Inside the Delays of Hari Hara Veera Mallu: From COVID to Politics and Beyond(Photo Credit –Facebook)
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Power Star Pawan Kalyan’s Hari Hara Veera Mallu has finally released today, July 24, 2025. This pan-India historical epic features Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister in a never-seen-before avatar. The makers have also promised the movie to give audiences one of the most spectacular cinematic experiences of the year. Do you know Hari Hara Veera Mallu was delayed by five years?
Why was Hari Hara Veera Mallu delayed?
The film was officially announced back in January 2020. They kicked off shooting in Hyderabad around September that year. However, just like a lot of projects during that time, due to COVID, Hari Hara Veera Mallu hit a lot of delays. Moreover, Pawan Kalyan had a busy political schedule. Even director Krish had other commitments that slowed things down.
Hari Hara Veera Mallu Shooting Timeline
Filming for the project began in September 2020, with director Jagarlamudi completing a 15-day schedule before production was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The shooting resumed in January 2021 in Hyderabad. To authentically depict historical settings, elaborate sets replicating Charminar, Red Fort, and Machilipatnam Port were constructed. However, the production faced another setback in April 2021 due to the increase in the number of coronavirus cases.
A major schedule planned for January 2022 was postponed and eventually resumed in April 2022, with Kalyan rejoining the shoot. By September 2022, approximately 60% of the film had been completed.
Filming picked up again in late October 2022. However, further delays occurred due to Kalyan’s political engagements and preparations for the 2024 Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly election.
Following his successful campaign in the 2024 elections, Kalyan resumed shooting in September at a specially constructed set in Vijayawada. The final schedule began on 30 November 2024 in Vijayawada.
Nearly five years after it began, the filming was finally completed by May 2025. On May 29, 2025, Kalyan wrapped up his dubbing in four hours.
Hari Hara Veera Mallu Plot
Set against the backdrop of the 17th-century Mughal Empire, the film is a gripping fictional saga of Veera Mallu, an outlaw who dares to defy imperial rule. Pawan Kalyan plays the titular role, who is a beacon of hope for the oppressed as he confronts the Mughal might with fierce determination and purpose. The film showcases outlaw Veera Mallu and his team, along with the Golconda ministers, are given the task of stealing the Koh-i-Noor diamond from the Mughals.
Riding high on the success of Animal, Bollywood actor Bobby Deol plays the antagonist, portraying Mughal Emperor Aurangzeb. Nidhhi Agerwal is the female lead. The leads are supported by Nargis Fakhri, Nora Fatehi, Anupam Kher, Jisshu Sengupta, M Nassar, Sunil, Raghu Babu, and Subbaraju.
About Hari Hara Veera Mallu
Hari Hara Veera Mallu is produced by legendary filmmaker A.M. Ratnam and A. Dayakar Rao under the banners of Mega Surya Production. Some of the initial portions of the film were directed by Jagarlamudi, while the latter portions were directed by Krishna. Jagarlamudi, however, supervised the direction. The music department has been handled by Academy Award-winning composer M.M. Keeravani, and costumes designed by the Bollywood-acclaimed stylist Neeta Lulla.
