Eagle (2024 film)

Eagle is a 2024 Indian Telugu-language action thriller film written and directed by Karthik Gattamneni and produced by T. G. Vishwa Prasad and Vivek Kuchibhotla under People Media Factory. It stars Ravi Teja in the titular role alongside Anupama Parameswaran, Kavya Thapar, and Navdeep.^[5]

Eagle
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Karthik Gattamneni
Screenplay by	Karthik Gattamneni Manibabu Karanam
Story by	Karthik Gattamneni
Produced by	T. G. Vishwa Prasad Vivek Kuchibhotla
Starring	Ravi Teja Anupama Parameswaran Kavya Thapar Navdeep
Cinematography	Karthik Gattamneni Kamil Plocki Karm Chawla
Edited by	Karthik Gattamneni
Music by	Davzand
Production company	People Media Factory
Distributed by	UFO Moviez B4U Films
Release date	9 February 2024 (2024-02-09)[1]
Running time	156 minutes[2]
Country	India
Language	Telugu[3]
Budget	₹35 crore[4]

The film was officially announced on 12 June 2023.^[6] The background score and soundtrack were composed by Davzand, with cinematography and editing handled by Gattamneni himself.

Eagle was released in theatres worldwide on 9 February 2024 to mixed reviews from critics.^[1]

Plot

The story begins with Nalini Rao, a bold investigative journalist, who writes a small article about a unique variety of cotton being grown in a remote region called Talakona in Andhra Pradesh. To her surprise, the article immediately catches the attention of India’s top intelligence officials. Their suspicious reaction alerts her that the cotton and the place may be linked to something far deeper. Driven by her instincts, Nalini travels to Talakona to dig into the truth behind the cotton and the mysterious man who cultivates it.

In Talakona, she meets Sahadev Varma, a quiet, reclusive cotton farmer. Locals admire him for his success in cultivating an incredibly fine cotton that’s in global demand. But when Nalini begins talking to people around the village and tracing old government records, she finds gaps in Sahadev’s identity. Her investigation leads her to multiple sources—RAW officers, villagers, ex-military personnel—who all speak of Sahadev with mixed fear and admiration. It becomes clear that he is not just an ordinary farmer.

Through a series of flashbacks and testimonies, Nalini uncovers the stunning truth: Sahadev Varma is actually "Eagle", a deadly covert operative who once worked for Indian intelligence. Known for his precision sniping and fearless execution of black ops, Eagle was responsible for dismantling several terrorist cells and illegal arms networks across Asia. After years of missions and bloodshed, he vanished without a trace, presumed dead by most agencies. But in reality, he had chosen to retire, hiding in plain sight in Talakona.

However, Sahadev’s cotton farm wasn’t just about agriculture. It was a calculated cover for a global sting operation. He used cotton exports to trace illegal arms smuggling routes. By keeping the cotton highly desirable to international buyers, he could track which networks were involved in moving weapons under the radar. His goal was to expose and destroy a massive underground arms syndicate operating through India’s forests.

As Nalini’s article nears completion, her actions unknowingly trigger a storm. Multiple enemies begin closing in on Sahadev: international arms dealers who feel threatened by his work, Naxalites active in the region, terrorist groups with past grudges, and corrupt politicians whose ties to the black market are at risk of being revealed. Even Indian intelligence agencies, fearing exposure of classified operations, begin considering Sahadev a liability. Suddenly, everyone wants "Eagle" dead.

At this point, Jay, Sahadev’s old friend and fellow RAW agent, enters the scene. He tries to convince Sahadev to disappear again, but Sahadev has made up his mind. He chooses to fight back, determined to end the arms trade once and for all. What follows is a series of high-stakes action sequences where Sahadev takes on heavily armed enemies—alone and outnumbered, but highly skilled.

The final act of the film is packed with intense action. Sahadev fends off a massive attack, strategically eliminating mercenaries and exposing the entire network. In the end, his true identity becomes public, and though he survives, his peaceful life is lost. The film ends on an open note, hinting at more battles ahead for Eagle, possibly setting up a sequel.

