Chaos in Theatres as Khaleja re-release leaves out key scenes, fans demand answers

But as soon as fans realised that the re-released print lacked a few scenes from the original, the celebration swiftly soured.

Mahesh Babu’s cult classic Khaleja made its return to the big screen with a 4K re-release on May 30, preceded by special premiere shows in select theatres a day earlier. The re-release generated immense excitement among fans, many of whom thronged cinema halls to relive the beloved film on the silver screen.

But as soon as fans realised that the re-released print lacked a few scenes from the original, the celebration swiftly soured. This shocking revelation caused a great deal of dismay and confusion, as images and videos of angry fans yelling at theatre employees to explain why the movie didn't seem to be finished went viral.

Many viewers added to the commotion by expressing their ire and demanding answers from the film's crew about the changed version on the social media site X (formerly Twitter).

One user commented, "Sunday Monday song ledu. Nalo naku devudu kanipisthunnadu scene ledu. Evadu kodite dhimma thirigi dialogue ledu. Chesthe comedy nene cheyali scene ledu.. inka em chesukodaniki ee re release. Worst planning ra @KhalejaTheFilm #Khaleja4K. Anduke ee gola theatre lopala. (Songs, scenes and dialogues are missing from the film, what are we supposed to do with this re-release? That’s why fans are creating a ruckus).” Another user wrote, "Ee Title card attach chesaru anta ga (They say this title card has been attached.)"

Anther comment read, "Orey song cut chesaru ani chepali kadha raa mundhey fans tho aatalu adadhu @KhalejaTheFilm direct adham pagal d*****u manolu cinema api d*****u, Sunday monday song ledhu movie lo. (Don’t you need to tell fans beforehand if you’re cutting out footage? Fans broke glass here and stopped the film from playing. Sunday Monday song is missing).”

Even though it received good reviews, Mahesh Babu's 2010 film Khaleja, which also starred Anushka Shetty, Prakash Raj, Rao Ramesh, Shafi, Sunil, Ali, and Subbaraju, might not have been a box office hit when it first came out.

But as time went on, the movie became a cult favourite and is now considered by many to be among the best Telugu films ever produced.