“Mallee repeat ayindo emi chesthano naake telidu…”
“Em cheyyalo decide chesko. Endukante malli ide repeat avuddi”
This is the introduction to ‘Puri’ mark ‘heroism’ to Telugu Cinema audience. Telugu Cinema heroes used to have certain set of qualities irrespective of the characters they portray. Puri Jagannadh redefined our ‘Mass Hero’ by breaking the stereotypes. His hero says “Nenentha Edavano Naake Telidu” and fans go frenzy in the theaters. “Naa Peru Sivamani, Nakkonchem Mental” also is an iconic dialogue that defines Puri’s hero.
Youngsters are generally arrogant and brash and Puri taps that side of humans and attributes those qualities to his heroes. That is what made Puri’s heroes special and unique. Directors try to copy Puri’s style in terms of hero characterizations, but Puri is unique and always comes up with even wackier characters that strike a chord with the youth and masses. There were numerous times when people had written off Puri Jagannadh, but he has bounced back every time with vengeance.
It has been 20 years since Puri’s first hero Badri made his appearance on screen. Even after two decades, Puri’s hero is still having the same impact on the moviegoers. You may not always like the way Puri’s hero behaves and talks, but you cannot ignore him. iSmart Shankar may not get the same reaction from everyone, but even that character has a unique charm that creates an impact.
“Cinema hit ayina flop ayina inko cinema tiyyali. Manaki cinema tappa emi telidu. Deeniki tappa manam deniki panikiramu. Manaki telisindokkate… cinema, cinema, cinema!” says Ravikumar (Raviteja) in Neninthe. This is what Puri Jagannadh believes and applies to his life. He has given a series of hits and suffered a streak of flops. But he has never stopped making films. He faced many ups and lows in his life but has never given up. He is still trying to challenge himself and aiming at bigger goals. His upcoming film Fighter with Vijay Deverakonda is targeting Pan-India market.
Twenty years after making debut, Puri Jagannadh is still one of the most charismatic directors in Telugu Cinema industry and even twenty years later he will remain as one of the most influential and powerful directors in Telugu Cinema’s history. We wish Puri Jagannadh finds his mojo back and bring those iconic Idiots and Pokiris back on screen very soon.
