Director Gopichand Malineni has revealed that Sunny Deol wasn't the original choice for his Bollywood debut, "Jaat." In a recent interview, he disclosed that the project was initially offered to Telugu superstar Nandamuri Balakrishna.
Speaking to TeluguOne, Malineni confirmed that the concept for "Jaat" was among several stories he presented to Balakrishna. When asked about potential collaborations after their successful film "Veera Simha Reddy," Malineni shared that "Yes, it’s a different story. Actually, the first story I thought of is now Jaat."
He explained that after Balakrishna's hit film "Akhanda," the actor felt a faction-based film, reminiscent of his earlier successes like "Samarasimha Reddy" and "Narasimha Naidu," would better meet audience expectations. "I had two to three stories actually for Balayya babu. After Akhanda, people had high expectations of him. And, of course, he knew that. I initially pitched him an idea, and he liked it. But after Akhanda was released, he thought it would be better if we did a faction film. I am a huge fan of Samarasimha Reddy and Narasimha Naidu, so we made Veera Simha Reddy." he stated.
Ultimately, Malineni proceeded with "Jaat" using Sunny Deol. He expressed satisfaction with the film's reception in North India, noting the audience's enthusiastic response to the title song during the end credits. He attributed the film's success to its "south-style film" approach with a Northern hero.
"Jaat," featuring Randeep Hooda and Regina Cassandra alongside Sunny Deol, portrays the story of a mysterious individual who intervenes to aid a village suffering under oppression.4 Since its April 10th release, the film has reportedly grossed over ₹85.65 crore net in India and ₹115.10 crore worldwide.
