Although receiving the green signal from Pawan Kalyan to take on the lead role in Hari Hara Veera Mallu must have sent producer AM Rathnam to cloud nine, that moment was over five years ago. Since then, the highly ambitious project has faced several hurdles, including director Krish Jagarlamudi stepping away and multiple production halts, largely due to the Covid-19 pandemic and Pawan’s political commitments. The delays were so extensive that the film’s release was postponed three times just this year.
Fortunately for the makers, Hari Hara Veera Mallu: Part 1 is finally gearing up to hit the screens on July 24. 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. Now, just three days ahead of the film’s global release, Pawan has finally made a public appearance at a promotional event, during which he addressed his earlier absence and clarified that it was not due to “arrogance”, contrary to popular speculation.
Describing himself as a “misunderstood star”, Pawan Kalyan emphasised that he had not distanced himself from the project in any way. He said his presence now was intended to put an end to such rumours. “If I have refrained from promoting my films all these years, it is not out of arrogance. I find it awkward to talk about the work that has gone into a film and market it. I have always believed that if a film is good, there is no need to promote it. And any promotion cannot help a bad film,” he said while addressing the media in Hyderabad on Monday.
“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. Politically, I may have a recognisable name and a presence across the country. But when it comes to cinema, I know I don’t rank as high as other heroes. That brings its own set of challenges. My films may not do the kind of business theirs do or bring in the same returns. My primary focus has always been politics. I never was competitive with films. My focus was always on social service. It is everyone’s industry,” he added.
Pawan Kalyan explained that he chose to break his usual pattern and attend the press conference of Hari Hara Veera Mallu because he wanted to support producer AM Rathnam, who, he observed, rose through the ranks with sheer hard work. The actor recalled that Rathnam was also the producer who gave him his 2001 blockbuster Kushi.
“Director Krish Jagarlamudi approached us with a high-concept story that we all liked. The film faced delays during the pandemic, and later I got busy with my political career. Though Krish stepped back due to varied reasons, Rathnam and (his son) Jyothi Krishna, who took up the task of direction, were relentless and ensured that the film was completed,” he pointed out, adding that the high-action climax episode was shot over 57 days.
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“Nidhhi Agerwal single-handedly carried the burden of promoting this film. I felt very embarrassed. Here was a young actress who should be prioritising her career. Instead, she was pushing the film forward on her own,” the actor observed.
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Speaking about the future of his acting career, Pawan Kalyan remarked, “Nenu politics ki velipoina taravata, Deputy CM badyatulu teeskunna taravata, andarki… ‘aipoindi, inka cinemalu cheyyaledu itanu, ela chestadu?’ Adi naku telsu kashtam ani (After I entered politics and took over the responsibility of being the Deputy CM, everyone wondered how I could continue to act in films. I also don’t know how many films I can do). But I wanted to give my best to this film.”
Also starring Bobby Deol, Nidhhi Agerwal, Nargis Fakhri and Nora Fatehi in key roles, Hari Hara Veera Mallu: Part 1 features cinematography by Manoj Paramahamsa and Gnana Shekar VS, music by MM Keeravaani, production design by Thota Tharrani and editing by KL Praveen.
