The film features music by Mickey J. Meyer with cinematography by Vijay C. Kumar and editing by Marthand K. Venkatesh. It was released on 19 February 2010 to rave reviews. Leader is listed among the "25 Greatest Telugu Films Of The Decade" by Film Companion.[1] it was a big commercial success , over the years it gained cult following and later it was remade in Hindi as Youngistaan.
Plot
The fictional Andhra Pradesh CM, Sanjeevayya, is mortally wounded in a bomb attack, and, in his dying breath, expresses his wish for his son, Arjun, to succeed as the next CM. As Arjun contemplates his next steps, he learns from Sanjeevayya's diary that his People's Party is plagued with corrupt politicians supported by the elitist party president Mahadevayya, Sanjeevayya's brother. When he realizes that his father initially sought reform but inevitably succumbed to corruption himself, Arjun decides to fulfill his father's dream and pursue the People's Party's nomination.
Arjun recruits political insider Ali and journalist Ratna Prabha to collect information about the People's Party and Dhanunjay, Arjun's criminal cousin and another contender. He takes advantage of the existing discontent towards Dhanunjay to covertly ally with his opponents, and wins the party nomination with Mahadevayya's blessing. Although Mahadevayya convinces Arjun to make Dhanunjay the Home Minister as pacification, a jealous and furious Dhanunjay orchestrates an assassination attempt on Arjun and is forced to resign when it fails.
Upon swearing in, Arjun immediately sets forth his anti-corruption agenda but faces resistance when his own party's MLAs are impacted by his policies. Dhanunjay seizes the opportunity and conspires with the resentful politicians to plan a coup. Anticipating the mutiny, Arjun schemes to ally with the opposing Alliance Party, and woos its leader Munuswami's daughter, Archana. While his plan works, Munuswami offers his support on condition that Arjun saves an influential Alliance Party MLA's son accused of raping and murdering a tribal girl. When a terrorist attack spreads a wave of criticism, Arjun relents to Munuswami and manages to save his government from collapsing.
His mother, Rajeswari, however, criticizes him for his move and passes away in her sleep out of grief. When Archana too leaves him after Dhanunjay informs her of his ploy, Arjun realizes that he has compromised his values to protect his position, and that he can never serve honorably while he is obligated to corrupt politicians. He unofficially orders his security chief to kill the MLA's son and his anti-corruption officers to raid every corrupt elite including Mahadevayya, Dhanunjay, and Munuswami. He then resigns as the CM to seek reelection as an independent, and with Ali, Ratna Prabha, and Archana's support, wins the bye-election after a vigorous campaign and resolves to bring change.
Leader opened to rave reviews from critics. A The Times of India critic gave three stars of five, noting "Another lineage star Rana Daggubati takes his first bow at the Box Office with an inspiring political saga, he puts in a surprisingly mature performance (for a debutant) and shines in his role of a savvy young CEO of a US-based company who turns a conniving politician with effortless ease."[2]
Radhika Rajamani from Rediff.com also gave a three star rating and said "The film is a relevant take on contemporary politics in the state of Andhra Pradesh. Performance-wise, Sekhar scores. His choice Suhasini as Arjun's mother is good. She brings grace and dignity to her role. An impressive debut, indeed. Richa Gangopadhyay looks pretty and charming. Harsha Vardhan (who plays Ali) and Priya Anand (Ratna Prabha) are competent in their roles. Mickey J. Meyer's music is good too."[3]
A reviewer from Sify explains "The technical aspects of the film are highly impressive with superb cinematography, excellent music and terrific background score. The first half is gripping, giving some promising moments to the audience. But, the second half slips into monotony thanks to the slipshod treatment to the political subject." However it praised the lead performances, saying "Rana has certainly lived up to the expectations of the audiences with his looks and thoroughly trained histrionics."[4]
