Puri Jagannath has been a defining director for Tollywood, in the sense that many of his films have been trendsetters, to the extent that their impact is still known to date. He has been one director who excelled at both mass and class films, the latter of which can be seen in his early filmography.
Puri has been suffering from the lack of a proper hit for the past several years, with Ismart Shankar being the only noteworthy hit for him in recent times. While there were huge expectations on his latest film Liger, the film turned out to be a major disappointment for the director. Prior to the release of Liger itself, the director decided to begin shooting for his dream project Jana Gana Mana, which he initially intended to make with Superstar Mahesh. For unspecified reasons, this film never took off.
At last, Puri was able to get Vijay Deverakonda on board for the film, and even finished shooting a schedule for the film. However, the disastrous result of Liger has now put the film on hold. With there being no information or clarity over when, and if the film would even ever resume, everyone is wondering if JGM will ever become a reality for Puri.