Original subtitles

Following the conclusion of the 31st Olympics in Brazil,

Union Sports Minister Vishnu Kanth Tiwari

voiced strong dissatisfaction over India's medal tally.

During a high-level meeting with Indian Olympic officials

at the Kolkata Sports Headquarters,

the minister called for sweeping reforms in athlete selection and training.

Sit, sit.

Sit.

Congratulations, sir.

This time we won two medals!

Sit!

You should feel ashamed.

We have to bow our heads to find India on the medals table.

When will we...

hold our heads high?

Our country has a population of 130 crores.

And all we managed was two medals?

It took all of our efforts...

to produce just two champions.

We've poured crores of rupees into sports.

We've built so many academies.

Then what is going wrong?

Sir...

We've been giving the athletes at our academy proper training.

And proper accommodation.

To begin with, no one in this generation is even interested in sports.

Ask them their favorite sport,

and one says, "Temple Run."

Someone else says, "Candy Crush."

When the whole playground...

fits in the palm of your hand,

who would bother going out to practice, sir?

What does your son do, Mr. Baiswal?

He's in his final year of Electronics at IIT Bombay.

What about your children?

My daughter's doing MBBS at AIIMS, Delhi.

My son's pursuing his master's in the US.

None of us play sports ourselves.

We don't even encourage our kids to play.

And yet, here we are

deciding the fate of sports and our athletes.

I don't want silence.

If you don't come to the next meeting with a viable solution,

every academy in this country will be shut down.

The land will be leased to corporations.

And the sports budget

will be redirected to defense and agriculture.

Mr. Baiswal.

A loss on the field

isn't just the player's loss.

It's the nation's loss.

These are the people meant to win at the Olympics?

One, two, three, four...

As far as I know, Indians excel at only one sport.

Growing the population.

Well played!

What, sir?

You played well. - You think so?

Follow that bus. - Okay, sir.

What's going on here?

A sports competition, sir.

Such a huge turnout!

Youth here go crazy over sports, sir.

Kabaddi selections are underway here.

This is the Under-19 cricket team selection.

Name? - Shiva.

Age? - Nineteen.

Okay.

Name? - Appanna Tendulkar.

Age? - Nineteen.

Appanna, is Tendulkar your favorite?

Yes, sir. That's why I took his name.

Good.

Name? - Venkat.

Age? - Sixteen.

My favorite's Dhoni, sir.

Name? - Govind.

Age? - Seventeen.

Okay.

Govind. - Sir?

Don't you have a favorite cricketer?

I do, sir!

My favorite cricketer...

is Peddi!

Peddi? - Yes, sir. Peddi!

Name? - My name's Viswak.

My favorite player is Dara Singh, sir.

Name? - I am Vasu.

My favorite wrestler...

is Peddi! - Wow!

Peddi again?

Peddi! - Peddi!

Peddi! - Peddi!

Peddi! - Peddi, sir!

Peddi. Peddi.

My name is Arun Kumar. My favorite runner is Peddi, sir.

Peddi. Peddi.

My favorite runner is Peddi!

Peddi.

My favorite player is Peddi.

Peddi. - Peddi.

Peddi, sir. - Peddi, sir.

Peddi... - Peddi, sir!

Greetings, sir. Have this.

No matter who I ask,

the sport changes, but the favorite player doesn’t.

Peddi.

Is that the name of a god around here?

Even the rock you're sitting on is named after Peddi, sir.

It's true.

When Peddi hit a sixer,

it landed right here. So we named it in his honor.

Balls hit from this ground usually land here, don't they?

Sir! He didn't hit it from this ground.

That ground.

That one!

The one beyond that!

He hit it all the way from three grounds over.

I've seen a lot of sports.

Never seen anyone play this many.

One man...

played all these sports?

In a village like this, no less?

Why?

Necessity turned him into an athlete.

To the youth here, Peddi isn't a god in a temple.

He is the god of the field.

I want to...

know more about Peddi.

If you want to know about Peddi, a car won't get you there.

You'll have to walk, sir.

Let's go.

We'll have to cross those hills.

In the land of Vizianagaram, the birthplace of Kodi Rammurthy Naidu,

wrestling was losing its foothold

and cricket from distant lands was quietly taking root.

KODI RAMMURTHY NAIDU (1885 - 1942) "INDIAN HERCULES"

In the surrounding villages, cricket was played like cockfighting.

With high-stakes betting to match.

Bet a little, you win. Bet more, you lose.

Hey, Rambujji!

You replaced "Royal" in "Royal Enfield" with "Rambujji"?

Before I bought it, it was their name.

The moment I paid for it, it became mine.

Get lost.

Bro, my name isn't Loud Sesh.

My surname's Loud and I am Sesh.

As you say, Loud Sesh.

You may have seen many things being auctioned!

But here,

an auction is being held for a hired player!

For a hired player!

God's price is 10 paise.

Rambujji of Vizianagaram bids one rupee!

One hundred rupees.

One hundred and one rupees! - Two hundred.

Six hundred!

Bobbili! Six hundred! - Brother, we're bidding too high.

Rambujji of Vizianagaram bids six hundred and one rupees!

Going once! Going twice! Sold!

They snapped up the hired player, Peddi, for 601 rupees!

Our hired player Peddi was bought by Vizianagaram.

Why would we bet on Bobbili?

We place our bets on Vizianagaram.

Vizianagaram won the toss and elected to bowl.

Our fast bowler Rambujji is now bowling.

Now you're going to get it.

Wow! What a fierce and gripping contest!

Once, Vizianagaram and Bobbili clashed over kingdoms.

Today, they battle for a game.

BOBBILI SCORE: 109

Chasing 125, Vizianagaram walks out to bat.

It's a drinks break.

If they have a hired player who can smash six sixes in an over,

we have a new bowler, Talari Ambrose.

Damn it!

Unable to withstand Talari Ambrose’s fiery bowling,

the Vizianagaram batsmen are walking off injured

without even losing their wickets.

Shot!

VIZIANAGARAM, SCORE: 16, OVERS: 2

Hey, Bujji!

Ambrose's spell has Dorabujji spinning with confusion.

The match is tilting towards Bobbili.

And Vizianagaram is in serious trouble.

We might lose it. - You've cost us the match!

Where on earth is that hired laborer?

Where the hell is the cook Peddi?

The jaggery's boiling over.

Where did he disappear to instead of tending to it?

He went to the match, sir.

The whole batch will be ruined.

Shall I stir it in the meantime?

Hey! Let him come back.

Peddi!

Peddi! Peddi! Peddi!

Peddi! Peddi! Peddi!

Here comes the cork-ball maestro,

the man who can hit six sixes in a single over.

You think you can hit six sixes in an over?

Quite proud, aren't you?

The game is my pride.

Listen here.

Every ball you bowl...

will end up the same way.

Six!

VIZIANAGARAM SCORE: 55, OVERS: 5

What a shot!

VIZIANAGARAM SCORE: 123, OVERS: 9.4

Two balls left.

Two runs to win.

What's up, bro?

The winning shot's mine.

What? - Yes.

Just defend and take a single.

A single?

The winning shot's mine.

VIZIANAGARAM SCORE: 123, OVERS: 9.4

Single!

Hired player Peddi single-handedly leads Vizianagaram to victory!

Thulam, hand me the turmeric powder and cutlery.

Hey, what is that?

Hey, Peddi!

If you had been any later,

ten tons of product would've gone to waste.

It's the same out there, Ammathalli.

One unpredictable ball,

and the whole game changes in an instant.

Peddi, you’re full of yourself because you’re the only one here

who knows how to cook jaggery properly.

You're becoming impossible to handle.

Decide if you want sports or work, right here and now.

If I'm going to do the same work and live the same life every day,

what’s the point of living at all?

We should experience everything while we're still alive.

Who knows if there's a next life?

Tell me.

We worked alongside Peddi at the jaggery factory, sir.

We all worked in pairs and shared a single wage,

but he was always paid a full wage.

Because no one in the neighboring villages could match his skill at cooking jaggery.

Vizianagaram workers, 20 rupees each.

Lowland villagers, come over here.

Twenty rupees for both of you.

Sir. - Twenty for you.

Hey, you came alone?

Where's your partner?

He went to take a leak, sir.

