Martin (2024 film)

2024 Indian Kannada-language film by A. P. Arjun

Martin

Theatrical release poster

Directed by| A. P. Arjun
Screenplay by|

* Arjun Sarja
* Swamiji
* A. P. Arjun
* Uday K. Mehta

Story by| Arjun Sarja
Dialogues by| Gopinath Krishna Murthy
A. P. Arjun
Produced by| Shrinivas Timmapur
Suraj Uday Mehta
Starring|

* Dhruva Sarja
* Vaibhavi Shandilya
* Anveshi Jain

Cinematography| Satya Hegde
Edited by| K. M. Prakash
Music by| Mani Sharma (songs)
Ravi Basrur (score)

Production
companies

Vasavi Enterprises
Uday K Mehta Productions

Distributed by| Mythri Movie Makers (Andhra Pradesh and Telangana)
KVN Productions
Invenio Origin
M S Films (Tamilnadu)

Release date

* 11 October 2024 (2024-10-11)

Running time

| 144 minutes
Country| India
Language| Kannada
Budget| ₹150 crore[1]
Box office| ₹20 crore[2]

Martin is a 2024 Indian Kannada-language action thriller film[3][4] directed by A. P. Arjun, from a story by Arjun Sarja, and produced by Uday K. Mehta and Suraj Uday Mehta. It stars Dhruva Sarja in a dual role, alongside Vaibhavi Shandilya, Anveshi Jain, Sukrutha Wagle, Achyuth Kumar and Nikitin Dheer. The songs and background score were composed by Mani Sharma and Ravi Basrur, while cinematography and editing were handled by Satya Hegde and K. M. Prakash.[5][6][7]

Martin was theatrically released on October 11, 2024 to highly negative reviews from critics with criticism around its script, music and cast performances. It emerged as a box-office bomb.

## Plot

[edit]

In Pakistan, a mysterious person is injected with drugs, where he loses his memory and becomes aggressive. The person's aggressiveness leads him to get captured and imprisoned. Still, he escapes from the prison and manages to regain some memories with the help of Pakistani locals, whom he had met including a lollipop seller kid, a weapons dealer, and an ally Regina. The person learns that he is actually Arjun Saxena, an IRS officer. However, Regina gets assassinated by Martin, an international gangster, who is known for his trademark of killing his opponents in the left eye.

Arjun contacts his friend Parashuram, an IPS officer, and learns that his friend Vivek, an MMA fighter, is in danger from Martin. Arjun arrives in Mumbai through a cargo boat and arrives at Andheri Railway Junction to meet Parashuram, but he gets attacked and Parashuram is killed by Martin's henchmen. Arjun tries to inform Vivek, who is in a MMA match, but Vivek is also killed. Arjun reunites with his friend Sathya and his fiancèe Preeti, where he plans to lure and capture Martin in Mangalore using Preeti as bait. Arjun and Sathya protect Preeti and fend off masked attackers, and he regains his memory back. During this time, Arjun injures Sathya and reveals himself as Martin. It is revealed that Arjun and Martin are doppelgängers It is revealed that Arjun is in Pakistan was in a coma for 15 days under treatment and care of Regina's friend Shabnam, a Pakistani ally and an undercover officer. Shabnam reveals to Arjun that Martin has escaped to India.

Past: Arjun seizes an illegal shipment, containing defective and hazardous medicines from Mushtaq, who runs a "Pharma mafia". Arjun captures and imprisons Mushtaq's men, and Mushtaq seeks Martin's help. Martin calls Arjun and tries to manipulate Arjun for releasing Mushtaq's container. Martin frames Arjun for killing Mushtaq's henchmen and gets him suspended, where he threatens Arjun to kill Preeti if Arjun tries to go after him. Arjun interrogates Martin's henchman Munna, with Parshuram's help, and learns that Martin has left for Pakistan. Martin spots Arjun from a news footage and kills Regina. Martin attacks Arjun in an under-construction site meeting, where Martin overpowers Arjun. However, Arjun leaves a bullet mark on his body to prove that he and Martin are different.

