Power Star Pawan Kalyan’s much-anticipated first pan-Indian venture, Hari Hara Veera Mallu: Part 1 – Sword vs Spirit, failed to strike a chord with critics and audiences during its theatrical run. The film, initially directed by Krishna Jagarlamudi and later completed by AM Jyothi Krishna, faced setbacks in both execution and reception, despite being mounted as a grand historical spectacle.
Now, Amazon Prime Video has given the movie a fresh lease of life by streaming it in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam, and Hindi, just four weeks after its theatrical release. The unusually short gap between cinema and OTT release suggests an attempt to capitalize on home-viewing audiences without delay.
What makes this OTT debut more intriguing is the altered version of the film. In response to heavy criticism, the makers have trimmed nearly 15 minutes from the original cut to streamline the narrative. Several sequences, particularly the much-ridiculed horse-riding and arrow-aiming VFX shots, have been reworked for a smoother visual experience. The team had already rolled out new prints in theaters with toned-down effects, but the OTT version takes it a step further.
The biggest surprise, however, lies in the climax. The theatrical release originally ended with Bobby Deol declaring, “Aandhi Vachesindhi,” setting the stage for a dramatic cyclone confrontation. That sequence has now been completely removed from the OTT cut. Instead, the film wraps up immediately after the energetic Asura Hananam song, followed by the announcement for Part 2. This means there is no interaction between Pawan Kalyan and Bobby Deol, nor the much-talked-about cyclone fight.
With this revision, Hari Hara Veera Mallu has now had three different endings across its production journey, making its OTT cut the latest in a long line of changes. The current runtime stands at 2 hours and 33 minutes, designed to provide a more cohesive and less controversial experience for streaming audiences.
The film also features Nidhhi Agerwal as the female lead, alongside Sunil, Raghu Babu, Sachin Khedekar, Vennela Kishore, Kabir Duhan Singh, and the late Kota Srinivasa Rao in his final appearance. Backed by producer A Dayakar Rao under the presentation of AM Rathnam, the movie’s music is composed by Oscar-winner MM Keeravaani.
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