Collect it when he gets back. Step aside!

Please get me a higher wage too, sir.

My wife is about to give birth.

Yes, sir.

You've been working here non-stop,

and in just four days at home,

you managed to get her pregnant?

Now that's what I call a hard worker.

Tell her to have twins.

That way, your sons won't have to find a partner for pair work.

What are you saying, sir?

I cut as much sugarcane as the workers from Vizianagaram.

I put in just as many hours, didn't I?

How long will I be paid half their wage?

Give me the same 20-rupee wage as the workers from Vizianagaram.

You filthy hillside mongrel!

You think people from Vizianagaram are the same as you lowlanders?

You people live pathetic lives as paired laborers.

Giving work to people

with no name or roots is itself a favor.

And on top of that, you expect the same pay as them?

Yuck! You lowly laborers.

We are lowly laborers, sir.

They made us do filthy work no human being should ever do.

The work we do earns no respect.

Neither do we, sir.

We're migrant laborers struggling just to survive.

We look out for the "Ten Rupees, Any Item" signboards at the market

and buy our clothes and other items from those cheap stalls.

People usually buy food with money.

We buy a night's sleep with it.

For years now, we've been paying two rupees

just for one night's rest.

Move, hurry up!

Hey, move it!

We sleep at the roadside shelter every night

and visit our own village once every 20 days or a month.

A village of 450 homes and 1,800 people,

yet not a single means of transport.

There's no way to get there except on foot.

Our village doesn't even have a name.

We're simply called the "Lowlanders," because we live at the bottom of the hill.

Sir, sir. Watch out! Careful!

You'll slip! Be careful.

Sir.

Every citizen in this country has the right to vote,

but not our people.

Well, our village doesn't even exist in any government record.

When we go home, we set out before sunrise,

yet the sun reaches home before us.

Entering Tunnel No. 13.

Entering Tunnel No. 13.

Guard of 133177, respond.

Responding. All clear.

Stop it!

Sir, sir! Emergency, sir!

What happened?!

Someone's waving a red cloth beside the tracks!

It's alright.

What? There could be danger ahead. It's a red signal.

A red flag can halt a train anywhere,

just not in this village.

You've joined recently. You wouldn't know.

When I first started, my superior told me

"At the curve around the hill, someone will wave a red flag. Don't stop."

So sit down.

Pointsman! Pointsman!

Hey!

Did they stop the train, Suri?

Not today, Peddi.

People have walked this hill path so much it's worn down,

but has a train ever stopped here even once?

Let's keep trying.

If we're persistent enough, it'll stop someday.

If they don't stop someday, the government will answer for it.

You won't understand this now.

Spare me ten rupees. I need stamps for railway letters.

Come again?

You think ten rupees' worth of stamps is going to stop that train?

I'm doing this for you too. Come on, cough up.

Hey... Suri! Stop it.

We should meet the authorities in person and put our case before them.

How long are we going to keep writing letters?

At least the letters reach their desks.

In person, they don't even treat us like human beings.

Sir.

Appala Suri, what now? Another application?

What takes thirty minutes by train costs us an entire day on foot.

Sanctioning a new station involves

a great deal of government deliberation.

They consider the village population,

distance to existing stations, and dozens of other factors.

Suri, if the train doesn't stop, what's it costing you exactly?

Kuruma, do you know your wife gave birth to a daughter two days ago?

A daughter? - Yes.

You'd have known within half an hour

if the train had stopped here.

Even to receive news of a birth or a death,

we need transportation.

Lakshmi! Lakshmi!

My dear Lakshmi!

I'm on my way.

Lakshmi!

My dear Lakshmi!

Where's my little princess?

Seenu! - Dad! Did you bring the alphabets?

Learn these four letters for now.

I'll bring four more next time.

Okay, Dad!

Mom! - I’m cooking.

What are you cooking?

Son, let it cook. - Ouch!

It'll burn you. I said, it'll burn you!

Hey, hey!

Is that any way to eat?

Here, drink some water.

How long like this?

How do I even explain it to you?

I'm thirty already!

Have you ever thought about setting me up with a woman for life?

Do you think I dragged you to sixteen proposals for the fun of it?

Yeah, you brought me sixteen proposals!

But you didn't go ahead with any.

What about the Nellimarla proposal?

You said her legs were crooked and her eyes were crossed.

And the Komarad match?

The girl was fair as the moon, but...

You look so beautiful.

You're the one who'll be my daughter-in-law.

You're the one who'll be my daughter-in-law.

You're the one who'll be my daughter-in-law.

Mom, you call every girl you lay eyes on your future daughter-in-law.

Have you at least fixed one bride for me?

What does he do for a living?

Peddi plays cricket.

Would he be willing to live with his in-laws after marriage?

What? Living with in-laws? - I'm okay with it.

Our boy won’t do that! - What?

He won't live with his in-laws? - He won't.

I will.

There's not even a path to your village.

How can I send my daughter to a village with no road leading to it, Appala Suri?

Mind your words, Venkat Rao! - Oh, my!

We're all born into the same world.

Yet you look down on us because of where we live?

I've heard enough!

I'll go live with them. - The hell you'll!

Shut up and move it.

You want to get married by breaking our traditions?

Mom, a man from Pasipenta saw me play and offered me his daughter in marriage.

We’re meeting them tomorrow. Don’t mess it up.

I’ll marry any woman, even if she’s older than me.

You won’t marry a girl from our village,

and no girl from outside wants to live here.

Idiot. He’s obsessed with marriage.

You’re my mother. I can’t say anything more than that.

Sleeping on this bed feels like lying on a saw.

Attention, people of Vizianagaram!

Please cast your precious vote for the lantern symbol.

Elect Mupparapu Subhadra Raju as our Vizianagaram municipal chairman.

Oh no!

Why are you heading into your opponent Bhaskar Rao’s fields?

Your father Subhadra Raju’s political influence is already quite weak.

He’s already lost twice.

Now, a third defeat is likely too.

Ma’am, it’s Bhaskar Rao’s cutout!

Please stop, or it will lead to quarrels.

Why is she taking off her saree?

Oh my God, I can’t see this!

Oh no! What are you doing, Achiyamma?

If the villagers find out you destroyed Bhaskar Rao’s sugarcane fields,

we won’t get any votes at all.

Your father’s political career will be destroyed.

My father is in politics, but politics isn’t in his blood, Ailu.

Oh God, I can’t watch this.

Everything’s ruined. Don’t tell me silly stories.

You’re a girl, you shouldn’t speak like that, ma'am.

Where’s the fire?

Oh no! Achiyamma, you’ve burned our fields!

To create smoke that affects our opponent,

we have to burn this.

Instead, we could've sold this sugarcane and paid off people to vote for us.

If we’d sold our sugarcane,

we could’ve paid off voters in only three of the eighteen villages.

Now, if people believe

my father Subhadra Raju's sugarcane field was burned by his opponent,

all eighteen villages will feel sorry for us.

You did well, ma’am.

Make sure this spreads through the village too.

You’ll see Achiyamma’s politics at tomorrow’s public meeting.

We’re running late for the marriage meeting.

My legs are aching.

Hey, Thulam. Get my shirt from the bag.

Peddi, it looks like a new one.

Yes, it is. A new one from a second-hand shop.

Oh God. Appala Suri's here.

Oh dear. - Why did you call him?

I told you not to. - Why would I call him? He saw us.

This match is ruined too.

Give me the shirt. - Hey, Peddi.

Give me ten rupees for railways letters.

Ten rupees? - You want me to come along?

Come along? Oh no.

Marriage meet or ten rupees?

Marriage meet or ten rupees? - Ten rupees.

Here you go.

Who knowns if we have a next life.

Want to see the girl.

I won’t accept you living with your future in-laws.

Get lost. Give me my shirt.

Why are you crying? This proposal is no good either?

It's not me. Some girl is crying over there.

Who is this lady?

Only God knows what made her come here in tears.

True, it’s really sad for her.

Oh God!

Hey, Ailu.

Take it, Achiyamma!

Greetings to all the voters of Vizianagaram.

Our opponent Reddam Bhaskar Rao and his nephew Rambujji

burned our sugarcane fields to the ground last night.

How could they do it?

Have they got any sense?

Look how she's weeping.