Present: Arjun arrives in Mangalore, where Martin is with Sathya and Preeti in a hospital. Arjun reaches the hospital, but Martin kidnaps Preeti and takes her to his hideout on a cruise ship. Arjun plans to destroy the containers, while Martin reveals himself to Preeti. Martin threatens Arjun for killing Preeti if the containers are not returned, while Arjun threatens to destroy the containers. Martin and Mushtaq plan to intercept Arjun and the cargo trucks. Arjun fends off the bikers, but he gets attacked by artillery jeeps. To Arjun's surprise, Martin destroys the jeeps and reveals that Vivek, Parashuram, and Regina were actually working with Mushtaq, who not only sells hazardous medicines but also supplies illegal arms for spreading terrorism in the country. He also reveals that Mushtaq had tried to overtake him to take the containers. Martin makes a deal with Arjun in which he returns Preeti to Arjun and they both kill Mushtaq and destroy the containers, in exchange for money and erasing the identity of Martin.

Arjun receives appreciation and a medal for completing the mission, where he receives a call from another doppelgänger called Rhino or Martin, who may be living under the identity of Rhino.

## Cast

[edit]

* Dhruva Sarja in a dual role as:
* Arjun Saxena
* Martin/Rhino
* Vaibhavi Shandilya as Preeti
* Achyuth Kumar as Ashok Kumar, a navy officer
* Anveshi Jain as Martin's girlfriend
* Sukrutha Wagle as Shabnam
* Chikkanna as Sathya
* Prathap Narayanan as Vivek
* Malavika Avinash as a Pakistani doctor
* Nikitin Dheer as Mushtaq
* Vajrang Shetty as Munna
* Nawab Shah as a Pakistani jailer
* Rohit Pathak as a Pakistani jailer
* Daniel Caltagirone
* Nathan Jones
* Rubiel Mosquera

## Production

[edit]

The film's shooting lasted 252 days. The climax was shot in 52 days. The film features 5000 segments with visual effects.[8] The film was made on a budget of ₹150 crore.[1]

## Music

[edit]

Martin

Soundtrack album by

Mani Sharma

Released| 11 October 2024
Recorded| 2023–24
Genre| Film soundtrack
Length| 10:45
Language| Kannada
Label| Saregama

Mani Sharma composed the soundtrack, while Ravi Basrur composed the musical score. The soundtrack album was secured by Saregama.

The first single titled "Jeevan Neene" was released on 3 September 2024. The second single titled "Anthem of Martin" was released on 5 October 2024.

No.| Title| Lyrics| Singer(s)| Length

|
|
|
|

1.| "Jeevan Neene"| A. P. Arjun| Sonu Nigam,Shruthika Samudhrala| 3:56
2.| "Anthem of Martin"| A. P. Arjun| Prudhvi Chandra, Roll Rida| 3:59
3.| "Jasmine Song"| Pramod Maravanthe| Harika Narayan| 3:10
Total length:| 10:45

## Release

[edit]

### Theatrical

[edit]

Martin was theatrically released on 11 October 2024 in Kannada, along with the dubbed versions.[9][10] Invenio Origin released the film across the country.[11]

### Home media

[edit]

The satellite and digital streaming rights were sold to Zee Network and ZEE5.[12]

## Reception

[edit]

Martin was panned by critics.

S. Sridevi of The Times of India gave 2.5/5 stars and termed it as "all sound and spectacle and no substance."[13] Jagadish Angadi of Deccan Herald gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote "Martin is strictly for die-hard action fans."[14]

Sanjay Ponnappa of India Today gave 2/5 stars and wrote "Martin could have been a normal action thriller with a template story, had it not been pumped with so much budget and unnecessary chutzpah. From direction to all other technical departments like VFX, CGI, editing and more, every aspect of Martin was disappointing in massive proportions."[15] Prathibha Joy of OTTPlay gave 2/5 stars and wrote "Martin feels like a lost opportunity; Dhruva vs Dhruva had potential, but what we get is a wafer-thin plot as old as time that will, perhaps, appeal to die-hard fans of DS Boss. For the rest, well, you’ve been warned."[16]

Calling the film a "Big-Budget Disappointment", Shashiprasad SM of Times Now gave 2/5 stars and wrote, "Instead of focusing on a compelling story, screenplay, and thoughtful filmmaking, the emphasis seems to be on grandiosity, both visually and sonically."[17] Goutham S of Pinkvilla gave 1.5/5 stars and wrote "Martin offers nothing new in terms of story. The movie once again delves into creating some awe out of a larger-than-life character, even leaving an opportunity to expand it into a franchise."[18]