Cast

• Ravi Teja as Sahadev Varma alias "Eagle"
• Anupama Parameswaran as Nalini Rao, a journalist
• Kavya Thapar as Rachana, Sahadev's wife
• Navdeep as Jay, Sahadev's friend and right hand man
• Vinay Rai as Kali Pratap, an Anglo-Indian police officer and Suhana's father
• Srinivas Avasarala as Pramod, a RAW agent
• Madhoo as Gayatri Devi, RAW chief
• Ajay Ghosh as MLA Someshwar Reddy
• Srinivasa Reddy as Vikas, Someshwar Reddy's secretary
• Ashvin Raja as Seenayya
• Bhasha as Penchala
• Mirchi Kiran as Chengal Reddy
• Sivannarayana Naripeddi as Venkanna
• Praneetha Patnaik as Padmakka
• Surya as Ramaraju
• Seshi Rao as Altaf
• Master Dhruvan as Govindu
• Madee Manepalli as Luna Suresh
• Baby Zara as Suhana
• Pradeep as Robin Singh
• Bharath Reddy as Daily Herald MD
• Akshara as Khyati
• Nithin Mehta as Rajesh Rumani
• David Price as Pedro Pascal

Soundtrack

Music is composed by Davzand.

Track list

No.	Title	Lyrics	Singer(s)	Length
1.	"Aadu Macha"	Kalyan Chakravarthy	Rahul Sipligunj	3:31
2.	"Gallanthe"	Krishna Kanth	Kapil Kapilan, Lynn	3:37
3.	"Eagle's On His Way"	Georginaa Mathew	Georginaa Mathew	2:46
4.	"Garudam"	Chaitanya Prasad	Sri Krishna	3:29
5.	"Hey Garuda"	Krishna Kanth	Harika Narayan, Hemachandra Vedala	3:29
Total length:				16:02

Release

Theatrical

Eagle was earlier announced to release on 13 January 2024, coinciding with Makar Sankranti. However, it was postponed to 9 February 2024 due to the clash of multiple films at the Tollywood box office during the Sankranti weekend.^[1]

Home media

The post-theatrical streaming rights were jointly acquired by Amazon Prime Video, Aha, ETV WIN, and Sun NXT. The satellite rights were acquired by ETV Telugu.

Reception

Paul Nicodemus of The Times of India gave 3/5 stars and wrote, "While the film may struggle to maintain a consistent narrative pace, its action sequences and Ravi Teja's performance stand out as highlights and compensate for the lacunae".^[7]

Avad of OTTplay gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote, "Eagle is a stylized action drama that has some great fight sequences in the second half. Ravi Teja kills it in his new look and powerful role. But the storyline lacks novelty, emotions do not work, and the setup looks a bit over the top. All those who love action films can give this film a shot".^[8] Janani. K of India Today gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote "'Eagle’ has some brilliant action pieces and the slow-motion shots elevate those sequences. Where it lacks is in its writing. It needs more punch and new ideas to keep things going for more than two and a half hours. It gets exhausting to see people sing praises of the hero without moving the story forward."^[9]

Raghu Bandi of The Indian Express gave 2/5 stars and wrote "Eagle might not be a bad watch if you temper your expectations. It is definitely not a regular Ravi Teja film".^[10] Balakrishna Ganesan of The News Minute gave 1.5/5 stars and wrote "'Eagle’ tries its best to mimic 'KGF', but director Karthik Gattamneni fails to pull off Prashanth Neel’s grip over direction and screenplay".^[11]

Ram Venkat Srikar of Film Companion wrote, "Eagle aims to be different but some of its creative choices feel are good While it's hard not to be reminded of some films while watching Eagle, there are moments where it does fly high. But you only wish it soared higher".^[12] Sangeetha Devi Dundoo of The Hindu wrote "Director Karthik Gattamneni’s ‘Eagle’, headlined by Ravi Teja, has a bunch of interesting ideas and fun action segments but needs sharper writing".^[13]