The sympathy is working. Keep crying, ma'am. Don't stop.

They are spreading lies

claiming I burned it myself to earn sympathy votes.

Those eyes that need no kohl.

A nose that needs no adornment.

A rare beauty,

one who needs no decoration at all.

They say stars fall from the sky.

Could one have landed here in Vizianagaram?

Who burns a crop that’s ready to be harvested?

You tell me.

We only know how to share what we have, not keep it to ourselves.

I honestly can’t tell if she’s talking or showing herself off.

I really can't, man.

I don’t need your sympathy in words. I need it in votes.

I want to touch her to my heart's content.

What do you mean?

Will her dad agree if I want to marry her?

Will she say yes if I tell her I love her?

So?

So...

I want to touch her just once.

They'll kill you, man.

Who knows if there's a next life?

We’re running late for the marriage meeting.

You used to say the girl I'd marry would end up crying.

She's the one.

Go pinch her cheeks.

I’d rather not. Every girl I pinch ends up not marrying you.

This is the last girl whose cheeks you’ll ever pinch.

It’s your choice.

Either make my father the municipal chairman,

or break his heart and send him to his grave.

We will make him the municipal chairman! - We will make him the municipal chairman!

Oh dear!

You're the one who'll be my daughter-in-law.

You're the voter who will make me win.

Vote for the lantern!

Vote for the hand fan! - Vote for the lantern!

Subhadra Raju's daughter could swing this election.

Take care of her.

Hey, I’m getting all hot.

Turn on the pump, will you?

Has the heat gone down?

No, dude. Turn on the other pump too.

Did you cool down?

Peddi! Peddi!

Are you deaf? Has the heat gone down?

Yeah. - Thank God!

Not yet. - What? It hasn't?

Oh! Oh my God!

It’s freezing in here, and you still haven’t cooled down?

Peddi, it's risky if you don't bring the heat down.

She erupts like an angry volcano. Did you see how her face got red?

Hey! Why the two pumps? - We’re cooling off.

It’s scalding.

Achiyamma is hosting a feast at her place.

A feast? They must be serving meat.

Let's go. Achiyamma is the real feast for me.

Lift it up. - Come on, lift.

Come on, guys.

Peddi’s been burning up ever since he saw Achiyamma.

God, I can feel the heat. Watch your step.

Jump.

If you touch Achiyamma while you’re this hot,

she cannot handle it. - Go see where she is.

Here you go!

The power’s out. Someone go check.

Hey, Ailu!

Miss Achiyamma?

Someone just kissed me in the dark.

What? Who on earth was that?

Ma’am, let the kiss in the dark stay in the dark.

If word gets out, it could destroy your father's political career.

Who's the lucky one?

Achiyamma! - Long live!

Achiyamma! - Long live!

What?

Keep it down.

Miss Achiyamma, beloved daughter of our respected leader,

the honorable Mupparapu Subhadra Raju, has arrived.

What’s with this huge crowd?

Let's give her a warm welcome.

I'm worried our uncle might lose.

Now, our beloved Achiyamma,

who has a BA and a B.Com, will address the gathering.

I made him say that, ma'am.

You bonehead! - Such a shrew.

Does she breathe the same air as us?

Does she eat the same food we eat?

Does she yawn just like we do?

My father, Mupparapu Subhadra Raju,

has spent 30 years contesting elections for your sake.

But as election day draws closer,

more and more crooks are trying to rig the vote.

From the ink on your finger,

and the liquor on your breath...

I can easily tell whether you’re with me or the opposition.

My friend was clapping for a different reason, you idiots!

We must tear her campaign apart today.

When you kiss in the dark... - Miss Achiyamma! No!

When you cast fake votes in the dark,

you may think they'll count.

Remember this.

Achiyamma's symbol is the lantern.

Even in the dark, she catches the scent.

Try anything foolish,

and every one of you will pay.

How could she claim that kiss meant nothing to her?

I’ll go tell her I was the one who touched

and kissed her that night.

They'll kill you for that.

Who knows if there's a next life?

Even if Subhadra Raju wins this election,

I can make him the late Subhadra Raju

and leave his seat vacant.

Want me to tell you how?

To the lantern! - We vote!

To the lantern! - We vote!

Hey! The tent’s collapsed! Lift it up!

Who the hell slashed the tent?

I wanted to strip her naked in front of everyone.

They ruined everything. - Rambujji, brother!

Rambujji! - Hey!

I’ll send your ass flying. - You’ll fly higher when you hear this.

Then say it!

Even though your plan fell apart,

I got three photos. That too, when Achiyamma was completely naked!

Go! Get them printed right now. - Hurry up.

Just because he let a woman take charge,

does that idiot think he’ll win all the votes?

Once her naked posters go up tomorrow morning,

everyone will have their hands all over them.

Hey...

Hey! Who threw that stone? Go find out!

Hey! Who was that?

Hey!

Hey! Let go of me!

Hey! Who the hell are you?

Pull the flashlight out of his mouth!

Hey!

Hey, you lowly hired laborer! It's you?

You live off the wages we pay you.

You dare raise a hand against us?

The mongrel who cut Achiyamma’s dress loose...

I'll strip him bare and leave him standing in shame.

Oh no, the photos!

Run him over with the bike!

You lowly laborer!

Hey, give me that shirt!

Come on, go!

Brother! Brother!

Hey Bujji!

Bujji!

Bujji!

Brother!

He's up there. - Bujji.

Hey! Get him down. - Bujji...

Get him down. - Brother!

The same soil of Vizianagaram that gave birth to these vermin

also gave us a star of a man.

A student of Kodi Rammurthy Naidu.

He defeated the Sisodias of North India and brought back the anklet.

Hindu Kesari, Coach Mr. Gournaidu.

Welcome! A warm welcome!

In honor of Kodi Rammurthy Naidu,

he built a wrestling arena.

He trains wrestlers without charging a single penny.

Bhadra!

Now, the bout between Gournaidu’s student Veerabhadra

and Paidappa’s student Ankamnaidu.

Release! Release!

Release! Release!

Looks like Veerabhadra has the upper hand.

Veerabhadra brought Ankamnaidu down.

Foul! Foul! Release! Release!

Release! Release!

This year too, Gournaidu’s student has won the mandal-level wrestling tournament.

The association elders are honoring him with shawls and awards.

What were those moves?

Like a street brawler.

My technique was perfect, Coach.

You just weren't watching.

I don't need to watch, Bhadra.

I can hear it.

You can hear it then.

Is there any qualification greater than victory, Coach?

Winning isn't what matters to me.

Keeping the sport alive does.

In the last tournament, the Vizianagaram team bought Peddi...

for a record sum of 1,001 rupees. - Suri, are you short by ten rupees again?

Here you go.

No. I need 100 rupees.

I have to meet the MLA.

I'll think about it after the game.

The God's price is 10 paise! - Watch the show.

The God's price is 10 paise!

One rupee!

What's this?

Mr. Rambujji always opened the bidding at one rupee.

This time, it's the Bobbili team.

What’s going on with the Vizianagaram team?

Bobbili bids one rupee. Going once!

Bobbili bids one rupee. Going twice!

What's wrong with Rambujji?

Now do we bet on Vizianagaram or not?

Only one rupee? - I’m so confused.

Calling it thrice! The final call.

One rupee!

What the hell is this? Peddi's worth only one rupee?

When the Bobbili team bid for one rupee, why did Vizianagaram remain silent?

Peddi, those scoundrels knocked your bid down to one rupee

because of what happened the other day.

They only lowered the bid price.

Not this Peddi's game!

Bet your money, and you’ll get double in return.

You wagered everything you earned.

I've to win the bet and buy my daughter a frock!

I need to buy slippers for my father.

With Peddi playing for us, our money’s safe.

Vizianagaram is making Bobbili struggle today.

Dorabujji and Rambujji scored 30 runs together already.

It looks like it's headed to the boundary,

but Peddi stopped it brilliantly.

Rambujji goes for a run.

Peddi pulls off a diving run-out!

Now the Bobbili team steps into the battle,

chasing a target of 116.

Out!

Suryam! - Brother!

You go.

Bobbili are losing wickets quickly to Rambujji’s bowling.

Peddi’s arrival could be crucial.

Peddi! Peddi! Peddi!

Peddi, sit down.

