Pokiri

Pokiri (meaning “Rogue”) is a 2006 Telugu action thriller written and directed by Puri Jagannadh, produced by Jagannadh’s Vaishno Academy and Manjula Ghattamaneni’s Indira Productions. Mahesh Babu stars as Pandu, with Ileana D’Cruz, Prakash Raj, Nassar, Ashish Vidyarthi and Sayaji Shinde. Released on 28 April 2006, it became the highest-grossing Telugu film until Magadheera overtook it in 2009, and it is widely credited with turning Mahesh Babu into a “mass hero”. It was later remade in Tamil, Hindi (as Wanted) and Kannada.

What the story is about

Hyderabad is split between two crime gangs: one run from Dubai by Ali Bhai, the other by a local goon, Narayana. A newly appointed police commissioner, Qadri, sets out to clean up the city. Pandu is a thug for hire who works for whoever pays, and soon joins Ali Bhai’s gang. He falls for Shruthi, an aerobics teacher who at first wants nothing to do with him, while a corrupt sub-inspector, Pasupathy, is determined to force her into becoming his mistress. Pokiri is famous for a late twist, so this is as far as we go; avoid detailed plot summaries if you have not seen it.

Cast

• Mahesh Babu as Pandu. He grew his hair longer and lost five kilograms for the role.
• Ileana D’Cruz as Shruthi; Jagannadh signed her after seeing stills from Devadasu (2006)
• Prakash Raj as the mafia boss Ali Bhai and Ashish Vidyarthi as the corrupt policeman Pasupathy
• Nassar and Sayaji Shinde as two other principal characters; Subbaraju in a negative role
• Ali, Brahmanandam and Venu Madhav as a comedy trio; Mumaith Khan in an item number

How it was made

Jagannadh had written the script years earlier under another title and offered it to Pawan Kalyan, who declined, and to Ravi Teja, who left for another project. He narrated it to Mahesh Babu in Hyderabad on 3 November 2004; Babu liked it, suggested adapting its backdrop for Telugu audiences, and the film was renamed Pokiri. Jagannadh wrote the story, screenplay and dialogue, with Meher Ramesh as script associate. Shyam K. Naidu shot it and Marthand K. Venkatesh edited it. Filming ran for 100 working days from November 2005 to April 2006, mostly in Hyderabad, with the climax at the defunct Binny Mills in Chennai and the song “Gala Gala” in Phuket and Bangkok. The Hindu reported the budget as ₹12 crore and Sify as ₹10 crore.

Music

Mani Sharma composed the soundtrack, chosen at Mahesh Babu’s suggestion, with lyrics by Bhaskarabhatla, Kandikonda and Viswa. Aditya Music released the album on 26 March 2006. “Gala Gala” reworks a tune Jagannadh linked to the 1974 Telugu song “Gala Gala Parutunna Godarila”, and the album also drew allegations that two songs echoed international tracks.

Release and box office

The CBFC gave Pokiri an ‘A’ certificate for its violence. Box-office figures are reported figures from named outlets:

• Sify reported in July 2006 that the film had earned about ₹35–40 crore and become the highest-grossing Telugu film of all time, including ₹11.70 crore from the Nizam region.
• News18 reports a lifetime distributors’ share of ₹42 crore, and Firstpost a gross of over ₹70 crore.
• A remastered re-release on 9 August 2022, Mahesh Babu’s birthday, grossed over ₹1.7 crore according to the Hindustan Times (Telugu).

The film also ran for 500 days at the Bhagiratha theatre in Kurnool.

What critics said

The Hindu called it “an out and out action flick” but “Mahesh Babu’s show all the way”. Sify described it as “a mass masala extravaganza which satisfies the undemanding viewers”, and Rediff wrote that with “a new, rugged look”, Mahesh Babu “has stolen the show”.

Legacy

Pokiri made Ileana a leading star in Telugu and established Jagannadh as a “star director”. Its punch dialogues, including “Okkasari commit ayite naa mata neene vinanu” (“Once I commit, I don’t even listen to myself”), became catchphrases and were spoofed in films such as Jalsa, Dookudu and Eega. Prabhu Deva remade it in Tamil as Pokkiri (2007) and in Hindi as Wanted (2009). Mahesh Babu later said that the scale of its success left him confused about which scripts to choose, and that he took a long break before Khaleja.

Where to watch Pokiri

We do not have a confirmed streaming platform for Pokiri on file. The OTT details on this page will be updated when a platform’s own listing confirms it.

Sources: the Wikipedia article on Pokiri and the reviews and trade reports it cites, linked above; Wikidata (Q3630260); our own cast and crew records.