Puri Jagannadh thanks fans as the Mahesh Babu starrer ‘Pokiri’ completes 14 years

Ace filmmaker Puri Jagannadh penned an emotional note thanking fans for supporting the 2006 release Pokiri that turned 14 on Tuesday (April 28). The mass director said that he was grateful to cinephiles for loving his work and making it a hit.

Pokiri, featuring Mahesh Babu in a rugged avatar, was an actioner and created a buzz among movie buffs due to its solid presentation. A runaway hit, it starred Ileana as the leading lady and proved to be a game changer for the Goan woman. The supporting cast included Nassar, Prakash Raj, Brahmanandam and Ali.

Pokiri was later remade in Tamil as Pokkiri with Vijay and Asin in the lead. The Prabhudeva-helmed film too hit the right notes and found success. The ace dancer subsequently remade it in Hindi as Wanted, which opened new avenues for Salman Khan. The Kannada version, titled Porki, saw Darshan reprise the role played by ‘Prince’ in the original version.

Post Pokiri, Puri and Mahesh Babu teamed up for Bussinessman that proved to be a feast for the target audience. Even though the Paisool Vasool is keen on teaming up with the sensational hero again, this has not happened yet.

Coming to the present, Puri will be resuming work on the eagerly-awaited Fighter once the coronavirus situation improves. The Hindi-Telugu bilingual features Vijay Deverakonda and Ananaya Panday in the lead. The supporting cast includes Ronit Roy and Ramya Krishnan.  One is likely to get clarity on its release date once the lockdown is lifted.

On the other hand, ‘Super Star’ was last seen in Sarileru Neekevvaru that did well at the box office despite facing stiff competition from Ala Vaikunthapurramloo. The Sankranti biggie marked his first collaboration with Rashmika Mandanna and this proved to be its big highlight. He will soon be turning his attention to SSMB 27 that is likely to be directed by Vamshi Pidiapally.