Trivikram delivers a product that is watchable, entertaining with good humour, couple of well-orchestrated action sequences and songs and with a bit to take home as well. It's Mahesh's show all the way, much to the delight of his fans. Mahesh is the soul of the movie, be it his dialogue delivery, his action, his dances or emotions, he is effortless.

CNN-IBN gave a mixed review stating, "The movie is all about Mahesh Babu and he occupies almost every frame in the movie. Back after a gap of 3 years, Mahesh looks great with stylish costumes. The movie deals with a serious theme but director Trivikram Srinivas mixes it with a lot of unnecessary situational comedy which dilutes the intensity of the movie."

Awards

Filmfare Awards South

Won

• Best Lyricist – Telugu: Ramajogayya Sastry – "Sada Siva"
• Best Male Playback Singer – Telugu: Ramesh Vinayagam & N. C. Karunya – "Sada Siva"

Nominated

• Best Supporting Actor – Telugu – Shafi

Release

Khaleja was released on 7 October 2010.

Home media

Khaleja is available on Sun NXT and Amazon Prime Video.

Re-release

Khaleja was re-released in theaters on 30 May 2025, coinciding with the birthday celebrations of Babu’s father, legendary actor Krishna, whose birth anniversary falls on 31 May. Due to overwhelming demand from fans, the film achieved a unique milestone by hosting premiere shows on 29 May 2025, marking the first time a re-release film in Telugu cinema had such an event. The film grossed an impressive ₹12 crore at the box office during this special re-release.

External links

• Khaleja at IMDb