Pokiri made Mahesh Babu a superstar, marking a turning point in his career. Directed by Puri Jagannadh and produced by Puri and Manjula Ghattamaneni, the film was released 19 years ago today. Before Pokiri, Mahesh Babu had a solid image, but after its success, he became a household name. The movie changed his career.
1. Puri initially wanted to make Pokiri with Pawan Kalyan, but he was not interested at the time.
2. Puri then approached Ravi Teja, who liked the story. The film was briefly shot under the title Uttam Singh but got delayed due to some reasons.
3. After Puri’s film Super didn’t do well, he planned to cast Sonu Sood as the hero in Uttam Singh, but Sonu was busy with other projects.
4. Puri decided to shelve the film but, following Trivikram‘s suggestion, he approached Mahesh Babu with the idea after Mahesh’s gap from Sainikudu.
5. Puri changed the title to Pokiri, and Mahesh loved the script. He agreed to give 45 days for the film, which started immediately after Mahesh’s confirmation.
6. Initially, Puri thought of casting Kangana Ranaut, then Ayesha Takia, but eventually, Ileana was chosen after she fit the look test perfectly.
7. Puri approached Amitabh Bachchan for the role of Sayaji Shinde‘s character but finalized Shinde after considering authenticity.
8. Pokiri was shot in just 66 days, mostly with single takes, and sometimes 2-3 scenes were filmed simultaneously.
9. The film was released on April 28, 2006, with minimal hype, but after some negative response to a rival movie, Pokiri gained momentum and became a hit.
10. The film ran for 50 days in 299 centers, 100 days in 200 centers, and 175 days in 63 centers. It collected Rs. 39 crores in share and Rs. 66 crores in gross, becoming a major South Indian hit.
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