'Pelli Sandadi', the 1996 movie that starred Srikanth, Ravali and Deepti Bhatnagar, was directed by K Raghavendra Rao. With playful and jaunty music by MM Keeravani, it was a runaway blockbuster.
The family entertainer was jointly produced by the Aswini Dutt-Allu Aravind duo. The two producers formalized the project after a chance discussion with KRR. They just requested him to do a film for them and KRR said, 'Bingo!'.
'Pelli Sandadi' was made on a budget of just Rs 1.20 Cr. It went on to collect Rs 11.30 Cr. The movie's staggering success was a huge blessing for both Vyjayanthi Movies and Geetha Arts. In a way, such a massive success might have helped Dutt pursue other business interests, including real estate. And returns from such businesses may have helped him finance a mega-budgeted film like 'Kalki 2898 AD'.
'Pelli SandaD', which was released in 2021, was originally planned as a spiritual sequel to that movie. However, that was not to be.
'Pelli Sandadi' and 'Kalki 2898 AD' have a connection somewhere, though.
