Badrinath (alternatively spelled as Badrenath) is a 2011 Indian Telugu-language romantic action film directed by V. V. Vinayak and produced by Allu Aravind. It stars Allu Arjun as the titular samurai, along with Tamannaah Bhatia, Prakash Raj, Kelly Dorji, Ashwini Kalsekar, Rakesh Varre, Rao Ramesh and Pragathi. Allu Arjun plays a modern-day Indian samurai, where he undertakes intensive martial arts and swordfighting training in Vietnam.
In an interview, Ravi Varman told that the film was shot on a Panavision lens at a set in Kulaba on the way to the Rohtang pass apart from the Badrinath temple on sets in Hyderabad, Spain, Italy, Germany and Austria. Earlier, it was reported that the film would also have a dubbed version in Tamil with actor Santhanam's comedy scenes added, but the plan was dropped out due to the commercial failure of the Tamil dubbed versions of Telugu films Shakti and Magadheera.
Badrinath was released on 10 June 2011 in 1,400 screens worldwide, where it received mixed to negative reviews from critics and became an average success at the box office. Prem Rakshith won the Filmfare Award for Best Dance Choreographer for the film's song Nath Nath.
Plot
Bheeshma Narayan is a religious guru and martial arts expert, who selects Badri, a shepherd's son, and trains him into becoming an efficient samurai and the protector of Badrinath temple. He soon meets Alakananda, an atheist woman whom he throws into the namesake river as a punishment for blowing a lamp at the temple, especially after he cured her ill grandfather. He rescues her after Bheeshma, convinced by her grandfather, orders him. Alakananda is ordered to light 1 lakh lamps as punishment, which Badri convinces her to do with devotion.
Alakananda's grandfather reveals that she became an atheist after watching her parents die in a temple fire. And Alakananda grew up to become the object of hatred from her aunt, as she wants to get Alakananda forcibly married to her son Nani as a form of revenge. Badri takes up the challenge to revive her faith in God. She falls for him after he performs Pind Daan for her parents. Later, Badri is summoned by Bheeshma to protect the Amarnath temple whose protector has been killed. After killing all the terrorists with his sword, Badri is introduced publicly by Bheeshma. Alakananda, whose faith in God has also been revived, meets Badri's parents who agree to their marriage, but are caught in a dilemma when Bheeshma tells them that Badri has to remain celibate in order to succeed him.
Alakananda is heartbroken, but Badri promises to unite her with her lover, not knowing it is him, by helping her offer a Brahma lotus, to retrieve which they travel into the mountains. On the other hand, Alakananda's cruel uncle Sarkar learns about Badri from the Amarnath incident footage and send Nani to retrieve Alakananda after Badri dies. The gang attacks Badri and Alakananda as they race against time to reach the temple, but Badri guards her from them and allows her to enter the temple and make her wish. Alakananda demands Badri as her lover while Bheeshma demands him as his successor. While Badri is distracted, Nani throws a statue into the river, which Badri retrieves after jumping into it and killing the henchmen, but is stabbed by Nani upon reinstating the statue and is accused of being in love with Alakananda.
Bheeshma gets shocked and his suspicion further grows as he watches Akakananda being taken away and Badri gaining consciousness to call out her name. The temple is closed temporarily for six months, during which Badri recuperates and Alakananda is engaged to Nani after Sarkar kills her grandfather. Alakananda writes a letter to Badri for help, which Bheeshma receives and tears apart, but is found by Badri and replied with the same mountain soil he used to cure her grandfather. Sarkar and his family learn from a guru that the wedding is not destined to happen. Alakananda tries to escape along with her friend Razia, but is captured and only the latter escapes, convincing Badri to secretly go to Bellary and extract Alakananda.