Actor Ram Charan on Monday said his upcoming film Peddi follows the path laid down by successful Bollywood sports dramas Sultan and Dangal, crediting actors Salman Khan and Aamir Khan for paving the way for such films.
Speaking at the trailer launch of Peddi in Mumbai, Ram Charan said, “Thanks to Salman sir and Aamir sir for paving the path for such films with Sultan and Dangal. It gave us so much confidence. Thank you, thanks to both of you for starting this journey, and we believe that this kind of film has worked in the past. And obviously, we followed the same route”.
“This is about a man's search for his identity. So, everybody, we all need some kind of identity to live and get through the day. And this is about Peddi, who's finding his identity...he goes through an identity crisis before finding it for a larger cause. What leads him to become a crossover athlete and do what he does... It is organic; at the same time, it's highly commercial,” he added.
Directed by Buchi Babu Sana, the Telugu-language film also stars Janhvi Kapoor, Boman Irani and Divyenndu in key roles. The film is scheduled to release in theatres on June 4.
Released in 2016, Dangal remains India’s highest-grossing film, earning over Rs 2,000 crore worldwide, driven largely by its performance in China. Sultan, released the same year, collected Rs 623 crore worldwide.
Both films featured Salman Khan and Aamir Khan as wrestlers. Sultan told the story of a wrestler attempting a comeback as an MMA fighter in his 40s, while Dangal chronicled the real-life journey of the Phogat sisters and their father-coach Mahabir Phogat, played by Aamir Khan.