# Pailwaan (ಪೈಲ್ವಾನ್)
**Pailwaan** (ಪೈಲ್ವಾನ್) is a 2019 Indian Kannada-language sports action drama directed by S. Krishna, starring Kichcha Sudeepa as Krishna, an orphan raised by a wrestling guru who later takes up boxing. It was produced by Swapna Krishna under the RRR Motion Pictures banner and released on 12 September 2019 in five languages.[1](https://www.moviebuff.com/pailwaan) • [2](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/stories/news/2019/Aug/30/sudeeps-pailwaan--bailwaan-to-be-released-across-3000-plus-theatres-worldwide-13976.html)
| Key fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Release | 12 September 2019, simultaneous in Kannada, Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, and Malayalam, in more than 3,000 theaters worldwide[2](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/stories/news/2019/Aug/30/sudeeps-pailwaan--bailwaan-to-be-released-across-3000-plus-theatres-worldwide-13976.html) |
| Runtime and certificate | 166 minutes (2h 46m); U/A certificate from the CBFC[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7317482/) • [4](https://kannadamoviesinfo.wordpress.com/2019/09/13/pailwan-2019/) |
| Lead cast | Sudeepa as Krishna (Kichcha), Suniel Shetty as Sarkar, Aakanksha Singh as Rukmini, Kabir Duhan Singh as Tony Sebastian, Sushant Singh as Raja Rana Pratap Singh[1](https://www.moviebuff.com/pailwaan) |
| Key crew | S. Krishna (director and story), Arjun Janya (music), Karunakar A (cinematography), Ruben (editing)[1](https://www.moviebuff.com/pailwaan) • [4](https://kannadamoviesinfo.wordpress.com/2019/09/13/pailwan-2019/) |
| Box office | India net ₹410.2 million (₹41.02 crore), worldwide gross ₹534 million (₹53.40 crore) against a ₹350 million (₹35 crore) budget, a 152.6% recovery; trade verdict Hit[5](https://www.boxofficeindia24.com/movie/pailwaan/box-office-collection) |
| Audience rating | 6.2/10 on IMDb from about 2,700 votes, with an unweighted mean of 7.4[6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7317482/ratings/) |
| Recognition | Karnataka State Film Award for Best Actor, 2019, to Sudeep[4](https://kannadamoviesinfo.wordpress.com/2019/09/13/pailwan-2019/) |
## Spoilers
### Plot
Krishna, also called Kichcha, is an orphan raised like a son by Sarkar ([Suniel Shetty](https://www.edgepedia.org/suniel-shetty)), a village chieftain and wrestling guru whose dream is to see his protégé win a national-level championship.[7](https://biffes.org/frontend/images/widget/12th-Biffes-Festival-Catalogue-2020.pdf) • [8](https://www.cinejosh.com/reviews/pailwaan-review/1031) Krishna falls in love with Rukmini, who is already engaged to a man of her father's choice, and marries her, angering both Sarkar and her father.[8](https://www.cinejosh.com/reviews/pailwaan-review/1031) Sarkar promises that Krishna will stay away from Rukmini, but Krishna breaks his word and leaves the village with her.[7](https://biffes.org/frontend/images/widget/12th-Biffes-Festival-Catalogue-2020.pdf) The story follows whether Krishna reunites with Sarkar and fulfills his dream, shifting from wrestling to boxing along the way.[7](https://biffes.org/frontend/images/widget/12th-Biffes-Festival-Catalogue-2020.pdf)
In the second half, Krishna defeats Tony Sebastian, described by one reviewer as the embodiment of evil in boxing, and uses the prize money to help underprivileged children.[9](https://www.thequint.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/kichcha-sudeep-suniel-shetty-pailwaan-review)
## Production and action design
**Action choreography** was a central part of the production. Boxing sequences alone took 38 days of the schedule, choreographed by the international stunt coordinator Larnell Stovall, known for work on Hollywood films including *Captain America* and *The Hunger Games*, working from a storyboard pre-visualization. The wrestling episode took 14 days under Vijay, who had worked with Krishna on *Hebbuli*, with additional sequences by the Ram-Lakshman brothers and Ravi Varma.[10](https://www.newindianexpress.com/amp/story/entertainment/kannada/2019/Aug/29/pailwaan-to-speak-with-action-2025689.html)
Sudeepa trained in boxing and wrestling for the role, was injured with sore shoulders during filming, and the film marked the first time in his 22-year career that he appeared shirtless on screen.[10](https://www.newindianexpress.com/amp/story/entertainment/kannada/2019/Aug/29/pailwaan-to-speak-with-action-2025689.html) • [3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7317482/) [Visual effects](https://www.edgepedia.org/visual-effects) were required for roughly one hour of the film, mostly in the wrestling and boxing sequences.[11](https://bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com/entertainment/south-masala/shah-rukhs-touch-for-pailwaan/amp_articleshow/69864003.cms)
