KGF: Chapter 1 is a 2018 Indian Kannada-language period action film[5] written and directed by Prashanth Neel, and produced by Vijay Kiragandur under the banner of Hombale Films. It is the first installment in the KGF series, followed by KGF: Chapter 2. The film features an ensemble cast including Yash Gowda, Srinidhi Shetty, Vasishta N. Simha, Ramachandra Raju, Archana Jois, Anant Nag, Achyuth Kumar, Malavika Avinash, T. S. Nagabharana and B. Suresha. Filmed on a budget of ₹80 crore (equivalent to ₹107 crore or US$13 million in 2023), it was the most expensive Kannada film at the time of its release.[2] In the film, Rocky, a high-ranking mercenary, working for a prominent gold mafia in Bombay, seeks power and wealth in order to fulfill his mother's promise. Due to his high fame, the leaders of the gold mafia where he works hire him to assassinate Garuda, the son of the founder of Kolar Gold Fields.


The film's development began in early 2015, after Neel finished writing the screenplay.[6] Filming began two years later, in January 2017. Most of the film is set in the Kolar Gold Fields and was filmed in locales such as Kolar, Mysore, and parts of North Karnataka. The film's production was completed in August 2018.[7] Bhuvan Gowda handled the cinematography and Srikanth Gowda edited the film. Composer Ravi Basrur scored the film.[8]


The Kannada version of KGF: Chapter 1 was released on 20 December 2018 and the dubbed versions in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Hindi released the next day.[9] The film received positive reviews from critics and dialogues from the film became famous worldwide. Due to this, the film performed well commercially and collected ₹250 crore (equivalent to ₹334 crore or US$40 million in 2023) in its entire theatrical run, becoming the highest-grossing Kannada film until it was surpassed by its sequel. It turned out to be a cult hit.[10] At the 66th National Film Awards, the film won two awards for Stunt Choreography and Best Special Effects.[11] At the 66th Filmfare Awards South, the film won two awards from five nominations, including the award for Best Film and Best Actor for Yash.


Plot

Journalist Anand Ingalagi's book El Dorado, which detailed the events at the Kolar Gold Fields (KGF) between 1951 and 2018, was banned by the Indian government, but a television news channel procures a copy and interviews him.


Government officials discovered gold ore in southern Mysore State in 1951. On the same day, Raja "Rocky" Krishnappa Bairya was born to a poor underage Shanti. Suryavardhan, one of the powerful dons and politicians of that time, who accompanied them, killed the officials and leases the land for 99 years under the pretext of running Narachi, a limestone mine, but secretly established K.G.F. and his crime syndicate. For looking after his empire, Suryavardhan appointed five associates: Kamal, son of Suryavardhan's late associate Bhargav, who looks after gold refinery in Varca; Rajendra Desai, who oversees the transportation of refined gold bars coming from the refinery; Andrews, who oversees the gold smuggling in the Western Coast; Guru Pandian, president of the in-government DYSS party who gave political influence to Suryavardhan; and Adheera, Suryavardhan's younger brother, known for his ruthlessness who headed the security at KGF. Suryavardhan suffers a stroke and appoints his elder son Garuda as the future heir of K.G.F. Suryavardhan expected Adheera to serve as his son's aide, but Adheera unsuccessfully attempts to assassinate Garuda. In turn, Garuda bombs Adheera's car and he is presumed dead. Suryavardhan's associates eye the riches of KGF and plan to assassinate Garuda.


Rocky arrives in Bombay as a ten-year-old on a quest for wealth and power as desired by his dying mother, and begins to work for Shetty, a gold smuggler and Andrews' underboss, who competes against a Dubai-based underworld don Inayat Khalil. Years later, he rises in ranks and oversees the arrival of 'African' gold bars to the Bombay coast. Rocky's influence begins to rival Shetty's own. Andrews', who notices this, offers him Bombay in return for assassinating Garuda. Rocky accepts the offer and heads to Bangalore; he meets Desai's daughter Reena and falls in love with her. This irritates Reena's fiancé Kamal, who immediately dislikes Rocky. A statue inauguration is organised for luring Garuda out of K.G.F. With the help of Desai, Andrews, Kamal and Andrews' secretary Daya, Rocky enters the party office with a smuggled pistol. But the attempt is averted even before it began when they are spotted by Garuda's bodyguards. Rocky witnesses the authority and power that Garuda commands. Seeing no other option to murder Garuda, Rocky journeys to K.G.F, killing a unit of Garuda's henchmen to enter. The workers in K.G.F, who were forcibly kidnapped, are subjected to inhumane conditions and treated as slaves. Rocky becomes one of them and although apathetic at first, he is moved by the cold-blooded murder of a mother and son by a guard. Rocky stealthily accesses the map of the mine in the maintenance room during a roll call and narrowly escapes death after a fellow slave sacrifices himself to save the lives of his wife and unborn child. Andrews, Kamal and Desai are misinformed about the incident and assume Rocky is killed.

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