In a negative review, Vivek M.V. of The Hindu wrote "In a bid to elevate actor Dhruva Sarja’s stardom, the makers of ‘Martin’ fall short in delivering a coherent action drama. Apart from one intense chase involving cars and bikes and the high-octane climax sequence shot in a vast, desert-like landscape, the much-hyped action sequences lack style."[19] Latha Srinivasan of Hindustan Times wrote "For Dhruva, this movie was meant to be a major milestone in his career but Martin has turned out to be all hype with no substance."[20]

## References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "Dhruva Sarja Starrer Martin Made On A Budget Of Rs 150 Crores To Be Next Kannada Hit After KGF". news.abplive.com. 30 September 2024. Retrieved 12 October 2024.
2. ^ Singh, Simran. "India's biggest flop wanted to become next KGF, became worst film of 2024, made in Rs 150 crore, earned 10% of budget". Daily News and Analysis. Retrieved 21 October 2024.
3. ^ Telugu, TV9 (4 October 2024). "Martin Movie: 'నా సినిమాను రిలీజ్ చేయద్దు'.. కోర్టు మెట్లెక్కిన పాన్ ఇండియా మూవీ డైరెక్టర్.. కారణమిదే". TV9 Telugu (in Telugu). Retrieved 4 October 2024.`{{cite web}}`: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
4. ^ "Dhruva Sarja's Martin trailer crosses 74 million views, setting the stage for Kannada cinema's next big blockbuster". Firstpost. 4 October 2024. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
5. ^ "'Martin' teaser gives a feast to action lovers". The Times of India. 4 February 2024. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 11 February 2024.
6. ^ "Dhruva Sarja-starrer Martin to hit the theatres soon". News18. 31 January 2023. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
7. ^ "They're my friends: Dhruva Sarja on competition with Yash, Rishab Shetty at Martin teaser launch". India Today. 25 February 2023. Retrieved 27 February 2023.
8. ^ Sharadhaa, A. (10 October 2024). "Dhruva Sarja: It's essential to be accountable to those who invest in you". Cinema Express. Retrieved 14 October 2024.
9. ^ "Dhruva Sarja: ʻಯುವʼ, ʻಮಾರ್ಟಿನ್‌ʼ ನಡುವೆ ಕ್ಲ್ಯಾಶ್‌; ರಿಲೀಸ್‌ ಡೇಟ್‌ ಅನೌನ್ಸ್‌!". Vistara News. 7 September 2023.
10. ^ "Dhruva Sarja's 'Martin' sets new record with global release in 13 languages". 31 July 2024.
11. ^ "Title song of Martin to feature Dhruva Sarja in 10 distinct looks". The Times of India.
12. ^ "Martin On OTT: Netflix, Prime Video Or Zee5, Where To Watch Dhruva Sarja's Kannada Movie?". Jagran English.
13. ^ "Martin Movie Review: Dhruva Sarja's film prioritises spectacle over substance". The Times of India.
14. ^ "'Martin' movie review: Action-packed thriller let down by misplaced priorities". Deccan Herald.
15. ^ Ponnappa, Sanjay. "Martin review: Dhruva Sarja's film offers more noise, less music". India Today. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
16. ^ Joy, Prathibha. "Martin movie review: Dhruva Sarja has fun playing the bad boy, but film is an assault on the senses". OTTPlay. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
17. ^ SM, Shashiprasad. "Martin Movie Review: Martin Is Not A 'Joke,' But A Big-Budget Disappointment!". Times Now. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
18. ^ S, Goutham. "Martin Movie Review: Dhruva Sarja starrer flick aims only to cater his fans riding on a rehashed action story template". Pinkvilla. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
19. ^ M.V., Vivek. "'Martin' movie review: Dhruva Sarja's ambitious action-thriller is marred by its brash execution". The Hindu. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
20. ^ "Martin review: Dhruva Sarja aces the action scenes; but the film is a letdown". Hindustan Times.

## External links

[edit]

* Martin at IMDb

*[No.]: Number