Early in 2020, Pawan Kalyan announced that he will be a part of Hari Hara Veera Mallu (HHVM), a two-part historical epic set during the Mughal era. The movie is all set to hit the screens on July 24 after a wait of four and a half years. Take a look at what specifically went wrong?
Two lockdowns and two COVID waves
Only a few weeks prior to India's first lockdown, principal photography got underway. During the Delta surge, film sets were disassembled, rebuilt, and then shut down again, adding nearly a year to the calendar and driving up the price of period sets and costumes.
A creative shake-up in the middle
Following "creative disturbance" over tone and scale, Jyothi Krisna joined director Krish Jagarlamudi. A number of previously shot sequences had to be re-mounted due to new stunt choreography and schedule blocks.
The political rise of Pawan Kalyan
The actor's diary tightened after he was appointed the head of the Jana Sena Party and, this spring, the Deputy Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. He openly acknowledged that he had given the production just 57 days in a row, in the sweltering May heat, to complete a 20-minute climax that he had personally created. His call-sheet had gaps that caused patch-work scenes and dubbing to stall.
The episode of Bobby Deol’s beard
After filming important scenes as Aurangzeb, Bobby Deol shaved for a Hindi movie. Producer A. M. Rathnam revealed the team had to wait nearly a month for him to regrow his trademark Mughal‑style beard, freezing an entire outdoor unit.
Unpaid invoices and the backlog of VFX
Large-scale battles, eagle motifs, and the siege of the palace all heavily rely on computer-generated imagery. When payments were delayed, several studios, including some located abroad, reportedly stopped working, which resulted in a series of delays in edit locks, sound mix, and colour grading.
After previous failures, cash flow is tight.
Rathnam wanted to use early theatrical advances to offset cost overruns, but distributors, still stingy from unpaid debts from his previous films, held back. The post-production of the film slowed down even more in the absence of that liquidity.
A penalty-filled Amazon deal that is about to expire
Digital partner Amazon Prime Video has already allowed multiple shifts and set June 12, 2025, as the "last permissible" date. If it is missed, the team will be forced to renegotiate at a lower valuation or race against time due to a Rs 20 cr clawback clause.
Ripple effect on the industry
Every delay causes Telugu release calendars to be rearranged; medium-budget films lose slots, advertising expenditures are squandered, and single screens are reluctant to reserve dates.
Press conference on damage control
Initially expected to skip promotions, Pawan Kalyan, who is now the Deputy Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, shocked everyone by showing up for the first press conference.
Also read: Pawan Kalyan on promoting Hari Hara Veera Mallu after years: It’s not arrogance
He acknowledged fan scepticism and praised Rathnam "for steering the ship through turmoil" by saying, "I'm here to confirm I'm with this film."
Current situation
Within the unit, there is talk that VFX payments are being cleared in instalments, with a July censor target and a late-June mix being discussed. If that fails, HHVM might look for a holiday window, but every additional week adds to the company's already soaring budget, which is reportedly approaching Rs 300 crore.
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