Hyderabad: Ahead of the 'Hari Hara Veera Mallu' film’s global release, Pawan Kalyan, the Deputy Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, who made a rare appearance at a press meet clarified "If I have refrained from promoting my films all these years, it is not out of ‘arrogance”.
'Hari Hara Veera Mallu: part-I' is directed by Krish Jagarlamudi and A. M. Jyothi Krishna, the screenplay is by Jagarlamudi and Sai Madhav Burra.
Depicting the life of fictional legendary outlaw Veera Mallu, the film stars Pawan Kalyan in the titular role, alongside Bobby Deol, Nidhhi Agerwal, Nargis Fakhri, Nora Fatehi and Satyaraj in other prominent roles. It is set in the 17th century Mughal Empire.
The film was officially announced in January 2020 with principal photography commencing in September 2020.
Predominantly shot in Hyderabad, the film experienced several delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic and Kalyan's political commitments, concluding only in May 2025.
Initial portions of the film were directed by Jagarlamudi, while the latter portions were helmed by Krishna under former’s supervision. The film's music was composed by M. M. Keeravani.
The film was scheduled to release on 12 June 2025, only to get postponed again to an unspecified date, and then, the team announced that film is going to release on July 24, 2025.
However, despite being a big-budget film, its promotional campaign has been notably dull, largely due to the complete absence of Pawan Kalyan, who serves as the Deputy Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh.
In his first film promotional media press meet along with the cast and crew, Pawan said he came to the event only for producer A M Ratnam, calling him the main reason behind his decision to speak to the media.
“This is my first press meet for a movie”, he said “I have always believed that if a film is good, there is no need to promote it.
“ Any promotion cannot not help a bad film,” he stated and said that his new Telugu film, Hari Hara Veera Mallu: Part 1 - Sword vs Spirit, will be released in multiple languages on July 24.
He stated that he has addressed the media on several occasions to discuss societal issues and politics but cannot recall the last time he held a press conference for a film.
He made an exception to stand by his producer, AM Rathnam, as the film had faced several challenges during its making for five years.
He highlighted the high action climax episode that was filmed in scorching summer over 57 days.
The team, he said wondered if the span of the story would fit into one film. Eventually, Hari Hara Veera Mallu became a two-part film with the 20-minute climax sequence of the first part acting as a segue to the second part.
“All the martial arts training I had done years ago came in handy,” he added.
Reiterating his commitment to the films he had taken up in recent years before he took up his post as Deputy Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, Pawan Kalyan said “I have not been competitive in cinema. But it is cinema that gave me food, made me what I am. So I am here to state that I have not abandoned my film.”
Meanwhile, Telangana government permits ticket price hikes for Pawan Kalyan’s ‘Hari Hara Veeramallu’.
The State government on Monday permitted ticket price hikes and additional shows for Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan’s upcoming film Hari Hara Veeramallu, scheduled for release on July 24.
The government allowed one special screening at 9 pm on July 23 with a ticket price of Rs 600 (plus GST).
Further, it approved five daily shows from July 24 to 27 with an additional charge of Rs 200 (excluding GST) for multiplexes and Rs 150 (excluding GST) for single-screen theatres.
The relaxations continue through July 28 to August 2, with permission for five shows daily and an additional charge of Rs 150 (excluding GST) in multiplexes and Rs 100 (excluding GST) in single-screen theatres, over and above regular rates.
The Home Department issued a memo to all District Collectors, Police Commissioners, and cinema managements outlining the permissions granted.
