Real Story Behind Why Pawan Kalyan Gifted OG Director A Land Rover Defender
It isn’t rare to see actors celebrating the success of a movie by gifting its director and other key technicians cars and SUVs. Telugu superstar Pawan Kalyan, who is now basking in the success of his latest release ‘They Call Him OG’, recently made headlines by gifting the director a Land Rover Defender 110 SUV. Hours after pictures of the same surfaced, sources leaked the real story behind the gift. Turns out this gift has more layers of meaning to it. Director Sujeeth had to sell his Defender to fund the schedule of the movie in Japan. Pawan Kalyan recognised this dedication by gifting him a brand-new one.
Released on September 25, 'They Call Him OG' became a fairly big success. Its theatrical run ended with a worldwide gross collection of Rs 290-300 crores. Pawan Kalyan, who is also the Deputy Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, played the lead character in it.
They Call Him OG’s director, Sujeeth, recently shared a set of images on his Instagram handle. It showed him standing near the brand-new Defender 110 along with Pawan Kalyan, and also checking out its interior. In the description of the post, he thanked the actor for his kind gesture. Sujeeth did not, however, describe the story behind the gift then.
The pictures went viral. Soon, fresh details surfaced, revealing the real story behind the gift. ‘They Call Him OG’, in fact, had a huge production budget. It was produced by DVV Entertainment, owned by DVV Danayya and Kalyan Dasari.
Some (crucial) sequences in the movie had to be shot in Japan. These were planned for the fag end of the shooting schedule. Citing budget constraints, the production house reportedly denied approval for this overseas schedule. The director, however, was confident in his product and determined not to adulterate its quality. He believed that shooting those scenes in Japan would only make the movie complete and add a layer of finesse to it.
Image for representation only
Sujeeth sold his own Land Rover Defender and used the money to fund the schedule in Japan. Pawan Kalyan came to know of the director’s ‘personal sacrifice’ during the dubbing phase. He was impressed by his dedication, confidence and determination. The actor then decided to honour the responsibility his director had shown towards the movie, with a brand-new Defender, finished in Black. The EMIs of this vehicle will reportedly be paid by Pawan Kalyan himself.
Yes, this sounds interesting and indeed looks like a thoughtful gesture from the Telugu superstar. Sujeeth is delighted about his new Defender. The entire narrative feels too detailed to be dismissed as an internet rumour. The production house, however, hasn’t come up with an official statement or response at the time of writing.
Netizens praised the actor’s thoughtful gesture. Soon, they started trolling the DVV Entertainment for allegedly restricting the movie’s budget. Some comments claim that the production house made ‘huge profits’ but did not approve ample schedule budgets. OG has become Pawan Kalyan’s biggest hit this year, and has made handsome money.
According to a report by Moneycontrol, Pawan Kalyan was paid Rs 100 Crores for working in this movie. The total production cost is said to be around 250 Crores! 290-300 Crore rupees from ticket sales itself means serious money. It remains to be seen how Sujeeth and DVV Entertainments would respond to this online buzz. Official responses are expected in the coming days.