Pawan Kalyan on Rare Promotional Outing For 'Hari Hara Veera Mallu': 'This Was My Responsibility'

Actor-politician Pawan Kalyan, who serves as the Deputy Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, made a rare appearance ahead of the July 24 release of his long-delayed film Hari Hara Veera Mallu: Part 1 – Sword vs Spirit. 

Known for staying away from film promotions, Kalyan admitted, “I only know how to work. 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 can never help a bad film.”

His decision to show up this time, he made clear, wasn’t about selling a movie; it was about standing by the people who made it. His presence at the press meet, he stated, was an exception for producer AM Rathnam. “This press meet is for AM Rathnam garu. I’m here because of him,” he stated. The duo last collaborated over two decades ago on the blockbuster Kushi (2001), a film that marked a major turning point in Kalyan’s career and cemented their creative rapport.

Hari Hara Veera Mallu: Part 1 – Sword vs Spirit, a period action drama set during Aurangzeb’s rule over the Golconda Sultanate, has endured nearly five years of production challenges, director changes, and pandemic delays.

“It wasn’t smooth. There were financial and creative hurdles,” Kalyan shared. “I couldn’t always be there due to politics, but I gave what I could, shooting the 20-minute climax for 57 days in the peak summer.” He added, “All the martial arts training I had done years ago came in handy.”

The team eventually decided to split the story into two parts. The high-octane climax of Part One will serve as a segue into the second instalment. While director Krish Jagarlamudi originally helmed the project, it was later completed by MM Jyothi Krishna. Kalyan thanked Krish for laying the foundation and praised the entire team, from composer MM Keeravani to cinematographer Manoj Paramahamsa. He also applauded Bobby Deol as the perfect Aurangzeb and said, “Nidhhi Agerwal has been single-handedly promoting this film. Seeing that made me feel genuinely embarrassed. As the lead actor, it was my responsibility too.”

Beyond film talk, Kalyan offered a rare moment of introspection on the industry and what cinema means to him. “Whether you’re Chiranjeevi’s son or brother or anyone else, without talent, you can’t survive in cinema,” he said, addressing the limitations of family legacy. Emphasising cinema’s power to transcend social divides, he stated, “We fight over caste, religion, region, and language. But cinema doesn’t discriminate. In films, there’s no room for such biases.” He continued, “It does not matter who you are and whether you hail from a film family. Creativity and talent matter.”

Calling himself an “accidental actor,” Kalyan reiterated his commitment to the medium that gave him a platform in the first place. “Cinema gave me food, made me what I am. So I am here to state that I have not abandoned my film.”