Arjun: The Warrior Prince

{{Infobox film

| name = Arjun: The Warrior Prince

| image = arjun film poster.jpg

| caption = Film Poster

| director = Arnab Chaudhuri

| producer = Ronnie Screwvala
Siddharth Roy Kapur

| writer = Rajesh Devraj

| music = Songs:
Vishal–Shekhar
Background Score:
Dhruv Ghanekar

| cinematography = Hemant Chaturvedi

| editing = A. Sreekar Prasad

| studio = Walt Disney Pictures
UTV Motion Pictures

| distributor = UTV Motion Pictures

| released = {{Film date|2012|5|25|df=y}}

| country = India

| language = Hindi

| runtime = 96 minutes

}}

Arjun: The Warrior Prince is a 2012 Indian animated action film, directed by Arnab Chaudhuri, written by Rajesh Devraj, and produced by Ronnie Screwvala and Siddharth Roy Kapur under UTV Motion Pictures and Walt Disney Pictures. The film tells the story of Mahabharata from Arjun’s point of view.{{cite web| url=https://www.deccanherald.com/content/252209/arjun-bang-target-well-almost.html| title=Deccan Herald reviews the Arjun the warrior Prince| access-date=13 May 2022| archive-date=13 May 2022| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220513055504/https://www.deccanherald.com/content/252209/arjun-bang-target-well-almost.html| url-status=live}} The film was released in India on 25 May 2012.

A sequel to the film was planned but it was never completed and Disney shut down UTV Motion Pictures in 2017.

Plot

The story is based on the early life of Prince Arjuna, loosely taken from the ancient Indian epic Mahabharata. The storyline begins with Arjun as a nine-year-old boy and follows him until he grows into the warrior that the world knows him as. It explores his life with his brothers in Hastinapur, his training and education, and his ultimate discovery of the warrior within himself.

The film begins with Uttar, the young prince of Viratnagar (Kingdom of King Virata), asking a maid (Brihannala) to tell him a story. The maid narrates him the story of Arjun.

She tells him that Arjun was a student of Drona and that he learned the art of warfare from him. He was more skilled than all the students of Drona. None of his own brothers nor his cousins - the hundred Kauravas - could equal him in the art. Duryodhana and the other Kauravas despised the Pandavas, for they feared that they might usurp Duryodhana's throne. When the king Dhritrashtra grew older, the rivalry between his sons, the Kauravas and the Pandavas, intensified. Twice, Duryodhana attempted to kill all the Pandavas but failed. To avoid further conflict, Dhritrashtra proclaimed Duryodhana as the crown prince of Hastinapu and asked Yudhishthira to be the king of a distant, unkempt territory of the empire.

In the meantime, Arjun won a swayamvar and married the daughter of the King of Panchala, Draupadi. Duryodhana, who loathed the Pandavas, hatched a conspiracy with his uncle Shakuni and won all that belonged to the Pandavas in a betting game called chaupar. After losing everything, Yudhishthira betted his own brothers, Draupadi, and even himself. Draupadi was insulted in front of everyone, but Arjuna could not say anything because Yudhishthira was the king, and the king's words are the last words. The Pandavas, according to the rules of the game, had to go into exile for twelve years and an agyatavasa (hiding) for one year. While all the Pandavas go one way, Arjuna travels north to do tapasya. Before leaving, Draupadi makes him promise that he will take revenge for her insult. He then leaves and does tapasya, during which he earns a bow from the Lord Shiva.

The story then shifts back to the present-day Viratnagar. It is revealed that the Pandavas are spending their secret exile, or 'agyatavasa', there and are noticed by some of the spies of Duryodhana. According to the outcome of the game, if any one of the Pandavas is found before the end of that one year, the Pandavas will have to again go for a twelve-year exile. The spy informs Duryodhana that the Pandavas are in Viratnagar. So he launches an attack on Viratnagar with the help of his bandit friends. The king of Viratnagar leaves to thrash the marauding bandits. However, that is the bait. From the other direction, Duryodhana's army comes, and it seems that the young prince of Viratnagar is the only one who is left to fight.

Uttar's maid drives the young prince's chariot to the field, but the prince, distraught by the number of enemies, flees. The maid stops him and reveals her true identity: Brihannala comes out as Arjun. Arjun retrieves his bow and makes prince Uttar drive his chariot. The warrior massacres the army and emerges victorious, and at last, Arjuna alone defeats all Kaurava warriors, including Bhisma and Drona.

