This evening, Hyderabad will drown in ‘Pokiri’ fever

Hyderabad: If you happen to cross a cinema hall today evening and witness a crowd of Mahesh Babu fans dancing and rejoicing, don’t be surprised, for today is the day they have waited for long. Band baaja, huge garlands, pouring milk over the superstar’s life-size portraits, and shouting of slogans are expected in all major […]

Hyderabad: If you happen to cross a cinema hall today evening and witness a crowd of Mahesh Babu fans dancing and rejoicing, don’t be surprised, for today is the day they have waited for long.

Band baaja, huge garlands, pouring milk over the superstar’s life-size portraits, and shouting of slogans are expected in all major theatres in the city today as the cult classic ‘Pokiri’ will be re-released on the star’s 47th birthday.

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His 2003 romantic action entertainer Pokiri, directed by Puri Jagannadh and Ileana D’cruz as the female lead, will be screened in over 175 theatres worldwide. With his die-hard fans pre-booking maximum of the tickets in advance, most cinema halls were declared house full.

As it is a weekday, theatres are running the shows in the evening starting around 6 pm. Shanthi Theatre in Narayanguda, DSL Virtue Mall in Uppal, Sandhya 35mm in RTC X roads, PVR, AMB Cinemas, and other cinema halls in the city, all are booked.

The film saw the actor play an undercover cop, who ends up dismantling a high-profile crime syndicate at a great personal cost. It was a smash hit at the box office and earned around Rs 35-40 crore. It was remade in Hindi by Salman Khan as ‘Wanted’, in Tamil by Prabhu Deva, and in Kannada by M.D. Sridhar.