# Gulaebaghavali (குலேபகாவலி)
**Gulaebaghavali** (குலேபகாவலி), also spelled Gulebakavali, is a 2018 Tamil-language comedy heist film written and directed by Kalyaan and produced by Kotapadi J. Rajesh under KJR Studios. It stars [Prabhu Deva](https://www.edgepedia.org/prabhu-deva) as Badri and [Hansika Motwani](https://www.edgepedia.org/hansika-motwani) as Viji, with Revathi, Munishkanth, Sathyan, Rajendran, Anandaraj, Mansoor Ali Khan, Yogi Babu, and Madhusudhan Rao in supporting roles, and was released on 12 January 2018 as a Pongal festival release.[1](https://www.tamilmdb.com/movie/6407/2018-gulaebaghavali) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7794040/) • [3](https://tamil.filmibeat.com/movies/gulebagavali-2017/cast-crew.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Director / writer | Kalyaan (story, screenplay, dialogues); his Tamil directorial vehicle for Prabhu Deva[4](https://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movies/gulebagavali/) |
| Producer | Kotapadi J. Rajesh, KJR Studios, which had produced Nayanthara's *Aramm* the previous year[1](https://www.tamilmdb.com/movie/6407/2018-gulaebaghavali) • [5](https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/gulaebaghavali-review-revathi-life-mildly-amusing-screwball-comedy-74654) |
| Release | 12 January 2018 (India), a Pongal release; U certificate; runtime 2 hours 9 minutes[3](https://tamil.filmibeat.com/movies/gulebagavali-2017/cast-crew.html) • [1](https://www.tamilmdb.com/movie/6407/2018-gulaebaghavali) |
| Lead cast | Prabhu Deva (Badri), Hansika Motwani (Viji), Revathi (Maasha)[2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7794040/) |
| Music | Vivek–Mervin (Mervin Solomon and Vivek Siva); the song "Guleba", sung by Anirudh Ravichander, later passed 100 million YouTube views[4](https://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movies/gulebagavali/) |
| Plot | A don sends three petty criminals to recover a treasure his grandfather buried in the village of Gulaebaghavali; a fourth criminal joins and the four plot to cheat the don and split the treasure[6](https://letterboxd.com/film/gulaebaghavali/) |
| Critical reception | Rotten Tomatoes Tomatometer 83% from 6 reviews; IMDb user rating 5.2/10[7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/gulaebaghavali) • [2](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7794040/) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
The story opens in British India in 1945, where a porter carrying a British gentleman's luggage discovers diamonds in a fallen suitcase, steals some, and hides them in a trunk that he buries near a temple in the village of Gulaebaghavali.[1](https://www.tamilmdb.com/movie/6407/2018-gulaebaghavali) • [8](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movie-reviews/gulaebaghavali/amp_movie_review/62470474.cms) In the present day, the buried man's grandson, now a local gangster (Madhusudhan Rao), learns of the treasure and, with his relative ([Anandaraj](https://www.edgepedia.org/anandaraj)), coerces three petty criminals, Badri, Viji, and Munish, into retrieving it.[9](https://www.deccanchronicle.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/130118/gulaebaghavali-movie-review-looks-rich-and-attractive-enjoyable-in-parts.html) On the way they are joined by Masha (Revathi), a trained car thief, and the four decide to cheat the boss and share the spoils among themselves.[9](https://www.deccanchronicle.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/130118/gulaebaghavali-movie-review-looks-rich-and-attractive-enjoyable-in-parts.html) • [6](https://letterboxd.com/film/gulaebaghavali/)
## Production
Filming ran for about 70 days across Chennai, Coimbatore, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, and Kerala.[10](https://tamil.webdunia.com/article/tamil-cinema-news-movie-film/gulebakavali-118011100053_1.html) The technical crew included cinematographer R. S. Anandakumar, editor Vijay Velkutty, stunt choreographer [Peter Hein](https://www.edgepedia.org/peter-hein), art director K. Kadhirr, and choreographer Jani, with lyrics by Pa. Vijay, Ku. Karthik, and Ko Sesha.[4](https://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movies/gulebagavali/) • [11](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7794040/fullcredits/) The film was cleared with a U certificate in India and received 12A in Ireland and P13 in Malaysia; it was later dubbed into Hindi and Telugu.[12](https://www.moviebuff.com/gulaebaghavali) • [13](https://www.moviebuff.com/gulaebaghavali-2018-telugu)
## Title and the 1955 film
The title takes after the eponymous 1955 Tamil film *Gulebakavali*, starring [M. G. Ramachandran](https://www.edgepedia.org/m-g-ramachandran), in which the hero performs a series of quests; the 2018 film borrows the treasure-hunt premise.[14](https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/review/2018/Jan/12/gulaebaghavali-review-flat-humour-unexciting-adventure-1752325.html) The 1955 film was directed and produced by T. R. Ramanna for R. R. Pictures, with music by Viswanathan and Ramamoorthy, and released on 29 July 1955.[15](https://tamilar.wiki/w/%E0%AE%95%E0%AF%81%E0%AE%B2%E0%AF%87%E0%AE%AA%E0%AE%95%E0%AE%BE%E0%AE%B5%E0%AE%B2%E0%AE%BF_%281955_%E0%AE%A4%E0%AE%BF%E0%AE%B0%E0%AF%88%E0%AE%AA%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%AA%E0%AE%9F%E0%AE%AE%E0%AF%8D%29) The name has also been used for a 1935 film, making the 2018 picture the third Tamil film of this title.[15](https://tamilar.wiki/w/%E0%AE%95%E0%AF%81%E0%AE%B2%E0%AF%87%E0%AE%AA%E0%AE%95%E0%AE%BE%E0%AE%B5%E0%AE%B2%E0%AE%BF_%281955_%E0%AE%A4%E0%AE%BF%E0%AE%B0%E0%AF%88%E0%AE%AA%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%AA%E0%AE%9F%E0%AE%AE%E0%AF%8D%29)