Cast

Yuddvir Bakolia as Arjun
Aanjjan Srivastav as Kirat/Lord Shiva
Sachin Khedekar as Lord Krishna
Rajeshwari Sachdev as Draupadi
Ashok Banthia as Bheem
Ravi Khanwilkar as Drona
Hemant Mahaur as Duryodhan
Brijesh Jha as Yudhishthir
Vijay Kashyap as Shakuni
Ila Arun as Kunti
Vishnu Sharma as Bheeshma

Development and production

Animation for the film is provided by Tata Elxsi. According to Chaudhary, "When UTV pitched the idea of ‘Arjun' to me, I was thrilled. I had trained in animation at National Institute of Design years back. My writer Rajesh Devraj and I started developing the story and pooled in talent from NID for everything from character design to costume design. We eventually had a team of 300 professionals including those from Tata Elxsi."{{cite news |last=Udasi |first=Harshikaa |date=23 May 2012 |title=Mythology comes alive |url=https://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/mythology-comes-alive/article3449032.ece |work=The Hindu |location=Chennai |access-date=22 April 2024 |url-access=subscription |archive-date=22 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240422231314/https://www.thehindu.com/features/cinema/mythology-comes-alive/article3449032.ece |url-status=live }}

Chaudhary told The Telegraph, " We took a theatre group that is run by K.K. Raina and Ila Arun and did the whole voiceover in the form of a play. As a result, what you get is people interacting with each other and lending their voices to the characters in my film instead of dubbing them from separate booths." And "for the action, we did a two-week workshop with a Kalaripayattu troupe from Kerala and a Thang-Ta troupe from Manipur — both of which represent very diverse martial art forms. We put them together on a mountaintop for two weeks and made them fight each other. What we got were results that I wouldn’t even hope to achieve if I was using live-action actors."{{cite interview |last=Chaudhri |first=Arnab |interviewer=Telegraph Team |title=Arjun: The Warrior Prince |date=16 May 2012 |publisher=The Telegraph |location=Kolkata |url=https://www.telegraphindia.com/entertainment/arjun-the-warrior-prince/cid/419186 |access-date=19 May 2023 |archive-date=19 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230519095228/https://www.telegraphindia.com/entertainment/arjun-the-warrior-prince/cid/419186 |url-status=live }}

Soundtrack

{{Infobox album

| name = Arjun: The Warrior Prince

| type = Soundtrack

| artist = Vishal–Shekhar

| cover =

| alt =

| released = 2012

| recorded =

| venue =

| studio =

| genre = Feature film soundtrack

| language = Hindi

| length =

| label = UTV Music

| producer = Ronnie Screwvala

| prev_title = Kahaani

| prev_year = 2012

| next_title = Shanghai

| next_year = 2012

}}

Distributed and released by Walt Disney Records and UTV Music, the soundtrack of Arjun: The Warrior Prince is composed by Vishal–Shekhar with lyrics by Piyush Mishra, while Dhruv Ghanekar composed the background score.{{cite web|url=http://www.boxofficeindia.co.in/arjun-%E2%80%93-the-warrior-prince-2/ |title=Arjun – the Warrior Prince | Box Office India : India's premier film trade magazine |access-date=2014-06-08 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131005170930/http://www.boxofficeindia.co.in/arjun-%E2%80%93-the-warrior-prince-2/ |archive-date=5 October 2013 |df=dmy }}

{{track listing

| headline =

| extra_column = Singer(s)

| all_writing =

| title1 = Daanav

| length1 = 3:37

| extra1 = Vishal Dadlani, Shankar Mahadevan

| title2 = Karam Ki Talwar

| length2 = 4:19

| extra2 = Sukhwinder Singh

| title3 = Manva

| length3 = 4:29

| extra3 = Swanand Kirkire, Shreya Ghoshal, Piyush Mishra, Raja Hasan

| title4 = Kabhi Na Dekhe Hastinapur Mein

| length4 = 3:02

| extra4 = Shreya Ghoshal, Sunidhi Chauhan, Shubha Mudgal, Ila Arun

| title5 = Samay

| length5 = 5:32

| extra5 = Shekhar Ravjiani, Hemant Brijwasi

| title6 = Khandav

| length6 = 4:09

| extra6 = Keerthi Sagathia

| total_length =

}}

Release

The film was released in India on 25 May 2012.{{cite news |author= |date=24 May 2012 |title=Friday Release: Animated action film 'Arjun' |url=https://www.news18.com/news/india/friday-release-animated-action-film-arjun-477427.html |work=News18 |access-date=23 April 2024}} In United States, Walt Disney Studios Motion Pictures held a week-long limited engagement on 1 September 2012 at the El Capitan Theater to qualify for Academy Awards consideration.{{cite web|url=http://www.cartoonbrew.com/disney/disneys-arjun-opens-monday-night-in-hollywood-69157.html|title=Disney's "Arjun" opens in Hollywood|access-date=September 2, 2012|date=2012-09-02|archive-date=6 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170906181540/http://www.cartoonbrew.com/disney/disneys-arjun-opens-monday-night-in-hollywood-69157.html|url-status=live}} However, the film was not nominated.

