Gopichand Malineni reveals he initially planned Sunny Deol's 'Jaat' with Nandamuri Balakrishna: "People had high expectations of him"

Director Gopichand Malineni, known for his work in Tollywood, recently made his Bollywood debut with Jaat, featuring Bollywood star Sunny Deol in the lead role. The film, which hit theatres on April 10, has now crossed more than Rs 80 crore in India.

Malineni has now revealed that the movie was initially planned with Nandamuri Balakrishna, not Sunny Deol.
In an interview with TeluguOne, the filmmaker shared that the original concept for Jaat was first pitched to Telugu actor Nandamuri Balakrishna.

Video
Gopichand about Nandamuri

Gopichand had collaborated with Nandamuri in the 2023 hit film 'Veera Simha Reddy'. When asked about their plans to collaborate once again, he said, “Yes, it’s a different story. Actually, the first story I thought of is now Jaat.”

“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’m a huge fan of Samarasimha Reddy and Narasimha Naidu, so we made Veera Simha Reddy,” he added.

About Jaat's success

Nevertheless, Malineni is satisfied with how Jaat was ultimately received in Hindi-speaking regions. He mentioned visiting cinemas and witnessing audiences dancing to the film’s title track during the end credits. Gopichand attributed the success to the fusion of a southern cinematic style with a northern star, noting that it resonated well with the audience.

Randeep Hooda and Regina Cassandra also played key roles in Jaat. According to Sacnilk, the movie earned Rs 115.10 crore globally.