The film was the first venture of RRR Motion Pictures and reunited Sudeepa with director Krishna after *Hebbuli*; Krishna had earlier been the cinematographer on Sudeepa's *Kempe Gowda* and made his directorial debut with *Gajakesari* (2014).[12](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POMumo3pS80) • [9](https://www.thequint.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/kichcha-sudeep-suniel-shetty-pailwaan-review) • [7](https://biffes.org/frontend/images/widget/12th-Biffes-Festival-Catalogue-2020.pdf)
## Release
The film cleared the censors with a U/A certificate and opened on 12 September 2019 in Kannada, Hindi, Telugu, Tamil, and Malayalam, with the Hindi version alone planned for roughly 1,500 to 2,000 screens. [Zee Studios](https://www.edgepedia.org/zee-studios) released the Hindi version; KRG Studios, Vaaraahi Chalana Chitram, Y Not Studios, and Pallavi Productions handled [Karnataka](https://www.edgepedia.org/karnataka), Andhra, Tamil Nadu (where the film was titled *Bailwaan*), and Kerala respectively. AP International released it outside India except in the United States, where Prime Media handled distribution.[2](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/stories/news/2019/Aug/30/sudeeps-pailwaan--bailwaan-to-be-released-across-3000-plus-theatres-worldwide-13976.html) The release marked Suniel Shetty's Kannada debut and [Aakanksha Singh](https://www.edgepedia.org/aakanksha-singh)'s debut as a female lead in Kannada cinema.[2](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/stories/news/2019/Aug/30/sudeeps-pailwaan--bailwaan-to-be-released-across-3000-plus-theatres-worldwide-13976.html) The film also screened in Qatar theaters in mid-September 2019.[13](https://thepeninsulaqatar.com/pdf/20190917_1568673252-13255.pdf)
For the UK release, the distributor made cuts to moments of strong violence and bloody detail to obtain a 12A classification; an uncut 15 classification was available.[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7317482/) In India the film later streamed on Amazon Prime Video with a subscription and free with ads on Sony Liv.[14](https://ottasia.com/title/movie/607294/pailwaan)
## Music
[Arjun Janya](https://www.edgepedia.org/arjun-janya) composed the music, with lyrics by V Nagendra Prasad. Songs include "Baaro Pailwaan" ([Vijay Prakash](https://www.edgepedia.org/vijay-prakash), Kailash Kher, and Chandan Shetty), "Dheerane" (Vijay Prakash and Siddharth Basrur), "Naanu Neenu" (Naresh Iyer and Sruthy Sasidharan), "Dhruvathaare" ([Armaan Malik](https://www.edgepedia.org/armaan-malik)), and "Kannmaniye" (Sanjith Hegde).[4](https://kannadamoviesinfo.wordpress.com/2019/09/13/pailwan-2019/) Reviewers singled out the background score: 123telugu called it "on another level," and The Quint described it as thumping and over the top.[15](https://www.123telugu.com/reviews/pailwaan-telugu-movie-review.html) • [9](https://www.thequint.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/kichcha-sudeep-suniel-shetty-pailwaan-review)
