Rs 400 Crore stakes on Pawan Kalyan’s Hari Hara Veera Mallu!

After nearly four years of production delays, Pawan Kalyan’s ambitious period drama “Hari Hara Veera Mallu” is finally set to hit theaters on May 9, 2025. However, the film, which originally started with a budget of Rs 150 crore, has now ballooned to a staggering Rs 400 crore, making it one of the most expensive Telugu films ever made.

The increase in budget is primarily due to extended production timelines, reshoots, and the accrued interest on financial borrowings. With such a massive sum riding on the project, trade analysts, distributors, and exhibitors are closely watching how the film will perform at the box office.

The soaring budget

When producer A. M. Rathnam launched Hari Hara Veera Mallu in 2020, the film was initially planned with a budget of Rs 150 crore. However, a series of setbacks caused significant cost escalations:

COVID-19 Delays: The pandemic forced multiple production halts in 2020 and 2021, leading to financial burdens.

Pawan Kalyan’s Political Commitments: The actor’s increasing focus on his political career with the Jana Sena Party led to frequent schedule changes, stretching the film’s shooting timeline.

Technical Enhancements & Reshoots: The film’s ambitious period setting required heavy VFX work, and several action sequences had to be re-shot and improved to match the grand vision of the makers.

Interest on Borrowings: The delay in production meant that the loans taken for financing the film started accumulating interest, significantly driving up costs.

Can Pawan Kalyan’s stardom recover the costs?

What started as a Rs 150 crore project has now touched Rs 400 crore—a figure that even surpasses RRR’s production budget. This makes the stakes incredibly high for everyone involved.

Given the film’s sky-high budget, industry experts are carefully evaluating whether Hari Hara Veera Mallu can recover its investment.

Theatrical Rights: The Telugu, Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam theatrical rights are expected to fetch Rs 250 crore collectively, but it remains to be seen if the film can live up to the expectations at the box office.

OTT & Satellite Deals: Digital and television rights will be crucial in recouping the investment. Reports suggest that streaming giants like Netflix and Amazon Prime are in discussions, with the OTT rights potentially fetching Rs 100-120 crore.

Box Office Expectations: For the film to break even, it would need to collect at least Rs 500 crore worldwide—a monumental challenge for any regional film, even with Pawan Kalyan’s star power.

Distributors and trade analysts are monitoring pre-release business closely, as the film’s fate will determine how future high-budget Telugu films are planned and financed.

Directed by Krish Jagarlamudi first and then Jothi Krishna, Hari Hara Veera Mallu is set in the 17th century during the Mughal era. Pawan Kalyan plays the titular role of Veera Mallu, a legendary outlaw who takes on the Mughal empire.

The film boasts a strong cast, including Bobby Deol as Emperor Aurangzeb, marking his Telugu debut; Nidhhi Agerwal as the female lead; and Arjun Rampal playing a significant role.

The film promises grand action sequences, period drama elements, and a powerful political subtext, which could work in its favor at the box office.

 As the release date approaches, everyone from producers to exhibitors to fans is anxiously waiting to see if Hari Hara Veera Mallu can justify its Rs 400 crore budget. If the film opens strong at the box office, it could become one of the biggest success stories in Telugu cinema.

If it underperforms, it could lead to huge financial losses for distributors, setting a cautionary tale for future high-budget productions.

With Pawan Kalyan’s immense fan following, the film is expected to take a massive opening, but whether it sustains its run will depend on word of mouth and critical reception.

The Telugu film industry is currently anticipating the outcome of one of the biggest gambles in Tollywood history on May 9.