Gopala Gopala is a 2015 Indian Telugu-language satirical comedy drama film directed by Kishore Kumar Pardasani. The film is produced by D. Suresh Babu and Sharrath Marar under the Suresh Productions and North Star Entertainment banners. It stars Venkatesh in the lead role alongside Pawan Kalyan in an extended cameo appearance while Shriya Saran, Mithun Chakraborty, Ashish Vidyarthi and Posani Krishna Murali play supporting roles. The film is a remake of the 2012 Hindi film OMG – Oh My God! which was itself based on the Gujarati stage play Kanji Viruddh Kanji which is in turn inspired from 2001 Australian film The Man Who Sued God.
It follows the story of an atheist, Gopala Rao (Venkatesh), who sues God after losing his shop in an earthquake. Religious organisations revolt against him and Lord Vishnu visits him as his human guide, under his incarnation Krishna (Kalyan).
Gopala Gopala was made on a budget of 12 crore. Production began on 9 June 2014. It was predominantly shot in and around Visakhapatnam, with a few sections filmed in Hyderabad and Varanasi. Anup Rubens composed the music while Jayanan Vincent was the film's cinematographer. The film was released worldwide on 10 January 2015 as a Sankranthi release. It received positive reviews from critics and was commercially successful grossing 88.1 crore with a distributor share of 41.1 crore.
Plot Kanneganti Gopala Rao, an atheist and successful businessman, lives with his deeply religious wife Meenakshi and their school-aged son Moksha. He owns a store that sells the idols of Hindu Gods and has prospered in his business. Gopala Rao disrupts a dangerous ritual organized by the fraudulent Godman Siddheswar Maharaj, prompting a furious Maharaj to threaten him with dire consequences.
His life takes a turn when an earthquake destroys his shop, which was mortgaged and laden with loans. The insurance company denies his claim, citing the disaster as an "Act of God," leaving Gopala Rao in dire financial straits. He attempts to sell the land where his shop was located, but the property is deemed "impure" due to the shattered idols.
In a bid for justice, Gopala Rao decides to sue God, a move that shocks his wife and is met with skepticism from legal professionals. He eventually secures the help of Akbar Khan, a disabled lawyer, who agrees to assist him under the provision of the Indian Constitution that allows self-representation if no lawyer is available. Gopala Rao's lawsuit garners attention, and he names self-styled Godmen Leelaladhara Swamy, Siddheswar Maharaj and Gopika Matha as representatives of God in the case.
During the legal proceedings, Gopala Rao faces threats and physical attacks from supporters of Leeladhara Swamy. Lord Krishna in the disguise of a common man named Govinda Gopala Hari rescues Gopala Rao and drops him home. Gopala Rao learns that a few fundamentalists threw stones at his residence, causing his father-in-law to take Meenakshi and Moksha away with him. Hari helps Gopala Rao by purchasing his mortgaged house and provides him with financial support until the case is resolved.
Gopala Rao's public appearance on television criticizing fraudulent Godmen and superstitions boosts his popularity. Hundreds of people, denied insurance due to Act of God provisions, join Gopala Rao, leading him to send legal notices to Mullahs and Catholic priests, who appear at court along with Leeladhara Swamy and others. They demand ₹500 crore in compensation, causing stress for the insurance company.
As the court case progresses, Defence lawyer Shankar Narayana demands proof that God was responsible for the shop's destruction. The judge grants Gopala Rao seven days to provide evidence. Hari advises Gopala Rao to study Bhagavad Gita, Bible and Quran, from which Gopala Rao derives the notion that God has the power to create and destroy for reasons beyond human understanding.
Before Gopala Rao can present his arguments, he is stabbed by a follower of Leeladhara Swamy and slips into a coma. His family, now supportive of his cause, prays for his recovery. After a month, Leeladhara Swamy arranges for him to die with the help of doctors, but Hari intervenes, revealing himself as Lord Vishnu in his Viswaroopam and explaining that the destruction of Gopala Rao's shop was a divine act intended to challenge false beliefs and promote true understanding of God.
Awakening from his coma, Gopala Rao learns he has won the case, with compensation awarded to all affected. Despite this, Leeladhara Swamy and others propagate the belief that Gopala Rao is a divine messenger. Leeladhara Swamy says that Gopala Rao, in his dreams claimed that he would die on Vijayadasami like Shirdi Sai Baba. Gopala Rao and Hari leave the hospital to confront the public, who are influenced by Leeladhara Swamy and others to build a temple for Gopala Rao.
Gopala Rao shatters his own idol, which the people had been praying to, and commands them not to believe in the fraudulent Godmen, whose aim is to exploit people's beliefs. He urges the people to trust in the God within each individual and to help one another in order to truly honor God. The outraged public turns against the Godmen and attempts to attack them, but Gopala Rao intervenes to stop them. Hari then ascends into the sky, and Gopala Rao discovers a keychain that belongs to him. When he tries to keep it, Hari's voice from the sky instructs him to throw it away, warning that it would lead him to believe in objects as Gods rather than in people. Gopala Rao throws the keychain toward the sky, where it vanishes, and he reconciles with his wife, son, and family.
