Khaidi is amazing trendsetter which changed the way a hero is portrayed in a Telugu Film, and redefined the commercial elements of Cinema. This film is a biggest turning point to Chiranjeevi as a lead hero- and earned him the ‘Angry Young Man’ image of Tollywood. It earned him huge fan base and people were enthralled to see a different perspective of a Hero and action sequences in such a believable manner. Though the film was inspired from Rambo’s First Blood- a Hollywood Blockbuster, the indigenous touch gave it a new flavor.
Story Details:
Veerabhadraiah (Rao Gopala Rao) is a feudal lord who looks after various aspects of a village along with his assistant (Rallapalli) and village Sarpanch (Nutan Prasad). He lends money to Venkateshwarulu (P.L.Narayana) a farmer with two children. His daughter (Sangeetha) is a widow while his son Suryam (Chiranjeevi) is a student studying in town and loves Madhulatha (Madhavi)- who is Veerabhadraiah’s daughter. When Veerabhadraiah comes to know about this, he asks Suryam’s father to stop his son going behind his daughter. When the latter doesn’t agree, Veerabhadraiah kills him and demands Suryam to repay the money which was borrowed. When Suryam is in the struggling phase to repay the money, his sister commits suicide in mysterious circumstances but Suryam is found guilty of the crime. Very soon Suryam understands that it was the wrong doing of Veerabhadraiah and the rest of the story deals about the revenge of Suryam on him with help from Dr.Sujatha (Sumalatha).
Performances:
Chiranjeevi is absolutely brilliant as the concerned family guy , an honest lover and later an angry young man. The Police station scene where he fights with the police and escapes became one of the most influential scenes in Telugu Cinema. At an era where NTR, ANR, Krishna and Sobhan Babu were ruling the Telugu Film industry, Chiranjeevi came up with a refreshing performance and his silence speaks mountains during the emotional sequences. Madhavi is wonderful as the female lead and her on screen chemistry with Chiranjeevi is another asset for the film. Sumalatha is adorable as the Doctor who helps Suryam for the revenge. Rao Gopal Rao is at his evil best and he redefined the way a villain is portrayed in Telugu Cinema.
Technical Aspects:
Paruchuri Brothers did a wonderful job in the writing department of the film. The dialogues hit the viewer straight and question many happenings in society. Lok Singh’s photography is of top notch. Music by Chakravarthy suits perfectly to the film and the Snake Song “Raguluthondhi Mogali Podha” became a chartbuster. Kodanda Rami Reddy’s direction is beyond perfection and he makes sure the intensity of the film is carried out- without compromising the commercial elements.