One of the most swash buckling directors of Tollywood, Puri Jagannadh had indeed come a long way from scratch to become one of the renowned technicians of Tollywood. He is undeniably one of the very few who is popular for penning ‘punch’ dialogues for his heroes and portraying them to be larger than life on screen.
Also cynically known for his ‘anti women’ angle in films, Puri came to the fore, becoming one of the top league directors of Tollywood today.
Chitramala takes a look at his top 5 movies that have not only set a feverish trend, but have broken records of sorts in the industry, not to forget salvaging lives of few leading men.
5. Neninthe
The movie starring ‘Mass Maharaja’ Ravi Teja as a central protagonist fetched lot of praise for Puri’s story telling and writing abilities. Though the film bombed miserably at Box office, Neninthe showed Ravi Teja in a strong role with punchy angle.
Puri won a Nandi Award for Best Dialogue Writer.
4. Businessman
The action entertainer featuring Prince Mahesh Babu in the lead became an instant hit with the masses, right after his all time record breaking film, Dookudu. Mahesh played the role of an angry young man who comes to Mumbai to ‘rule’ it, and Puri’s punch lines hit it off well with the audience.
3. Badri
‘Badri…Badrinath’ – the fans went hysteric as Power Star Pawan Kalyan made his intro with this line in this gripping entertainer. Badri proved to be one of the most commercial successes for both Pawan Kalyan and Puri, not to forget it that it salvaged the Power Star’s career in a big way.
Pawan met Renu Desai, his wife for the first time on the sets of Badri, after which they had a fairy tale love affair and wedding.
2. Amma Nanna O Tamilammayi
Probably one of the most famous films ever directed by Puri, the film starring Ravi Teja and Asin went on to become a blockbuster hit of 2003. Ravi Teja proved to be one of the top notch actors with his exceptional acting in Puri’s story and direction. Asin, who made her debut in Tollywood with this film, became an instant favorite with Telugu audience with her cute Tamil girl next door look. Her vibes with Ravi Teja were endearing on screen.
The film is well remembered even today for its funny dialogues, melodious songs and punch lines delivered by Ravi Teja. Puri Jagannadh won a Nandi Award for Best Dialogue Writer for the film in 2003.
1. Pokiri
Pokiri will be the best of Puri’s career so far. A mind blowing tale of a young man who is an undercover cop fighting with land mafia nexus being a part of them – this whole action drama was exceptionally written, told and directed by Puri Jagannadh. Mahesh’s role as a gangster cum cop amazed both the critics and fans alike, and perhaps he shone in the role to the hilt for the very first time.The movie was a game changer as well as a landmark in Mahesh Babu’s life, proving to be one of his biggest hits way before Dookudu happened.
After Pokiri, life was never the same for Prince Mahesh as he had to constantly strive to surpass the ‘Pokiri’ image quotient with his future films.
Puri won three prestigious awards for Pokiri – Best Director Filmfare, Best Director Santhosham Awards and Nandi Award for Best Popular Feature Film in 2006.