Hey, Rayappa!

Go.

Peddi! Peddi!

Bobbili survives only if Peddi comes out to bat.

Without Peddi at the crease, how can we possibly win?

Peddi! Peddi!

You piece of trash.

Peddi!

Peddi! Peddi! Peddi!

Sit down.

Vimanam! - Yes?

You go.

Why didn't they send Peddi in?

Eight runs for the loss of four wickets. - What’s happening?

Why won’t they send Peddi in when the team is losing?

He grabbed us by the collar today. Who says he won’t grab you tomorrow?

I gave him a chance for his talent. Now that mongrel’s arrogance is sky-high.

If we hit him today,

Word will get out that it was us who humiliated Achiyamma.

We’ll lose face before the elections.

The humiliation we faced in the dark yesterday,

we’ll make him face it on the field in front of everyone.

We’ll break him in front of the very crowd that worships him.

We'll show him he’s nothing but a hillside mongrel.

He only knows how to play the game.

We know how to run it.

I want your help, dude.

Peddi! Peddi! Peddi!

Our hired player Peddi’s coming in to bat!

Betting gangs and youngsters are going wild.

Peddi walks in, taking the bat from Vimanam.

Come on! Come on!

You filthy hillside...

Oh no! Lingamsetty is also out. - Out!

Bobbili captain Veera Brahmam enters the field.

Come! - He called him for a run.

Now he told him to stay back. - No.

Ball! - Peddi is stranded mid-pitch.

Rambujji threw the ball at the wickets. Peddi makes it in just in time.

Peddi then realized that Vizianagaram and Bobbili

had buried their years of enmity just to humiliate him.

A cricket team has only eleven players, right?

But that day, Peddi was up against twenty-one.

One rupee!

Peddi! Peddi! Peddi!

Peddi! Peddi! Peddi!

Peddi! Peddi! Peddi!

Put your glasses on so you can watch the game.

Hey! You think this is new to me?

See how the crowd is chanting our villager’s name with respect!

That alone makes me happy. - True, Suri.

Three balls left, nine runs needed to win!

Peddi is at the non-striker's end.

Last wicket! Ambrose comes out to bat.

Hey, ball! - Go back!

Hurry up, pass it over.

With only two balls left, they need to score eight runs.

He smashed it three grounds away!

Peddi! Peddi! Peddi!

He needs two runs off one ball. - Hillside mongrel.

Peddi will finish it with ease.

Oh, Mother Goddess!

Out!

What's wrong with Ambrose?

He stepped out of the crease before Rambujji even bowled.

Even with victory in his grasp, Peddi still couldn’t win.

Peddi! Peddi! Peddi!

Bhadra... you asked me what it means to keep the sport alive.

This is it.

It isn't bothered by victory or defeat.

The way we play must ignite a passion for the game in the next generation.

How dare you strip my brother naked?

You filthy hillside mongrel.

Do you know why I always raise the bid by just one rupee,

even when others are bidding in the hundreds?

The hundreds reflect my pride

The one rupee reflects your worth.

This one rupee is all you're worth.

I’ll teach you wrestling. Want to learn?

What's the daily wage?

What?

The wage for playing.

Even though you lost today,

do you know why the crowd still chanted your name?

It's not because of your wage,

but because of your game.

Your sport is your identity.

You filthy hillside mongrel!

They treated him unfairly in the game because of a personal grudge?

Yes, sir.

Peddi was humiliated on the field that day.

Something else happened in our village as well.

Let me come with you, Dad.

What for?

I've learnt all the four alphabets you brought me.

I'll come with you to Vizianagaram and learn more alphabets.

Study well so you can write my letters, Seenu.

Run! Run! Be careful!

Seenu!

Seenu! My son!

I've learnt all the four alphabets you brought me.

I'll come with you to Vizianagaram and learn more alphabets.

Hey, Seenu!

Oh God!

Long live the MLA’s leadership! - Long live the MLA’s leadership!

Sir.

MLA sir!

Sir, please look at my application. - Go away!

What a nuisance! - Sir...

Sir!

Get lost!

Please wait a moment.

Please hear our grievance, sir.

This concerns the hardships of 1,800 people, sir!

1,800 people?

That many people in my constituency are facing problems?

Come here.

Sir, the railway is our village’s only hope for transport.

I’ve been trying for 30 years.

Nobody cares about us.

Hand me those papers. - Sir.

It’s just a train. I’ll authorize a stop.

Sir, none of those villagers have voting rights.

You should’ve told me earlier!

Anyway, you really think it’s easy to arrange a stop for a train?

Sir, so what’s the solution to our problem?

For certain problems, adapting to them is the best approach.

Sir! Sir!

Sir! MLA sir! - What's with him?

MLA sir! Sir!

MLA sir.

One minute...

Sir, if the train stops in our village even for a minute...

our lives will change!

When someone is seriously ill or injured, we end up taking them

to the nearby cremation ground instead of the distant hospital.

Living with no hope for the future...

hurts us more than death, sir.

When we speak to the government officials,

they just mention rules and regulations, sir.

Sir, please show us mercy.

Sir! Sir! - Hey!

Hey, what are you doing?

Hey! - Sir, please...

Pull him away! - Hey, let go!

Sir, please... - Hey, let go!

We just need your signature.

Sir...

Sir! Sir!

Sir!

Sir! Sir...

Sir! Sir!

Hey, Suri.

Only someone with a heart could have invented alcohol.

How else could it bring such peace?

Have a sip. - Stop fooling around. Go away.

Suri!

Who knows if there's a next life?

Have it. - Go away!

Suri! Fine, I’ll drink it all myself.

You keep waving the flag, like you always do.

Sir!

It's an emergency! Please stop the train!

It's nothing new. Forget it.

This time, he's not standing by the tracks.

He's right on the track!

What are you saying? - Take a look, sir.

Hey, get off the track!

You'll die! Move!

Get off the track, or you’ll die!

Hey! Get off the track!

Move it!

Hey!

Appala Suri is blocking the train on the track!

Hey, Suri!

You will die! Get off the track, please!

Hey! - Suri!

Suri, step aside!

Hey!

Sir, hit the brakes! He'll die! - Hey!

Is that what you've learned? If we hit the brakes, everyone will die!

Suri!

Suri, step aside. Move!

Hey, Suri! Suri!

What did you do?

Here. Drink some water.

You tried to stop the train like a hero.

How can you leave us all behind?

Dying like this isn’t wrong...

but it’s wrong to live like this, Peddi!

Hey...

This Appala Suri hasn’t carried a red flag for 30 years

just to stop a train and shorten the distance between two villages.

He did it to close the distance between them and us.

Our labor earns only half the pay, and our sweat counts for even less.

Even our lives are worth only half as much.

It’s not the neighboring villagers, as we thought.

It's the government, Peddi!

If that train stops in our village,

we think we’ll get jobs, hospitals,

and fair prices for our harvest.

But if that train stops on these tracks,

we'll finally have an identity, Peddi.

We'll have an identity!

An identity! - Hey, get up!

Suri, get up! - Suri!

Suri. Get up. - Hey.

Hey, Suri!

Suri!

Suri.

Suri.

Hey!

Hey!

How dare you remove the tracks? You want a train stop?

How dare you destroy government property?

The central government decides where trains stop.

There’s a process for that,

and you’re not qualified to make the request.

You filthy hillside mongrels!

How dare you remove the train tracks?

Hand the body over to the municipal authorities.

Sir... - What?

We admit our mistake.

Please forgive us, sir.

We'll never mess with the railway tracks again, sir.

Please hand over Appala Suri’s body to us.

We'll leave.

How are you related to him?

He's from my village, sir.

Bring me someone from his family.

Sir...

We are all his family, sir.

Show me an ID proving you're from the same village.

And then take it away.

It's for that very identity...

that Appala Suri gave his life.

Hey, who the hell is guy?

Who said death gives you an identity?

Our reports list it as an unidentified body.

What did you say, sir?

It means it's an abandoned corpse.

Abandoned corpse?

Abandoned?

Hey!

How can he be an abandoned corpse, sir?

Ask any train driver who passes through this village.

They'll recognize Appala Suri.

Ask any track maintainer in the department.

For thirty years,

he went from the village MRO office to the Collector’s office,

carrying papers in his hands.