Cast
Venkatesh as Kanneganti Gopal Rao, a lawyer who fight's for justice, The main protagonist Pawan Kalyan as Govinda Gopala Hari (in disguise) and Lord Krishna, Incarnation of Lord Vishnu (in real) Shriya Saran as Meenakshi Mithun Chakraborty as Leeladhara Swamy Posani Krishna Murali as Siddheswar Maharaj Diksha Panth as Gopika Matha Brahmanandam as Yadagiri Ashish Vidyarthi as Shankar Narayana Krishnudu as Ottu Murali Sharma as Akbar Khan Ranganath as the Judge Raghu Babu as Insurance company owner Vennela Kishore as Rambabu Madhu Shalini as DD TV reporter Anisha Ambrose as a journalist Rallapalli as Gopala Rao's uncle Prudhvi Raj as lawyer Ali as Krishna and Gopal Rao's friend Sivannarayana Naripeddi as Bhanwarlal Seth Deekshithulu as Swamiji Narra Srinu as Gopala Rao's brother-in-law Anju Asrani as Gopala Rao's elder sister Bharani as Leeladhara Swamy's disciple Dhanraj as one of the people in court who interacts with Govinda Gopala Hari
Production Development In early April 2013, the Paruchuri Brothers informed the media that they were in the final stages of acquiring the remake rights of Umesh Shukla OMG – Oh My God! (2012) and that work on the script would begin afterwards. It was also said that Ravi Teja would play the role of Krishna in this film, originally played by Akshay Kumar, and that the official confirmation of the film would come within a week. OMG – Oh My God! itself was an adaptation of the Gujarati play Kanji Viruddh Kanji. D. Suresh Babu acquired the remake rights in mid November 2013 and Venkatesh was confirmed to be a part of the film's principal cast. Kishore Kumar Pardasani was selected to direct the film.
After much speculation, Suresh Babu confirmed to the media in mid-February 2014 that Pawan Kalyan would play the role of Krishna and Sharrath Marar would be co-producing the film with North Star Entertainment. After considering the titles Deva Devam Bhaje and Gopala Gopala, the latter was finalised just before its formal launch on 9 June 2014 at Hyderabad. Anoop Rubens was confirmed to replace Sohail Sen as the music director. Jayanan Vincent was selected to handle the cinematography, despite reports stating that P. C. Sreeram would be doing the job.
Casting
Venkatesh and Rajendra Prasad were initially reported to reprise the roles of Akshay Kumar and Paresh Rawal from the original. Venkatesh was later confirmed as playing the role played by Paresh Rawal and Vikram was approached for the role of Krishna. Pawan Kalyan was engaged for the same part later on. Venkatesh personally researched and purchased his outfits., incorporating a number of differently-coloured short kurtas into his costume. He ended up with more than 40 changes onscreen.
Kalyan underwent a special diet and exercise to lose weight for the role in the film. Kishore Kumar said that Kalyan would be seen for 25 minutes, as in the original, but this was later extended to 45 minutes. Kalyan was slightly overweight before signing the film and followed a crash diet comprising milk and fruit, avoiding carbohydrates and oily foods. Reports stated that he would use a Hyosung GV650 Aquila Pro in the film. Later his team met Akshay Warde, who had designed a special Vardenchi motorcycle for Akshay Kumar in the original. Warde completed designing a new motorcycle within a month, albeit without a support team like he had had when making the original film.
After considering Nayanthara, Anjali, and Radhika Apte for the female lead, Shriya Saran was finalised for the role in early May 2014 after Nayanthara walked out of the project citing scheduling and payment issues. She called her role a "beautifully etched" and an "inspiring" one. Saran added that the relationship between her and Venkatesh in the film would encapsulate the central debate of the existence of God. Mithun Chakraborthy was signed to repeat his role from the original in early June 2014, thereby making his Telugu debut. Posani Krishna Murali, Krishnudu, Raghu Babu, and Vennela Kishore were selected to play other important roles in the film. It was originally unclear whose role she was remaking from the original when she was engaged on the film. Diksha Panth was selected to play the role that Poonam Jhawer performed in the original. Anisha Ambrose made a cameo appearance.
Filming In early May 2014, the film's co-producer Sharrath Marar, in an interview with IANS, said that the regular shooting was planned to begin on 19 May 2014 after Pawan Kalyan was relieved from his political duties, also saying that the makers were aiming for a September 2014 release. However, it emerged that the film would be officially launched on 2 June 2014 and shooting would be done in a specially erected set in Hyderabad. Principal photography eventually commenced a week later on 9 June 2014 at Ramanaidu Studios at Nanakramguda in Hyderabad. Venkatesh joined the shoot in the same day. Pawan Kalyan allotted 25 days for the shooting of his scenes in the film.
The film's second schedule started on 18 July 2014 at Hyderabad after a brief break while Venkatesh was promoting his film Drushyam. Pawan Kalyan was reported as joining the shoot on 23 July 2014 and a special sequence in which he would be seen driving his personal motorcycle was planned to be shot. His part in the film's dialogue was expected to be completed. However, Kalyan joined the sets two days in advance and scenes featuring him and Venkatesh were shot. The film's shoot continued in the outskirts of Hyderabad where scenes with Venkatesh. Kalyan and Shriya Saran were shot. The film's shoot continued in late August 2014 at Nanakramguda. The exteriors of Osmania University's College for Women in Koti, Hyderabad were used to shoot a court scene. Producer Daggubati Suresh Babu said that the college had a look which suited the scene.