## Reception
**Critical response.** Reviewers consistently described the film as a comic caper that trades on humor rather than logic. The Times of India gave it 3 out of 5, calling it "largely amusing and laugh-out-loud funny at a handful of moments"; the Indian Express gave 2 out of 5, calling it "a mindless caper that relies on its laughs to help the viewer ride through the logic loopholes"; and Firstpost and [Hindustan Times](https://www.edgepedia.org/hindustan-times) each gave 2.5 out of 5, crediting the ensemble of comedians, especially Rajendran's second-half sequence, for keeping the film afloat.[8](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movie-reviews/gulaebaghavali/amp_movie_review/62470474.cms) • [16](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/movie-review/gulaebaghavali-movie-review-prabhudheva-hansika-motwani-star-rating-5020682/) • [7](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/gulaebaghavali) Several critics singled out Revathi, who played Masha as an older version of her character from the 1990s comedy *Arangetra Velai*, as the film's standout; The News Minute wrote that viewers expecting a Prabhu Deva film "ended up watching a Revathi film".[5](https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/gulaebaghavali-review-revathi-life-mildly-amusing-screwball-comedy-74654) • [8](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movie-reviews/gulaebaghavali/amp_movie_review/62470474.cms) Common criticisms were a meandering second half, weak writing, and poorly placed songs, though Prabhu Deva's dancing and Vivek–Mervin's soundtrack, particularly the "Guleba" number, drew praise.[9](https://www.deccanchronicle.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/130118/gulaebaghavali-movie-review-looks-rich-and-attractive-enjoyable-in-parts.html) • [4](https://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movies/gulebagavali/)
**Release context.** The film opened at a crowded Pongal weekend alongside Vikram's *Sketch* and Suriya's *Thaanaa Serndha Koottam*, both also heist-based.[5](https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/gulaebaghavali-review-revathi-life-mildly-amusing-screwball-comedy-74654) • [4](https://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movies/gulebagavali/) It is currently available for streaming on Sun Nxt.[17](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/gulaebaghavali)
## References
1. [Gulaebaghavali (2018), TamilMDb](https://www.tamilmdb.com/movie/6407/2018-gulaebaghavali)
2. [Gulaebaghavali (2018), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7794040/)
3. [குலேபகாவலி Cast & Crew, Filmibeat Tamil](https://tamil.filmibeat.com/movies/gulebagavali-2017/cast-crew.html)
4. [Gulaebaghavali Movie Wiki and Review, Behindwoods](https://www.behindwoods.com/tamil-movies/gulebagavali/)
5. ['Gulaebaghavali' Review: Revathi is the life of this mildly amusing screwball comedy, The News Minute](https://www.thenewsminute.com/article/gulaebaghavali-review-revathi-life-mildly-amusing-screwball-comedy-74654)
6. [Gulaebaghavali (2018), Letterboxd](https://letterboxd.com/film/gulaebaghavali/)
7. [Gulebakavali, Rotten Tomatoes](https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/gulaebaghavali)
8. [Gulaebaghavali Movie Review 3/5, The Times of India](https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/tamil/movie-reviews/gulaebaghavali/amp_movie_review/62470474.cms)
9. [Gulaebaghavali movie review, Deccan Chronicle](https://www.deccanchronicle.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/130118/gulaebaghavali-movie-review-looks-rich-and-attractive-enjoyable-in-parts.html)
10. [குலேபகாவலி – முன்னோட்டம், Webdunia Tamil](https://tamil.webdunia.com/article/tamil-cinema-news-movie-film/gulebakavali-118011100053_1.html)
11. [Gulaebaghavali (2018) Full cast & crew, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7794040/fullcredits/)
12. [Gulaebaghavali (2018), Moviebuff](https://www.moviebuff.com/gulaebaghavali)
13. [Gulaebaghavali (2018, Telugu), Moviebuff](https://www.moviebuff.com/gulaebaghavali-2018-telugu)
14. ['Gulaebaghavali' review: Flat humour, unexciting adventure, The New Indian Express](https://www.newindianexpress.com/entertainment/review/2018/Jan/12/gulaebaghavali-review-flat-humour-unexciting-adventure-1752325.html)
15. [குலேபகாவலி (1955 திரைப்படம்), TamilArWiki](https://tamilar.wiki/w/%E0%AE%95%E0%AF%81%E0%AE%B2%E0%AF%87%E0%AE%AA%E0%AE%95%E0%AE%BE%E0%AE%B5%E0%AE%B2%E0%AE%BF_%281955_%E0%AE%A4%E0%AE%BF%E0%AE%B0%E0%AF%88%E0%AE%AA%E0%AF%8D%E0%AE%AA%E0%AE%9F%E0%AE%AE%E0%AF%8D%29)
16. [Gulaebaghavali movie review, The Indian Express](https://indianexpress.com/article/entertainment/movie-review/gulaebaghavali-movie-review-prabhudheva-hansika-motwani-star-rating-5020682/)
17. [Gulaebaghavali streaming, JustWatch](https://www.justwatch.com/us/movie/gulaebaghavali)
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*Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Indian films (individual works) › Tamil films of the 2010s › Tamil comedy films of the 2010s*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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