Ram Charan and Janhvi Kapoor’s ‘Peddi’ reached theatres on June 4 and the sports drama generated strong attention before release. Ahead of the film’s arrival, filmmaker Buchi Babu Sana and music composer AR Rahman sat down for a promotional conversation.During the interaction, Rahman spoke openly about his first reaction to Ram Charan’s role in the film. The composer revealed that he had questions about how certain scenes would be handled. However, his opinion changed after watching the performance unfold on screen.According to Rahman, Ram Charan managed to bring life to a fictional character in a convincing way.”The way Ram Charan completely became the character was remarkable. Making a fictional role feel so genuine in emotion and essence was truly impressive to me.”
The kissing scene also left Rahman surprised
Rahman explained that a few scenes made him curious. He wondered whether the emotions and intensity would appear naturally on screen. However, the actor eventually impressed him with the execution.The composer specifically highlighted moments where Ram Charan had to display emotional depth. He also mentioned that even a romantic sequence stood out to him.“While watching some scenes, I wondered how he would pull them off and connect with those emotions. But he handled everything very naturally. Even the kissing sequence felt effortless. It looked like he truly lived the character, and his hard work was visible in every frame,” said Rahman.
Rahman speaks about ‘Peddi’s central theme
Apart from the performance, Rahman also discussed the film’s core idea. He described ‘Peddi’ as a story that focuses on human strength and mental belief.The film follows a character who takes on multiple sports. Ram Charan’s role includes cricket, wrestling and sprinting. Rahman said the film explores how people often place restrictions on themselves.“It reflects the strength of the human spirit. Our minds often decide our limits. If you believe you can only lift 10 kg, that becomes your boundary. But if you believe you can lift 100 kg your possibilities expand.”He also added, “In sports and music, people often decide their own limits. When boundaries are created in the mind, they shape what can be achieved. A character like Peddi breaks those barriers. He excels across cricket, kushti and other sports, showing how much a person can accomplish when there are no mental walls.”
Buchi Babu Sana compared to Shankar
During the discussion, Rahman also drew similarities between Buchi Babu Sana’s filmmaking style and director Shankar’s work from the 1990s. He felt both creators balanced meaningful ideas with commercial storytelling.“Actually, I saw parallels between (you and) Shankar garu. Shankar garu, for Gentleman, there’s a theme and intention for the hero, but the film is also commercial. This is different because it’s about sports,” he said.He then continued with another comparison, “Back in the 1990s, Shankar created films like Indian alongside Gentleman. While watching this, I felt a similar connection. This film explores sports while also carrying a meaningful purpose. It shows a character striving for something greater, even if it is for a small cause connected to humanity or his village. That feeling reminded me of what I experienced while watching Indian, Gentleman and Mudhalvan.“
‘Peddi’ falls short of ‘Game Changer’ in advance sales
‘Peddi’ managed to record strong pre-release business across India. Trade reports suggested that the film earned around Rs 20.1 crore through advance bookings. Nearly 7.9 lakh tickets were sold before release.Despite the encouraging response, the film could not overtake Ram Charan’s previous release ‘Game Changer’ in advance sales. The earlier film reportedly collected Rs 26.8 crore before release and sold around 9.3 lakh tickets.
