Swag (film)

Swag
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Hasith Goli
Written by	Hasith Goli
Produced by	T. G. Vishwa Prasad
Starring	Sree Vishnu Ritu Varma Sunil Meera Jasmine Daksha Nagarkar Ravi Babu
Cinematography	Vedaraman Sankaran
Edited by	Viplav Nyshadam
Music by	Vivek Sagar
Production company	People Media Factory
Release date	4 October 2024 (2024-10-04)
Running time	159 minutes
Country	India
Language	Telugu
Budget	₹20 Crore

Swag is a 2024 Indian Telugu-language black comedy thriller film written and directed by Hasith Goli, and produced by People Media Factory. The film features Sree Vishnu and Ritu Varma in lead roles alongside Sunil, Meera Jasmine, Daksha Nagarkar and Ravi Babu in supporting roles. The film was released on 4 October 2024.

Plot

The story begins in 1551 in the fictional Vinjamara vamsam that followed matriarchal norms, ruled by Rukmini Devi (Ritu Varma). In contrast to the current social evil of female foeticide, during this queen’s rule, male foeticide was prevalent. Hasith Goli goes all out in his satirical approach to portray men with veils and women making the important decisions. He narrates a hypothetical story of one man, Bhavabhuti (Sree Vishnu), turning the tables and introducing a patriarchal system.

Cast

• Sree Vishnu in a quadruple role as
  • King Bhavabhuti
  • SI Bhavabuti
  • Yayati
  • Singareni "Singa"
• Ritu Varma in a dual role as
  • Queen Vinjaamara Rukmini Devi
  • Anubhuti
• Sunil
• Meera Jasmine in a dual role as
  • Queen Uthphalaa Devi
  • Revathi
• Daksha Nagarkar
• Ravi Babu
• Goparaju Ramana
• Sharanya Pradeep
• Getup Srinu
• Rajyalakshmi
• Prudhvi Raj
• Vasu Inturi
• Vadivukkarasi

Music

Swag
Soundtrack album by Vivek Sagar
Released	2024
Recorded	2024
Language	Telugu
Label	Tips Industries
Producer	Vivek Sagar

The film's soundtrack album and background score are composed by Vivek Sagar.

All music is composed by Vivek Sagar

Track list

No.	Title	Lyrics	Singer(s)	Length
1.	"Singaro Singa"	Niklesh Sunkoji	Baba Sehgal, Vaikom Vijayalakshmi	3:20
2.	"Guvva Gootilo"	Bhuvana Chandra	Mano, Geetha Madhuri, Snigdha Sharma	4:19
3.	"Englandu Rani"	Swaroop Goli	Kailash Kher	4:02
4.	"Neelo Naalo" (Additional vocals: Shrutika Samudrala)	Bhuvana Chandra	Rajesh Krishnan, Anjana Sowmya	4:35

Release

Swag was released on 4 October.

Reception

Sangeetha Devi Dundoo of The Hindu gave a positive review with particular praise to Hasith Goli, and the performances of Sree Vishnu, Ritu Varma and Meera Jasmine. She further wrote that "There are times when the multiple timelines and characters can feel tiresome. But ultimately, it finds its rhythm and can leave you with a smile". Eenadu opined that the confused story and screenplay are the major negatives, while the performances of Sree Vishnu and Ritu Varma is the major positive of the film. Avad Mohammad of OTTPlay appreciated the performance of Sree Vishnu and other actors of the film while stating, "Swag has an interesting concept which is marred by a very uneven and confusing screenplay. The cast, thrills, and performances are decent but to enjoy them one needs to have patience and sit for the last half an hour when the actual action happens".

123Telugu gave a rating of 2.5 out of 5 and stated that "Swag has a very good story and great performances, but it takes time for one to understand the actual concept due to a dull screenplay". Giving the same rating, Telugucinema.com opined that "the story is unique, and the message it drives is good. Moreover, Sree Vishnu portrays four distinct roles, one of which is more daring than the others, adding to its allure. Despite all these merits, it suffers from ‘heavy’ narration and excessive length. The screenplay is also fraught with confusion".

Film critic Cinephile India praised Hasith Goli's handling of the story and characters. He mentions that Swag offers a thought-provoking drama about gender equality while highlighting the inequalities being passed down by generations in a fun satirical way. He goes on praise Sree Vishnu's acting in multiple roles spanning generations and calls it one of his best performances. Budget of Swag movie is approximately 20 Crore rupees.

External links

• Swag at IMDb