How can our Appala Suri have no identity, sir?

Not just the people...

even the trains on your tracks and the red and green flags waved there

know who he is.

How can you call him abandoned?

How can you have no identity, Suri?

Who the hell is this guy?

See if he has an ID, at least.

Hey, where's your ID card?

My ID card?

I...

How can he say I don't have an identity?

I'm Peddi.

I'm Peddi, sir!

During cricket matches, teams outbid each other to get me onto their team.

How can you say I have no identity?

Hey!

Forget the dead.

Someone who is alive

needs an identity card to be recognized.

Both birth and death should be recognized by the government.

You filthy hillside mongrel!

Hand the body over to the municipal authorities.

Come and lift it!

I'll take him to my village.

Sir!

I'll take him to my village. - Grab him! Pull him away.

Grab him! - Hey, hey, hey!

Hey! Go!

Hit him on the leg. - Hit him!

Hit him!

Catch him!

Let go of the body, or these people will become corpses too.

Peddi!

Give up!

We can't take this beating anymore, son!

Let go of it!

Appala Suri’s death enraged us all,

but it also filled us with fear in equal measure.

While fear turned all our feet back toward the village,

one man's feet turned the other way, sir.

The step he took that day lit a path for our entire village.

Until then, Peddi played sports only to earn a living.

Now he has set his sights on training at the Hindu Kesari arena

under Coach Gournaidu, a man determined to revive the dying art of wrestling.

Hey!

There's a player for hire here.

Tell him there's no sport that pays wages here.

Hey, stop.

I didn't come here for money.

I came for the sport.

Hey!

Get lost.

Didn't you say that sport was my identity?

But that officer says I don't even have an identity.

I don’t want an identity that belongs to a team of eleven.

I want my own identity. One that recognizes me as Peddi!

Gournaidu!

The wrestling you teach me...

should give my whole village an identity.

Win or lose,

it has to be someone from the Lowland village!

Gournaidu...

Please teach me wrestling!

Wrestling isn't some bat-and-ball game.

It's a head-on battle with death.

Tell me now.

Do you want to stay or leave?

GAME CHANGED

Konda...

Go fill the water tank.

Bhadra!

Hey, go.

Hey, wait. - Hey!

I'll go.

Forget that for now. Go unload the truck outside.

Konda!

Do you want to stay or leave?

Grab him from the front. That’s good.

144.145...

Coach, that lowlander is nowhere to be seen.

He must’ve run off to avoid working.

Oh, so you put him in the tank!

Anyway, he’s no Veerabhadra.

He can’t beat the timer.

300.

How is he any match for Bhadra?

Put it there.

Hey, where do you think you're going? Give me a massage.

If Peddi doesn’t make it himself,

the Kolkata financiers keep sending the product back,

claiming it's too bland.

Even if you work in pairs for half wages,

there’s no work for you without Peddi.

Bring him back if you want to work here.

Get lost, you worthless mongrels.

Hey, Peddi. Let’s get to work.

Kuruma.

I'm not coming back to work.

You can all leave now.

Look at this guy!

He has always hated being a lowland villager.

Ungrateful prick!

Hey, Phirangi! What the hell are you saying?

Watch your mouth.

What do you mean?

That day, he provoked people into destroying the railway track.

The police locked us all up and screwed us over.

Even after losing my only son,

do you know why I’m still in our village?

So no one else will be alone.

Our people work in pairs and live for each other.

But you’re the only one who works alone and lives by himself.

The way he dresses, the way he carries himself...

everything about him is strange.

Instead of begging this prick, let’s beg Ammathalli.

Let’s go.

Come on, let's go!

Until now, only the wrestlers came to the arena.

Now even lowly laborers are turning up.

Hey... - Konda!

What?

You told me this sport was my identity.

But all you've had me do is hard labor.

Am I an athlete or a laborer?

Do you want to stay or leave?

Hey, bumpkin!

Trying to act tough?

Exactly what you told me to.

Do you know what you're holding?

A sack of cattle feed.

It’s not a sack.

It’s a lifeless wrestler.

You just threw him down.

Do you know what that move is called?

A leg-lock hold.

Do it again.

Come on!

The other day, you emptied that vessel in one clean move.

It's an aerial throw.

Everything I made you do all these days, you thought it was labor.

But there was sport hidden in all of it.

Do it for wages, and it’s work.

Do it to win, and it’s sport.

Do you know what this move is called?

Deadlock grip.

Konda!

This isn’t a cricket ground for you to bowl on.

This is wrestling.

Here, you contain your opponent inside the ring.

This move is called the washerman’s throw.

Land your opponent on his back, and he’s out.

Hey, Konda!

Do you want to stay or leave?

Hey! Peddi! - Mom!

What’s going on here?

What’s all this?

Everyone thinks you moved to Vizianagaram

because you don't want to live in our village.

I can’t keep living under their insults. Let's leave.

Come on.

You'll hear their insults only if you stay there.

This is where we belong.

Stay with me.

Even if I can’t live there, that’s where I’ll die.

You can stay right here. - Mom! Mom!

You’ll never find peace by treating your mother this way.

Bhadra, you go. - I don't want to touch this lowlander.

299, 300.

Coach, the count’s over.

Let him go. He might die! Look! There are bubbles.

Hey, don't tell me. Tell him!

Hey! Come here. Pull the hand.

Come on, pull him up!

Pull him up, guys.

Coach, tell me now.

Do you want me to stay or leave?

Peddi. Peddi. - Hey, Achiyamma!

Come here.

What are you doing here at this hour?

What if Gournaidu sees you?

I paid Rangaiah 100 rupees to sneak me in unseen.

And he made me climb over the wall!

What a moron! - Alright. Why are you here?

I came to thank you. - What for?

For pulling down the tent the other day

and saving my honor.

Thanks. - Okay. Thank you too.

Leave now.

Go. - Peddi.

Just like you helped me without asking,

someone...

kissed me without my consent. - Oh God!

Who's that jackass?

Yeah, he is. - Ouch.

Find him and bring him to me.

I want to thrash him. - Achiyamma...

It's not something I can do right now. But I'll find him. Go home.

Go now. - Peddi!

Leave.

His arms were just like yours.

Muscular and strong.

His chest was like yours too.

Broad and firm.

When he kissed me,

I felt his breath on my forehead.

He even smelled just like you.

So...

was it someone like you?

Or was it you?

So you've figured it out.

Tell me, what do we do now?

So it was you who kissed me?

Don’t you know it's wrong to kiss a woman without her consent?

Hey!

Some express love with flowers.

Some with letters.

Some with gifts.

But for Peddi, love is felt through touch.

That’s how he expresses it.

That’s what this lowlander’s love looks like.

This is the only kind of love I know.

I’m not saying I’ll love you like everyone else does.

I'm saying I will marry you, Achiyamma.

Your touch alone is incomplete.

It’s complete only when Achiyamma reciprocates.

Stop staring at them. Watch the match.

Hello, hello! One, two, three.

Mic testing!

On the occasion of the district wrestling tournament

held in honor of Kodi Rammurthy Naidu, we welcome all the wrestlers...

There’s no cricket match. The coach is here. Calm down.

And a warm welcome to all the guests!

Keshava.

Every single year, it's Naidu's student who advances to the state level.

He never even let us get past the district level.

This time, we do whatever it takes to defeat Veerabhadra

and make it to the state level.

Come play cricket, Peddi! - Quiet!

Look, Gournaidu is entering the wrestling arena.

The bout between Naidu’s student Veerabhadra

and Paidappa’s student Adikesava is about to begin.

Wait, Bhadra.

Peddi.

Get your wrestling gear on.

Coach?

What do you mean, Naidu?

Did I hear you right?

You want us to wrestle some hired player?

There’s honor even in defeat against Veerabhadra.

But there’s no glory in defeating this lowlander.

Do your villagers pair up only for work?

Or do they sleep with their wives in pairs too?

Paidappa!

Save the talk!

Get someone with the guts to face me in the ring.

If he can't do it alone, pair him up with another.

You heard exactly what he said.

Hey.

This is our chance.

We must take down both the student and the teacher

and get past the district level.

Until today, you've only seen one wrestler face another.

But for the first time ever,

one wrestler stands against two.

