Varun Tej’s upcoming boxing drama Ghani is hitting the screens on April 8. Directed by debutant Kiran Korrapati, the film has Varun in the titular role of that of a professional boxer. The film marks the debut of Allu Arjun’s eldest brother and Allu Aravind’s son Venkatesh (Bobby) and Siddhu Muddha as the producers.
“We finalised the script four years ago. There were hardly any sports films being made in Telugu. Ghani tells the story of a professional boxer, who has to overcome professional and personal hurdles to become a champion boxer. The turmoil Varun’s character goes through in the process stands out,” says Bobby.
The debutant producer is confident that Ghani will become a successful project. “Our film is arriving in theatres two weeks after RRR. We believe that all the movie buffs would have watched RRR by now and are waiting for a new release. The story of Ghani portrays universal emotions, including mother-son conflict, rise and fall of a boxer and his struggle to attain success,” he adds.
Varun underwent physical transformation. Siddhu says, “Varun has put his heart and soul for the film. He showed no signs of inhibitions over the last four years and travelled with the character. He went to the US and trained under the 2008 Summer Olympics bronze medalist Tony Jeffries. We also roped in Neeraj Goyat, the WBC Asia Honorary Boxer 2017 as his personal trainer and Hollywood stuntman Larnell Stovall to choreograph the action sequences. It also has Upendra and Suniel Shetty in prominent roles.
“Upendra, too, plays a substantial role. Their characters are connected to the story in a strong manner. Keeping in view Upendra’s popularity, we are planning to dub Ghani in Kannada and release it with the Telugu version,” says Siddhu.