Puri Jagannadh is going through one of the most difficult phases of his career, with back-to-back setbacks in the form of Liger and Double iSmart. The filmmaker is now working on SlumDog: 33 Temple Road, starring Vijay Sethupathi, Tabu and Samyuktha. Despite the impressive cast and the film’s intriguing premise, reports suggest that its OTT business has been a hurdle, with streaming platforms reportedly not meeting the makers’ asking price. The film has completed production and is planned as a pan-Indian release, although its release date has not been officially confirmed by the makers.
Chaitanya Reddy’s Allegations Against Puri
The latest controversy concerns producer Chaitanya Reddy, who has made serious allegations regarding Prime Show Entertainment’s distribution deal for Double iSmart. According to Reddy, her company had paid around ₹25 crore initially for the rights and had an exit clause that would have limited the loss to roughly ₹4–5 crore if they backed out. She claims that despite warnings from people around her, she was persuaded to continue with the deal, alleging that Charmme Kaur told her that “death was the only option” if they walked away. Reddy further alleged that Prime Show ultimately suffered losses of more than ₹40 crore and later faced difficulties while trying to recover the money. These are Reddy’s allegations, and a response from Puri Jagannadh and Charmme Kaur would be necessary before treating them as established facts.
All Eyes On SlumDog
Puri Jagannadh remains one of the most influential filmmakers in Telugu cinema, with films such as Badri, Idiot, Pokiri, Businessman and Temper leaving a lasting impact on the industry. We really hope he makes a strong comeback with SlumDog: 33 Temple Road. The action drama features Vijay Sethupathi as a mysterious visually impaired beggar, with Tabu playing an Income Tax officer and Samyuktha as the female lead. The makers have announced plans for a release in Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, Kannada and Malayalam, but no official theatrical release date has been announced yet; some third-party listings currently mention October 16, though that date should not be treated as confirmed.