Naidu’s student extends a hand

and Paidappa’s students stick out their legs?

What arrogance!

Paidappa’s students are getting fired up.

Naidu's student is down!

Come on!

Yes! That's it!

This is no ordinary technique. - What a move!!

Come on! Pin him down!

Paidappa’s students are doing everything they can

to pin him on his back and force him out.

If a wrestler’s back hits the ground, he’s eliminated.

Pin him down!

Look! They're pinning him down!

Hey, grab his leg!

Knock him down!

Look! He’s going down on his back!

Oh dear!

His legs buckled. He fell face down.

Naidu's student survives.

Crossover athlete!

What does it mean, sir?

That’s what you call someone who blends two sports into one!

He’s playing cricket and wrestling at the same time.

Hey! That's the reverse shot.

Yay!

What an incredible performance from Naidu’s new wrestler!

He’s absolutely dominating!

He’s giving Paidappa’s students a hard time.

Naidu’s brought in a top-class wrestler this time!

They’re twisting around like fighting roosters.

Is he playing cricket or wrestling?

He’s fierce like a tiger!

It doesn’t look like wrestling!

This feels like a hunt.

Hey, it's me! He's there!

One of Paidappa’s students is out!

He steps in on the front foot and goes for the washerman’s throw!

Hey, that’s Peddi’s signature move!

Get up! Get up!

You lazy buffaloes! - What a bout!

Well done, Peddi! - Gournaidu’s student Peddi

has defeated both opponents

and qualified to represent Vizianagaram district

at the state-level tournament.

Just because part of my name sounds feminine,

do you think I'm weak?

Let me remind you. In this house, only my word is final!

Achiyamma is mine.

Get out.

Hey!

Hey, come on. Let's go. - Wait...

Please wait...

Hey! Achiyamma!

He belongs to my constituency,

my daughter chose him.

And he’s inferior in every way.

Which political leader is lucky enough to find such a perfect son-in-law?

Hey.

There are 59,744 male voters in Vizianagaram municipality.

Why the hell did you pick someone who can’t even vote?

As a politician, I value a voter more than a would-be son-in-law.

Mr. Subhadra Raju.

Tell the next groom you choose...

that I kissed her on the lips.

You should tell him to stay away from this place.

Because the man who can’t even vote is already in Achiyamma’s heart.

In yesterday’s match,

why did you ignore Veerabhadra, who defeated wrestlers from six mandals?

Why did you enter some lowlander in a district-level competition, Naidu?

If everything goes well at the state level tomorrow,

one could reach the national level.

But shouldn’t that be someone from our village?

Both Veerabhadra and Peddi are my students.

Who steps into the ring is my call.

The decision is yours, but the money's from the committee.

Shouldn't he have a proper address?

What are you talking about?

You all started this association out of love for wrestling.

But now you’re fixated on pushing "your guy."

So, Naidu, you think Peddi is better than our Veerabhadra?

I'll tell you what.

No one from our village is competing.

Will your chosen participant represent our village?

What did he say?

If he agrees, we'll get him all the IDs showing he's from Vizianagaram.

No way! Peddi won't agree to it.

Tell him to focus on winning the match.

He doesn’t get to decide everything in Vizianagaram.

That’s how Vizianagaram people talk!

He says it won't work.

Come on, let's go.

Ammathalli!

Peddi will represent Vizianagaram.

From now on, Peddi belongs to Vizianagaram.

Hey!

Words may be forgotten. But what’s written stays.

Register his thumb impression.

I told you, didn’t I?

He can change his sport. He can change his village.

If needed, he’d forget his own mother too.

You selfish mongrel.

Why should we bother with someone like him?

Let's go, sir.

He competed at district level. Didn't he compete at the state level?

Not at state level. He competed at nationals, sir.

Nationals?

Vizianagaram forced Peddi to represent them.

But Gournaidu had other plans for Peddi.

Gournaidu challenges every wrestler who thinks wrestling has lost its glory

in Vizianagaram.

Whether you’ve won before, or lost and want your glory back...

No matter how great a champion you are...

If anyone can defeat my student Peddi,

I’ll offer my heirloom anklet, the one I won from the Sisodias.

I'll come to his home and adorn his feet with it.

This is Gournaidu’s challenge.

Tell them All India Wrestling Federation’s chairman

Randheer Sisodia said so. - Coach...

Gournaidu has issued a challenge.

The right to issue challenges belongs to the Sisodias.

If Gournaidu has issued a challenge, it isn’t to the country.

It’s to me.

There isn’t a wrestler in the whole country who can take down...

the Sisodias.

The country may call it arrogance. But for the Sisodias, it’s honor.

To uphold that honor, we Sisodias used to issue a challenge every year.

But that year...

my opponent was

Gournaidu.

Until that day, my people had never bowed to anyone.

That day, Gournaidu defeated me and humiliated me at his feet.

That humiliation has never left me.

After all these years, we finally have a chance to reclaim our honor.

I'll bring it back! - I'll bring it back!

Hey!

Gournaidu doesn't talk. He proves himself through action.

If he's issued a challenge for the first time

he must have a student who has surpassed even him.

Who is he?

Peddi. Why wash your hands? Let’s wrestle.

No, Coach. Nobody here can match you.

Coach.

You threw down the challenge. But why hasn’t he shown up, Coach?

He won’t show up, nor will he let anyone else.

Randheer Sisodia.

Every student he trained has won a gold medal.

This is exactly what I expected when I issued the challenge.

Ranga. - Yes, Coach.

Here.

He picked you for nationals.

What are you saying, Coach?

Is it true, Coach? - Yes.

Coach...

To celebrate Vizianagaram wrestler Peddi’s selection for nationals,

we present a musical performance by Balla Adilakshmi.

Hey, Peddi!

The mighty wrestler, Peddi!

Now you’ve crossed state level. Tomorrow, you’ll cross nationals too.

And then...

Then you’ll become a wrestler

no one can match! - Veerabhadra...

My friend Peddi is a wrestler.

Stop it, Veerabhadra.

You’re drunk. Go to bed.

Forgive me, Peddi. - It's okay. Go home.

Ladies and gentlemen,

welcome to the National Wrestling Championship 1994.

Jalandhar, Punjab.

How have you been, Mr. Randheer Sisodia?

Not well at all.

That day, only my village knew that you defeated me.

But today,

the whole country will watch me defeat you.

We begin the league matches now.

Sisodia has executed a washerman's throw.

Foul! Foul!

Ratan Sisodia advances to the semi-finals!

This round ends.

Peddi won the match 6-0.

Peddi advances to the semi-finals!

In the semi-finals, Ratan Sisodia from Rajasthan

faces Peddi from Andhra Pradesh.

Peddi! Peddi!

Peddi! Peddi! Peddi!

Peddi! Peddi! Peddi!

Can you see victory within reach while they chant "Peddi"?

You’re just two feet away from victory.

Have a seat, Coach!

I’ve already heard plenty of cheers and shouts, Coach.

On the way down from our village to Vizianagaram,

I heard a man’s final screams as he fell into the valley, Coach.

After finishing our work, we went to ask for our wages.

Then I heard Ammathalli shout,

"Even half pay is too much for you filthy hill savages."

I even heard Appala Suri’s dying scream

when he tried to stop the train.

I don’t want all this cheering anymore.

All I need is silence.

I need two minutes of silence to tell them who I'm.

Even while laboring in a jaggery factory,

do you know why I became a player for hire?

The moment I step into the game,

people stop caring about where I come from, my caste or my community.

They only see me as an athlete.

That’s why I agreed to represent Vizianagaram.

Peddi, you love your village so much. Why didn’t you tell them?

I don’t want to give them hope, Coach.

I want to give them victory.

I’ve heard the world listens to the one who wins.

I’ll give them that one victory.

But this alone won’t be enough to defeat Peddi.

Won't this do?

Come, man!

Will this be enough?

It won’t be enough.

Then come. I’ll show you.

Come. Let’s play.

How do you like this move? - Excellent!

But even this isn't enough.

If you want Naidu to hold your feet and adorn you with anklet,

you must first hold Peddi’s feet.

Who the hell are you?

Who the hell are you? - What are you saying?

If you want to win,

grab Peddi’s leg, not my throat.

It's okay. Go home.

Hey, Veerabhadra!

What are you doing?

