Puri Jagannadh is an Indian film producer known for his Telugu, Hindi and Kannada films. During his career, he appeared in more than forty films.
Wiki/Biography
Puri Jagannadh was born on Wednesday, 28 September 1966 in Pitapuram, Andhra Pradesh (age 56; as of 2022). He hails from Bapiraju Kothapalli village in Anakapalli district of Andhra Pradesh. He attended St. Teresa’s High School in Bodapally, Pedda. He received his bachelor’s degree from AMAL College, Anakapalli, Andhra Pradesh in 1986.
appearance
Height (approximately): 5′8″
Weight (approximately): 65kg
Hair color: black
Eye color: black
family
He comes from a Hindu family.
Parents and siblings
His father, Mr. Simhachalam, died in 2010. He has two younger brothers, Petla Uma Sankara Ganesh (YSR Congress Party MP) and Sairam Shankar (actor).
wife and children
He married Lavanya on September 6, 1996. The couple has two children, a son named Akash and a daughter named Pavithra. His son Akash is an actor who made his debut in the Telugu film “Mehbooba” in 2018.
Puri Jagannadh with his wife (left) and daughter (right)
Puri Jagannadh and his son Akash Puri
Relationships/Affairs
In an interview, Puri Jagannadh narrated his love story and revealed how he proposed to Lavanya. He said he gave Lavanya his business card when he proposed to her. He also revealed that when they first started dating, he was hesitant to get to know her because he didn’t have much money at the time. Sharing an incident with the media, he revealed that once he took Lavanya to a restaurant and she ordered chicken biryani and he was worried about the bill as he had no money. He also revealed that he did not want to waste his parents’ money on an extravagant marriage, so he simply got married in a temple.
caste
Puri Jagannadh belongs to the Koppula Velama family. Koppula Velama are a Telugu peasant caste in Andhra Pradesh who are classified as Other Backward Classes (OBC) by the Andhra Pradesh government.
Profession
film producer
Puri Jagannadh made his directorial debut in 2000 with the Telugu film Badri. He also wrote the film’s story, script, and dialogue.
Poster of Telugu movie “Badri”
He made his directorial debut in the Kannada film industry in 2001 with Yuvaraja, a remake of the Telugu film Thammudu.
Poster of the movie Yuvaraja
In 2002, he worked as director, story writer and script writer for the Kannada film “Appu”.
Movie “Apu” poster
In the same year, he remade the film in Telugu as Idiot. In 2004, he made his debut in Bollywood with the movie “Shart: The Challenge”, in which he served as director, story writer and script writer. The film is a remake of his directorial debut Badri. In 2011, he directed and wrote the story for the Bollywood film Bbuddah…Hoga Terra Baap starring Amitabh Bachchan, which was later archived in the Academy Library.
Movie “Bbuddah…Hoga Terra Baap” poster
Some other Telugu films for which he has served as director, story writer, script writer, dialogue writer and producer include “Amma Nanna O Tamila Ammayi” (2003), “143” (2004), “Pokiri” (2006), “Heart Attack” (2014), “Mehbooba” (2018), “iSmart Shankar” (2019) and “Liger” (2022). The movie “Liger” was also made in Hindi.
actor
Apart from being a film producer, he has also worked as an actor in several Telugu films. He played a taxi driver in the film “The Merchant” (2012). In 2015, he played a motorcycle rider in the movie “Temper”. In 2022, he played the role of Govardhan in the blockbuster movie “The Godfather”. He also made guest appearances in films including Ye Maaya Chesave (2010), Ism (2016), iSmart Shankar (2019), and Liger (2022).
dispute
Questioned by the Education Department
In November 2022, Congress leader Bakka Judson approached the Enforcement Directorate (ED) against Puri Jagannadh and Charmme Kaur over their investment in the film “Liger” ) file a complaint. According to Baca Judson, the money invested in the film was all shady. The filmmakers were accused by ED of violating FEMA norms after it was discovered that funds invested in the film were first sent to Dubai and later returned as funds for the film.
Makes controversial comments about marriage
In September 2020, Puri Jagannadh made controversial comments on the idea of marriage during his podcast titled ‘Puri Musings’, calling it “outdated”. Talking about marriage on his podcast, Jagannadh said that if someone wants to achieve their big goals in life, then they should not get married. Citing various examples, including that of the Buddha, he said:
Prince Siddhartha became a Buddha only after leaving his wife. If you are motivated at work, don’t get married. ”
Complaints regarding withholding of wages
In 2017, Puri Jagannadh lodged a complaint with the Andhra Pradesh Film Directors Association (APFDA) against producer DVV Danayya, who refused to pay him his remuneration. According to some sources, Danayya is accused of paying Rs 45 crore withheld to Puri Jagannadh.
received death threats
In October 2022, after his big-money movie “Liger” failed, the film’s distributor threatened the film producer to repay the losses he had suffered due to the film’s failure. The distributor also protested in front of Jagannath’s home in Mumbai and issued him death threats, after which the filmmaker sought police protection. Puri Jagannadh claims that he has not deceived anyone except the audience. He also wrote a letter about the film’s failure.
dynamic director #purijagannad He wrote his own voice and clearly mentioned his philosophy of life. ❤️@PuriConnects pic.twitter.com/rYnt7DbjWw
—𝐕𝐚𝐦𝐬𝐢𝐒𝐡𝐞𝐤𝐚𝐫 (@UrsVamsiShekar) October 30, 2022
Awards
- In 2001, he won the Nandi Award for Best Storytelling for the film Itlu Sravani Subramanyam (2001).
- In 2003, he won the Nandi Award for Best Dialogue Screenplay for the Telugu film “Amma Nanna O Tamila Ammayi” (2003).
- In 2006, he won three awards for the film “Pokiri”: Filmfare Award for Best Telugu Director, Santosham Award for Best Director and “Nandi Award for Best Popular Feature Film”.
- In 2008, he won the Nandi Award for Best Dialogue Writer for the Telugu film Neninthe (2008).
- In 2012, he won the Santosham Award for Best Director for the Telugu film “Businessman”. He was also nominated for the Seema Award for Best Telugu Director for this film.
- He received the KVReddy Award from Yuva Kala Vahini for the film “Pokiri”.
Puri Jagannadh wins KV Reddy Award
Facts/Trivia
- His full name is Petla “Puri” Jagannadh.
- After completing his studies, Jagannadh began his career as an assistant director to renowned film producer Ram Gopal Verma in several Telugu films.
- In 2002, he introduced famous actor Puneeth Rajkumar in the film Appu, which proved to be the actor’s breakthrough.
- He also co-owns the production companies Puri Jagannadh Touring Talkies, Vaishno Academy and Puri Connects (with filmmaker and former actor Charmme Kaur).
- He is also the owner of Puri Sangeet Music Company.
- He runs a podcast called “Puri Musings” which he uploads on his YouTube channel.
Categories: Biography
Source: HIS Education