Reception

= Critical response =

{{Rotten Tomatoes prose|score=67|count=9|average=5.7|consensus=|ref=yes |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240404131502/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/arjun_the_warrior_prince |archive-date=4 April 2024 |access-date=April 20, 2024 |url-status=live}} Anuj Kumar of The Hindu gave the film 4 out of 5, calling it "a world class show with a good old Indian touch".{{Cite news |author=Anuj Kumar |url=http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-newdelhi/article3463558.ece |title=A world-class show with good old Indian touch |newspaper=The Hindu |date=2012-05-28 |access-date=2014-02-24 |archive-date=27 January 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160127084529/http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-newdelhi/article3463558.ece |url-status=live |url-access=subscription }} Rajeev Masand of CNN-IBN gave the film 3 stars out of 5, concluding that "I'm going to with three out of five for Arjun: The Warrior Prince. Like its hero, the film too is a valiant effort, and an interesting interpretation of a much-loved mythological story. Worth a watch".{{cite web|title=Masand: 'Arjun: The Warrior Prince' is a valiant effort|url=http://www.dnaindia.com/entertainment/review_review-arjun-the-warrior-prince-enjoyable-for-kids-adults-alike_1693275|publisher=DNA Indiai|access-date=2014-02-24|date=2012-05-25|archive-date=26 May 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120526122107/http://www.dnaindia.com/entertainment/review_review-arjun-the-warrior-prince-enjoyable-for-kids-adults-alike_1693275|url-status=live}} Robert Abele of Los Angeles Times gave the film 3 out of 5 stars stating "The animation is at times stiff and presentational, like a rushed rotoscoping job, but there's a charming majesty to the enterprise".{{Cite news|url=https://www.latimes.com/entertainment/la-xpm-2012-may-25-la-et-arjun-capsule-20120525-story.html|title=Film Review: Hero's tale 'Arjun' is charming|newspaper=Los Angeles Times|date=2012-05-25|last1=Abele|first1=Robert|access-date=26 March 2017|archive-date=17 December 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171217205456/http://articles.latimes.com/2012/may/25/entertainment/la-et-arjun-capsule-20120525|url-status=live}}

Coversely, Rachel Saltz of The New York Times gave the film 2 out of 5, writing, "An action movie, 'Arjun' takes story liberties, but not always in the service of clarity. (The script is by Rajesh Devraj.) Children will probably be confused, and adults familiar with the tale may wonder where all the good bits went."{{cite news |last=Saltz |first=Rachel |date=24 May 2012 |title=An Animated Mahabharata Story |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/25/movies/arjun-the-warrior-prince-by-arnab-chaudhuri.html?partner=rss&emc=rss |work=The New York Times |location=Manhattan |access-date=20 April 2024 |archive-date=11 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230311121609/https://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/25/movies/arjun-the-warrior-prince-by-arnab-chaudhuri.html?partner=rss&emc=rss |url-status=live }} Lou Lumenick of New York Post gave the film 2 out of 5, writing, "Even though the title character vaguely resembles Disney’s Tarzan, nobody is going to mistake the less-than-state-of-the-art, computer-game-style 2-D animation for the work of the American parent, much less its Pixar subsidiary."{{cite news |last=Lumenick |first=Lou |author-link=Lou Lumenick |date=25 May 2012 |title=Arjun: The Warrior Prince |url=https://nypost.com/2012/05/25/arjun-the-warrior-prince/ |work=New York Post |location=New York |access-date=20 April 2024 |archive-date=17 December 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171217205457/https://nypost.com/2012/05/25/arjun-the-warrior-prince/ |url-status=live }}

= Box office =

The film earned {{INR}}24.4 million worldwide against the budget of {{INR}}75 million.{{Cite web|url=https://boxofficeindia.com/movie.php?movieid=1111|title=Arjun: The Warrior Prince |website=Boxofficeindia.com|date=25 May 2012|access-date=20 April 2024|archive-date=25 May 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230525110736/https://www.boxofficeindia.com/movie.php?movieid=1111|url-status=live}}