Veerabhadra!

You bastard!

You’re the reason I can’t get ahead!

It's because of you! - Veerabhadra!

It's because of you.

Let’s see how you compete now.

Welcome to the semi-finals.

This is the tournament's biggest clash!

Round one of the second semi-final match.

For many viewers, this match matters more than the final.

It wouldn’t be wrong to call this the final before the final.

Match will begin now.

Defending champion Ratan Sisodia has maintained his dominance so far.

Peddi’s new technique is being discussed everywhere in this tournament.

Ratan Sisodia has caught hold of Peddi tightly.

And Peddi escaped using his technique.

Sisodia started to attack.

He brought Peddi down.

Peddi’s reversal turns him onto his back and earns him two points!

Two points to Peddi, making it a total of four points.

Peddi is leading 4-2.

An attempt to control Peddi.

An attempt to get Sisodia into a grip.

And here Ratan Sisodia tried a leg move, Peddi maintained his balance.

Tried hard to defend, but he went outside the red zone.

It's a point for Ratan Sisodia.

An attempt to put him down, but Sisodia countered sharply and took two points.

It's Peddi's counterattack.

He lifted him up and slammed him down.

He earned four points.

And Peddi claimed the first round

with a score of 8-3. - Well played, Peddi.

Well played, Peddi. - Well played.

Hey! What the hell was that? What are you doing?

We have to defeat him somehow and win back our anklet.

Well played, Peddi. - Coach.

That's it.

You know where to target him, right? His leg.

Go on then. Go!

The referee signals the start of second round.

Ratan Sisodia tried to attack in a hurry but made a mistake,

giving Peddi two points.

Peddi is showing great presence of mind.

Here comes Ratan Sisodia’s defensive move.

An attempt to lock him in a hold.

And he twisted him, putting Peddi in trouble.

An attempt by Sisodia to establish his grip.

Pin him down.

Peddi’s counterattack,

an attempt to box him out, and Peddi gets two points.

Ratan Sisodia once again attacks Peddi’s leg.

Peddi’s defensive move and his attempt to escape.

Don’t let go!

Keep pinning him down.

Pin him down.

Now the question is how much pain Peddi will be able to endure.

The referee signals, and with that,

Ratan Sisodia has won the second round 8-6.

After two rounds, both wrestlers are tied at one round each.

Now it remains to be seen who will win the third round and advance to the final.

Peddi.

Let me see.

Is your leg okay?

Well done!

Well done!

Let's win the next round with the same tactic.

Target only his leg.

Peddi, continue the attacking game.

Go.

Go. Go and get him.

The third and decisive round begins.

Peddi appears to be limping.

Due to Sisodia’s repeated attacks on the leg, Peddi may have been injured.

What's this?

Ratan Sisodia laughs and invites Peddi to attack him.

He is teasing him.

Peddi's in pain here.

It seems his leg has suffered a serious injury.

Peddi’s whole game has changed now.

He’s now trying to fight while protecting his right leg.

Looking at Peddi’s condition, it does not seem

that he will be able to compete against Sisodia anymore.

Here comes another performance from Sisodia.

That's four points. Four!

Four more points added to Sisodia’s tally.

And Sisodia now needs only 30 more seconds to win this match...

Peddi! Why are you hiding your leg?

Put it forward and play.

Attack him.

But that chance doesn’t seem to be coming.

Peddi attempts an attack.

But Ratan Sisodia launches a counterattack.

Ratan Sisodia has planned to completely crush Peddi.

Sisodia launched an attack!

Ten seconds remaining.

The opportunity has completely slipped out of Peddi’s hands.

Now only the timeout remains.

Peddi attacks, and now Peddi's in the air.

Despite being injured, he fiercely lifted Sisodia onto his shoulders.

Despite having an injury in his leg, Peddi slammed Sisodia to the ground.

Peddi completely destroyed Sisodia. Peddi bagged five points.

We won!

Yay!

Yeah!

Despite the injury to his leg, Peddi displayed an excellent performance.

And he secured his place in the final against Punjab.

Now everyone will be waiting eagerly to see how he performs in the final.

Peddi has reached the finals.

Peddi is fully deserving of the audience’s love and admiration.

He has already secured the silver medal,

and if he wins the final, the gold medal will be his too.

Very few people can match the courage and style Peddi has displayed.

Such dedication despite being injured!

But what are we witnessing here?

Peddi has collapsed onto the mat.

Peddi!

The medical team needs to reach immediately.

It's a medical emergency!

Come on, fast!

The atmosphere all around has suddenly changed.

Coach.

Peddi.

Don't get up, Peddi.

Lie down.

Peddi.

I'm fine, Coach.

It's just a small wound.

Let's go.

Listen to me, Peddi.

It's no big deal, Coach.

Peddi... Peddi.

Sit.

What is it, Coach?

What happened?

Mr. Peddi.

You need to rest.

Rest? What do you mean, Doctor?

I have to go play the final.

Tell him, Coach.

Peddi! - I have to go fight the final, Doctor.

Calm down, Peddi.

Calm down.

The main nerve in your right leg

isn’t functioning.

The injury damaged it.

For a long time now,

bit by bit, the nerves in your leg

have been severely damaged.

That's why you lack strength in that leg.

One more thing.

Given the extent of the damage, it’s miraculous you made it this far.

But I’m sorry to say this.

You're unfit for the game.

You are not fit for the game.

W-What do you mean, "I'm not fit for the game"?

What is he saying, Coach?

Peddi. - I'm...

How can I be unfit for the match?

Peddi. - Coach...

Let's show him, Coach. - Peddi, wait.

Doctor! What do you mean, I can't play?

I can compete, Doctor. I can.

Why don't you say something, Coach? - Calm down.

Tell him I can play.

Let's go, Coach! - Peddi!

Come on.

Peddi.

Come on. - Peddi!

Coach!

Peddi! Calm down.

Listen to me.

Coach. - Peddi.

Peddi.

Let's wrestle, Coach. - Listen to me.

Come on, Coach.

Coach...

Peddi! - Hold.

Coach. - Ped...

Peddi!

Peddi! Get up. - Coach!

I want you to say I can play, Coach.

We will show them. Come on, Coach.

Peddi...

It’s all because of this, Coach.

What are you doing? - Peddi.

Don’t remove the bandage.

Peddi!

Come on, Coach. Let's wrestle. - Peddi!

We need to show them, Coach. Please.

Come on, Coach. Let's wrestle.

Peddi. Please calm down.

Calm down. - I have to play, Doctor.

You can make it happen.

I can play the final, Doctor.

Tell him, Coach!

Tell him. - Peddi.

I have to compete in the final, Doctor. Please...

You lowland bastard!

How long will you keep this up?

The final match was three days ago.

You've been unconscious for the last three days.

Mr. Gournaidu.

Whether he accepts it or not,

his leg is not fit for the game.

So, better take care of him.

Coach...

Peddi.

You can still play up here.

But you can't play here.

Get some rest.

Order some tea.

Sir.

What else is left for you to say?

What's left for me to hear, huh?

Listen, sir.

You brought me all this way

just to tell me a loser's story?

How did someone unfit to play become everyone's favorite?

Please hear me out, sir.

Get me some tea.

Your tea, sir.

PEDDI

You built a statue...

for a loser?

A loser?

If he had quit right there...

why would you have come this far for him?

After winning for Vizianagaram,

he gave up the house and land gifted by the community,

the government job he earned,

and even Achiyamma, the woman he loved.

Forgive us, Peddi.

All we need is someone like you, who truly cares about our village.

Let's go back to our village. - Let's go back to our village.

I can't walk that far with this leg.

I'll come by train.

He said he’d come by train?

How?

Railway station?

Listen.

Ask for documents to build a house.

Or ask for a pension.

But you’re asking us for a railway station?

None of the MPs here can help you. Only the Union Railway Minister can.

Go to him.

This is out of my hands.

Your wedding is set for the eighth.

Here's your wedding invitation. Be ready.

What's this?

For any woman, a man becomes her husband only after marriage.

For Achiyamma, love itself makes him her husband.

In her heart, Peddi had already become her husband.

That day, he learned the new Union Railway Minister

was visiting Rail Bhawan.

He went there hoping the minister would solve our village’s problem.

Sir! Sir!

