Before Vijay Deverakonda’s Liger, five Puri Jagannadh movies you should watch

Here are top five defining films from Puri Jagannadh’s filmography, you should watch before Liger:

Appu

It’s one of the landmark films in Kannada cinema. It was Puri’s first film in Kannada and marked the screen debut of late movie icon Puneeth Rajkumar as an adult. The movie was a smash hit at the box office and catapulted Puneeth’s stardom to a whole new level overnight. Appu oozes the youthful exuberance and hubris of modern youngsters, who don’t like to play by the rules set by the old-timers. The film tells the story of Appu, a go-getter, who takes on a powerful cop, who’s drunk on power, for the sake of his lady love.

Amma Nanna O Tamila Ammayi

Puri Jagannadh was always fascinated by the crackling background that martial arts could provide for drama. As the title suggests, Amma Nanna O Tamila Ammayi tells us about the hero’s mother, father and Tamil girlfriend. The film was instrumental in cementing Ravi Teja’s stardom. The movie’s main drama stems from the never-ending bouts of quick wits between a father and son, who were separated and later united by their undying love for kickboxing.

Pokiri

A cop on an undercover mission is not unheard of on the Indian celluloid. But, the way Puri had designed this whole no-holds-barred ego quest of an undercover cop, who’s extremely good at killing bad people, made Pokiri one of the best commercial entertainers of the 2000s in Telugu cinema. The film tells the story of gangster Pandu, who plays by his own rules in Hyderabad’s underbelly. It was instrumental in helping Mahesh Babu achieve superstardom. And the film inspired remakes in all major Indian languages, including Wanted (2009), which kind of revived Salman Khan’s acting career.

Desamuduru

If you are one of those who have just discovered Allu Arjun with Pushpa: The Rise, then you might just like Desamuduru. It’s an entertaining no-brainer, with nearly 3 hours of the hero and the villain trying to outshout each other. But, make no mistake it’s a lot of fun and it may even help you understand the appeal Allu Arjun has over his fans. The film tells the story of Bala Govind, an ambitious and super confident television journalist, who rubs some powerful men in the wrong way. What follows next is an unapologetic flow of superlative dialogues and over-the-top action sequences whipped up in full youthful vigour for our enjoyment.

Golimaar

This film of Puri Jagannadh doesn’t get much attention as, say, Pokiri or Temper. But, it should, for it provides an exhilarating ride as a cop goes on a rampage to take down an international network of criminals. The hero in the movie doesn’t hold a high rank in the police department. Gangaram is just a sub-inspector with the state police. But, all hell breaks loose when he’s given a free hand and pocket full of bullets to rid the country of criminals. And what happens when Gangaram turns rogue and takes on the very system that created him?