General · EdgepediaOctober 3, 20264 min read

Bobbili Puli (బొబ్బిలి పులి)

Bobbili Puli (బొబ్బిలి పులి; translated as Tiger of Bobbili) is a 1982 Indian Telugu-language patriotic action drama film written, directed, and photographed in story, dialogue, and screenplay form by Dasari Narayana Rao, starring N. T. Rama Rao as Major Chakradhar, a decorated army officer who returns home to find society corrupt and takes justice into his own hands.¹^•²^•³ The film was released on 9 July 1982 and is regarded as one of the defining vigilante films of Telugu cinema.¹^•⁴

Key fact	Detail
Release	9 July 1982 (India, theatrical, certified U); Digit Binge lists 8 July 1982¹^•⁵
Director and writer	Dasari Narayana Rao, who wrote the story, screenplay, and dialogue²
Producer and studio	Vadde Ramesh, Vijaya Madhavi Combines¹
Lead role	N. T. Rama Rao as Major Chakradhar; Sridevi as Vijaya and Jayachitra as Jyothi in other lead roles⁶
Music	J. V. Raghavulu; the Deccan Herald retro review also credits K Chakravarthy⁷
Runtime	150 minutes¹^•⁵
Commercial standing	Reported as the highest grossing Telugu film of 1982 and the third highest grossing Telugu film at the time of its release⁴

Spoilers

Story and characters

The film follows Major Chakradhar, a much decorated army officer who returns to his home place to find society in disarray and tries to repair it in his own way, becoming a vigilante; his efforts ultimately put his life in danger, and the story ends with him being hanged.¹^•⁶ A scholarly account by the film scholar Srinivas, cited in Indian Cinema in the Time of Celluloid, describes the plot's central conflict: Chakradhar's biological father (played by Kaikala Satyanarayana) is an army deserter and a spy, and the murderer of Chakradhar's mother.³

The cast also includes Sridevi, Jayachitra, Kongara Jaggaiah (as Gopinath), Rao Gopal Rao (as Bhanoji Rao), Murali Mohan, Prabhakar Reddy, Prasad Babu, and the comedian Allu Ramalingaiah in lighter sequences.²^•⁴^•⁷

Production and music

Dasari Narayana Rao handled the story, dialogue, screenplay, and direction, with Vadde Ramesh producing under the Vijaya Madhavi Combines banner, presented by Vadde Sobhanadri.²^•⁸ J. V. Raghavulu composed the music. The songs include "Janani Janmabhoomisicha", "Sambhavam", "Thella Thella Cheeralu", "O Subba Rao", and "Adi Okkato Number Bus"; the NTV retrospective attributes most of the lyrics to Dasari himself, with "Yeddemante Teddemante" and "Adi Okkato Number Bus" written by Veturi.⁵^•⁸ According to the same retrospective, the soundtrack sold at record levels before the film's release.⁸ The "O Subba Rao" item song featured Vijayalalita, Jyothilakshmi, Jayamalini, and Subhashini dancing.⁸

Reception and legacy

The film was a major commercial success: Moviebuff records it as the highest grossing Telugu film of 1982 and the third highest grossing Telugu film at the time of its release.⁴ A retrospective review in the Deccan Herald in 2020 called it a "classic actioner" and argued that Sr NTR "might have been the original 'mass hero' of Telugu cinema", praising his performance as that of the "undisputed 'Mahanayakudu'" even at nearly 60 years of age, and singling out the courtroom scene near the end as the film's biggest attraction.⁷ A popular Letterboxd review states that the climax court scene "is still iconic even after generations".¹

The film's political context is part of its reading in film scholarship. N. T. Rama Rao founded the Telugu Desam Party on 29 March 1982, the year the film released, and scholars have read Bobbili Puli as reintroducing NTR to the center of the Telugu industry through a "new model of stardom" built on vigilante characters facing a corrupt society.⁸^•⁹ The title itself draws on Bobbili, a place identified in the popular imagination with pre-colonial authority and aristocratic patriots, whose legends had been subjects of popular films since the 1940s.³

The film remains available on streaming platforms including Eros Now, SUN Nxt, Airtel Xstream, Jio Cinema, and OTT Play.⁵^•¹⁰ In 2009, Filmibeat reported that Jr NTR was planning a remake of his grandfather's film, to be directed by Dasari Narayana Rao himself.¹¹

References

Topic: Encyclopedia › Arts and culture › Screen and stage › Film and television › Films and standalone screen works › Individual films by title and year › Indian films (individual works) › Telugu films before 2000

Initially written Oct 3, 2026 · Reviewed: Oct 25, 2026 · Edited: Oct 15, 2026; Oct 25, 2026; Nov 1, 2026 · Last review: Oct 25, 2026

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