Sir!

Please, I need to meet the minister!

What happened?

The rear tires are off the ground. The car isn't moving.

Hey, leave him. Go away.

Sir, forgive me. I had no other way to meet you.

What's the matter?

It's about my village, sir. A railway station.

We need it, sir.

Name of the village? - Lowlanders' village, sir.

What? - Sir...

Our village has no name, sir. We have no identity.

I won the semi-final in national wrestling three years ago.

Here. - Huh?

Here.

I'm a champion, sir.

A silver medalist, huh? - Yes, sir.

What difference does it make, sir?

You told me you have no identity.

You must’ve got some certificate after losing the final.

And landed a government job too.

Sir...

I didn't lose, sir.

My leg gave out before I could play.

I couldn't play the finals, but I never lost, sir.

Sir.

An excuse.

That's just an excuse to cover up your loss.

Only winning matters.

Sir...

Peddi understood then...

that the sound of his triumph went unheard by the authorities.

So Peddi came back to Vizianagaram?

Ku... Kurumaiah!

In that instant, the athlete in Peddi came alive again.

He might be new to this game,

but the game isn't new to him, sir.

Gangamma, you're blessed with a son!

Oh no! The baby is born without a leg.

His body was built from years of climbing hills.

He adapts to any sport effortlessly.

Do you know what sport he chose this time?

Running.

I'll tell you now, sir!

I'm Kurumaiah.

Peddi's my favorite player too.

Competing itself is Peddi’s rebellion.

That statue behind me isn't of a loser.

It's of a man who defeated failure itself.

All our lives, we walked only for work.

But that day, we walked for one man’s fight.

Everyone from our lowland village

came to Vizianagaram to cheer for Peddi.

Our village’s Peddi is competing, sir.

We came here hoping you'd show him on TV.

The stage is set for the 1996 Delhi Para Asian Games.

And all eyes are on this final.

Eight athletes, each one with a story and a dream,

are competing in this thrilling 400-meter race.

Sit next to me.

Watch.

Athletes are adjusting their posture.

Focused, every movement is measured.

It's calm before the storm!

It's Peddi in lane four!

The first ever Indian in 400 meters final.

The home ground advantage at his back.

But he has to compete with lead runners from China, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

On your mark!

Hamza from Pakistan moves up the ranks.

Quick and efficient,

pulling ahead of the pack.

Both birth and death

should be recognized by the government.

You filthy hillside mongrel!

Do you know why I always raise the bid by just one rupee,

The one rupee reflects your worth.

Oh! Peddi's down.

It's a sudden stumble. - Peddi!

The race has taken an unexpected turn.

The crowd is in shock!

Dying like this isn’t wrong...

but it’s wrong to live like this, Peddi!

If that train stops on these tracks,

we'll finally have an identity, Peddi!

Victory decides everything.

Only victory!

Peddi is back on his feet!

A highly impossible task ahead of him.

Every stride counts, every second matters!

It's a battle against time!

Can Peddi maintain this relentless pace?

Peddi closes the gaps stride by stride!

Five meters, he joins the leading pack!

Neck to neck, shoulder to shoulder!

All of them are giving every stride they have left.

Oh my God!

Four athletes hit the line together!

It's impossible to call!

The referee signals for a photo finish.

Nobody can say with the naked eye who has won the race.

Let's look at the replay!

The final 100 meters in slow motion.

It's too close a finish. Can’t see with the naked eye.

All are waiting for the winner's announcement.

Here comes the freeze frame.

The moment of truth! Who takes it?

It's Peddi! Peddi wins gold for India

by a fraction of a second!

From a fall!

From the back in the pack! To a photo finish victory.

This is one of the greatest comebacks we've ever seen.

Peddi! Peddi!

For the first time in history, Peddi has won gold for India!

What a hero!

What a race!

What a moment for the Indian athletics!

You are the pride of India!

I don't want this, sir.

I want that, sir.

This Peddi...

is not Indian, sir!

What?

Isn't he Indian?

You're not an Indian?

Mr. Peddi, you are from Andhra Pradesh!

Vizianagaram District, Salur Mandal.

Your profile is right. You are Indian!

If I’m to call myself an Indian,

shouldn’t my village be part of India too, sir?

Though I can’t walk, I ran all this way...

not to prove to the world that I can run, sir.

But to show this country that my villagers are still forced to walk miles every day.

Except on foot,

there’s no other way to get to my village.

If we can’t live where we were born,

your government’s only suggestion is that we leave our village.

If leaving for a better place is the solution,

how will this country ever prosper, sir?

Your Indian government can soar across the skies,

but it can’t even reach our lowland village on its own territory.

I realized it after coming here.

There are 18,000 villages like ours in this country,

with no name and no identity!

Tiger.

The national animal.

Peacock.

The national bird.

The identity and respect given to these animals and birds...

we lowlanders have none of it, sir!

Even the dead in our village have no identity, sir.

When they asked me how I was related to Appala Suri's corpse...

It didn’t feel like they were questioning only his identity.

It felt like they were stripping away my village’s identity and self-respect!

It’s said that back then, the British would halt trains at certain places

to relieve themselves or for entertainment.

That’s how those railway stations came into existence.

Is our lowlanders’ blood not worth even their piss?

If your government train had stopped on our village tracks for even a minute,

the official who ignored us

would’ve had to say our village’s name every time he passed by.

Loud enough for the whole nation to hear.

That’s when our village would’ve had a name.

Salur would have become a Mandal, Vizianagaram a district,

and Andhra Pradesh a state.

Only then would this Peddi,

from a lowlanders’ village, truly become Indian.

A nation stands together

in only two situations.

One is when we are at war.

The other is when we play for the country.

You all think I played.

But I fought, sir.

Give an identity to Peddi’s village, the man you called Indian, sir.

Our identity is our self-respect.

Our identity is my gold medal.

The train that mocked us with its horn for so many years,

stopped right before us for the first time.

What's all this, son?

What, Mom?

Who knows if there's a next life?

Peddi!

For the first time in Indian Railways history,

a special train has been arranged from Delhi for a single player.

That's not all.

A railway station named "Peddi" has also been sanctioned for your village.

It shouldn't be named "Peddi," sir. - Then?

Please name the station Appalavalasa, in memory of our Appala Suri.

The day the train stopped for our Peddi,

our lives truly began, sir.

VILLAGE PANCHAYAT OFFICE

Post!

Recognizing our village's self-respect,

the government has sent a post with a pin code.

Do you know what the first post was?

Sir...

This is not just a stone statue.

It's our village's self-respect.

Come on, sir.

Let's meet Peddi.

He’s only a short distance away.

We don't need to meet him.

Let's head back.

You want to go back?

Why, sir?

After coming this far, how can you leave without meeting Peddi?

I’m ashamed, Kurumaiah.

I misjudged a great player like Peddi.

I’ve realized we must first face our problems.

With a bat, Peddi faced his problems.

Through wrestling, he fought them.

And with running, he drove them all away.

He gave the sport a purpose and changed how people saw it.

Peddi told me

what I should be doing from now on.

Kurumaiah!

Let's go.

The Visakha Passenger from Raipur to Visakhapatnam via Vizianagaram

will depart shortly from platform number one at Appalavalasa.

Did you hear that, sir?

Appalavalasa. It's the name of our village.

That's the identity Peddi brought us, sir.

Dad! - Hello, dear.

You left it in the morning. What took you so long?

I was with him.

She's my daughter. She's studying medicine.

Bless you. - Thank you.

Kurumaiah. - See you, sir.

Kuruma! - Where are you going, Narsi?

I'm going to Vizianagaram.

Take care. - I'll be back in an hour.

Kurumaiah... - Sir.

Your village finally has a train.

Why did you make me walk all the way here?

If I hadn't made you walk here,

you wouldn't have known how desperately we needed the train.

Peddi!

A farmer’s struggle,

a soldier’s sacrifice,

and an athlete’s spirit...

these are the backbone of a nation.

Who knows if there's a next life?

Tell me!

Let’s launch the country’s biggest rural campaign.

Let's scout for players from the soil.

A politician...

goes door to door for votes to win, right?

The same way, let's head to villages

and look for players.

You’re suggesting we go down to the village level?

We aren't going down to their level.

We're rising to it.

Yes!