= Accolades =

class="wikitable"
Year ! Name of Competition\Award ! Category ! Result ! Recipient(s)/Nominee(s)
rowspan="3" \|2013 \|FICCI BAF Awards \| Best Indian Animated Feature Film[Theatrical Release] \| {{won}} \| Tata Elxsi{{cite web\|url=http://www.ficci-frames.com/baf_winnerlist_2012.pdf\|title=FICCI BAF AWARDS 2012 - WINNERS\|publisher=Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry\|access-date=24 March 2013\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120710113444/http://www.ficci-frames.com/baf_winnerlist_2012.pdf\|archive-date=10 July 2012\|url-status=dead}}
2013 Annecy International Animated Film Festival \| Cristal Award for Best Film \| {{nom}} \| Arnab Chaudhuri{{cite web\|url=http://www.animationxpress.com/index.php/animation/arjun-the-warrior-prince-nominated-for-annecy-cristal-award-2013\|title=Arjun: The Warrior Prince Nominated for Annecy Cristal Award 2013\|access-date=April 26, 2013\|archive-date=4 September 2017\|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170904153950/http://www.animationxpress.com/index.php/animation/arjun-the-warrior-prince-nominated-for-annecy-cristal-award-2013\|url-status=live}}
19th Screen Awards \|Best Animation \|{{nom}} \|Arjun: The Warrior Prince{{cite news\|url=http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movies/features/type/view/id/4359 \|title=Nominations: 19th Annual Colors Screen Awards \|date=2 January 2013 \|work=Bollywood Hungama \|access-date=1 August 2021 \|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130105020213/http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movies/features/type/view/id/4359 \|archive-date=5 January 2013 \|agency=Bollywood Hungama News Network}}

class="wikitable"

Year

! Name of Competition\Award

! Category

! Result

! Recipient(s)/Nominee(s)

rowspan="3" |2013

|FICCI BAF Awards

| Best Indian Animated Feature Film[Theatrical Release]

| {{won}}

| Tata Elxsi{{cite web|url=http://www.ficci-frames.com/baf_winnerlist_2012.pdf|title=FICCI BAF AWARDS 2012 - WINNERS|publisher=Federation of Indian Chambers of Commerce & Industry|access-date=24 March 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120710113444/http://www.ficci-frames.com/baf_winnerlist_2012.pdf|archive-date=10 July 2012|url-status=dead}}

2013 Annecy International Animated Film Festival

| Cristal Award for Best Film

| {{nom}}

| Arnab Chaudhuri{{cite web|url=http://www.animationxpress.com/index.php/animation/arjun-the-warrior-prince-nominated-for-annecy-cristal-award-2013|title=Arjun: The Warrior Prince Nominated for Annecy Cristal Award 2013|access-date=April 26, 2013|archive-date=4 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170904153950/http://www.animationxpress.com/index.php/animation/arjun-the-warrior-prince-nominated-for-annecy-cristal-award-2013|url-status=live}}

19th Screen Awards

|Best Animation

|{{nom}}

|Arjun: The Warrior Prince{{cite news|url=http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movies/features/type/view/id/4359 |title=Nominations: 19th Annual Colors Screen Awards |date=2 January 2013 |work=Bollywood Hungama |access-date=1 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130105020213/http://www.bollywoodhungama.com/movies/features/type/view/id/4359 |archive-date=5 January 2013 |agency=Bollywood Hungama News Network}}

Other media

An adventure video game was released for mobile platforms to accompany the film's release by UTV Indiagames.{{Cite web |title=Arjun: The Warrior Prince |url=https://phoneky.com/games/?id=j4j67677 |access-date=2023-09-30 |website=phoneky.com |language=en |archive-date=27 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230327121712/https://phoneky.com/games/?id=j4j67677 |url-status=live }}

Cancelled sequel

In December 2012, Arnab Chaudhari announced a sequel to the film was in the works. He further stated that "It will take about three years to complete the film."{{cite web|first=Rika Aash|last=Pathak|url=http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/script-for-the-sequel-of-arjun-the-warrior-...-complete/1050444/|website=The Indian Express|title=Script for the sequel of Arjun The Warrior ... complete|date=28 December 2012|access-date=25 March 2023|archive-date=24 August 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170824072429/http://archive.indianexpress.com/news/script-for-the-sequel-of-arjun-the-warrior-...-complete/1050444/|url-status=dead}} However, the film was never completed and Disney shut down UTV Motion Pictures in 2017.