## Reception and box office
**Critical response** was mixed. The Kannada Filmibeat review rated it 3.5/5, praising Sudeepa's and Aakanksha Singh's performances, the screenplay, Janya's songs, and the emotional scenes.[16](https://kannada.filmibeat.com/reviews/pailwaan-movie-review-in-kannada-039026.html) The Quint called it a classic underdog tale that works despite its predictability thanks to Sudeepa's star power.[9](https://www.thequint.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/kichcha-sudeep-suniel-shetty-pailwaan-review) The Telugu-focused 123telugu gave it 2.75/5, criticizing a storyline it found heavily inspired by sports dramas such as *Sultan* and a painfully long runtime, while noting strong production values and background score.[15](https://www.123telugu.com/reviews/pailwaan-telugu-movie-review.html) Cinejosh rated it 2.25/5 with the punchline "Lacks The Punch."[8](https://www.cinejosh.com/reviews/pailwaan-review/1031) On IMDb the film holds 6.2/10 from about 2,700 votes, with an unweighted mean of 7.4.[6](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7317482/ratings/)
Box office figures differ by source. BoxOfficeIndia24 reports a ₹350 million (₹35 crore) budget, ₹410.2 million (₹41.02 crore) India net, ₹484 million (₹48.40 crore) India gross, ₹50 million (₹5.00 crore) overseas, and ₹534 million (₹53.40 crore) worldwide gross, a 152.6% recovery with a Hit verdict.[5](https://www.boxofficeindia24.com/movie/pailwaan/box-office-collection) IMDb lists an estimated budget of ₹500,000,000 (₹50 crore), and Cinetown gives a ₹500 million (₹50 crore) budget against ₹530 million (₹53 crore) revenue.[3](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7317482/) • [17](https://cinetown.org/mv/more/476) Filmibeat's crew page lists box office of ₹1 billion (₹100 crore).[18](https://filmibeat.com/kannada/movies/pailwaan/cast-crew.html)
## References
1. [Pailwaan (2019), Moviebuff.com](https://www.moviebuff.com/pailwaan)
2. [Sudeep's Pailwaan to be released across 3000 plus theatres worldwide, The New Indian Express (Cinema Express), 30 August 2019](https://www.cinemaexpress.com/amp/story/stories/news/2019/Aug/30/sudeeps-pailwaan--bailwaan-to-be-released-across-3000-plus-theatres-worldwide-13976.html)
3. [Pailwaan (2019), IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7317482/)
4. [Pailwan – ಪೈಲ್ವಾನ್ (2019), Kannada Movies Info](https://kannadamoviesinfo.wordpress.com/2019/09/13/pailwan-2019/)
5. [Pailwaan Box Office Collection, BoxOfficeIndia24](https://www.boxofficeindia24.com/movie/pailwaan/box-office-collection)
6. [Pailwaan (2019) Ratings, IMDb](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7317482/ratings/)
7. [Pailwan catalogue entry, 12th Bengaluru International Film Festival (BIFFES) catalogue, 2020](https://biffes.org/frontend/images/widget/12th-Biffes-Festival-Catalogue-2020.pdf)
8. [Pailwaan Review, Cinejosh](https://www.cinejosh.com/reviews/pailwaan-review/1031)
9. ['Pailwaan' Review: A Classic Tale of the Underdog With a Dash of Masala, The Quint, 12 September 2019](https://www.thequint.com/entertainment/movie-reviews/kichcha-sudeep-suniel-shetty-pailwaan-review)
10. ['Pailwaan' to speak with action, The New Indian Express, 29 August 2019](https://www.newindianexpress.com/amp/story/entertainment/kannada/2019/Aug/29/pailwaan-to-speak-with-action-2025689.html)
11. [Shah Rukh Khan's touch for S Krishna's Pailwaan, Bangalore Mirror](https://bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com/entertainment/south-masala/shah-rukhs-touch-for-pailwaan/amp_articleshow/69864003.cms)
12. [Pailwaan Kusthi Teaser, RRR Motion Pictures, YouTube, 15 January 2019](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=POMumo3pS80)
13. [Peninsula Qatar cinema listings, 17 September 2019](https://thepeninsulaqatar.com/pdf/20190917_1568673252-13255.pdf)
14. [Where to watch Pailwaan (2019) in India, OTTASIA](https://ottasia.com/title/movie/607294/pailwaan)
15. [Pailwaan Telugu Movie Review, 123telugu, 13 September 2019](https://www.123telugu.com/reviews/pailwaan-telugu-movie-review.html)
16. [Pailwan Review: ಕ್ರೀಡಾ ಹಿನ್ನೆಲೆಯ ಭಾವನಾತ್ಮಕ ಸಿನಿಮಾ, Filmibeat Kannada, 13 September 2019](https://kannada.filmibeat.com/reviews/pailwaan-movie-review-in-kannada-039026.html)
17. [Pailwaan, Cinetown](https://cinetown.org/mv/more/476)
18. [Pailwaan Cast & Crew, Filmibeat](https://filmibeat.com/kannada/movies/pailwaan/cast-crew.html)
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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) › Kannada films of the 2010s*
*Initially written Sep 17, 2026 · Reviewed: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Sep 18, 2026; Sep 30, 2026; Oct 3, 2026; Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026*
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