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Ram Charan says Salman Khan, Aamir Khan gave blueprint for Peddi with Dangal and Sultan: ‘We followed the same route’

Actor Ram Charan credited superstars Salman Khan and Aamir Khan for paving the way for Peddi with films like Sultan and Dangal.

May 19, 2026, 08:37:04 IST
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Actor Ram Charan has said that his new film, Peddi, follows in the footsteps of successful Bollywood sports dramas like Sultan and Dangal, crediting their lead stars, Salman Khan and Aamir Khan, for paving the way for him.

Ram Charan has said Dangal and Sultan were the blueprint for his film Peddi.
Ram Charan has said Dangal and Sultan were the blueprint for his film Peddi.

Ram Charan thanks Salman Khan, Aamir Khan

Ram attended the trailer launch of Peddi in Mumbai on Monday, where he spoke about the Film and the influence of Bollywood hits on its journey. "First of all, thanks to Salman sir and Aamir sir for giving us a paving the path for such films with Sultan and Dangal. It gave us so much confidence. Thank you, thanks to both of you for starting this journey, and we believe that this kind of film has worked in the past. And obviously, we followed the same route," he said.

About Dangal and Sultan

Dangal, released in 2016, remains India's highest-grossing film. It earned 387 crore net (over 450 crore gross) in India, a record at the time. But its windfall earnings came from China, which catapulted it past the 2000-crore mark. Sultan, released earlier in the same year, was also an all-time blockbuster, grossing over 300 crore in India and 623 crore worldwide.

Both films starred the two Khans as wrestlers. Sultan was a fictional tale about the eponymous wrestler, finding a second lease of life in his 40s as an MMA fighter. Dangal, on the other hand, told the true story of the rise of the Phogat sisters, the first women to win international medals for India in wrestling. Aamir played their father and coach, Mahabir Phogat.

Ram Charan on Peddi

The actor also opened up about the demanding process of making Peddi', revealing that he has been deeply involved with the project. He also acknowledged director Buchi Babu Sana for his long commitment to the film.

He added, “This is about a man's search for his identity. So, everybody, we all need some kind of identity to live and get through the day. And this is about Peddi, who's finding his identity...he goes through an identity crisis before finding it for a larger cause. What leads him to become a crossover athlete and do what he does... It is organic; at the same time, it's highly commercial.”

Directed by Buchi Babu Sena, the Telugu film also stars Janhvi Kapoor, Boman Irani and Divyenndu in the prominent roles. The film is slated to release in theatres on June 4.

  • Abhimanyu Mathur
    ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    Abhimanyu Mathur

    Abhimanyu Mathur is Deputy Editor, Entertainment at Hindustan Times. With almost 15 years of experience in writing about everything from films and TV shows to cricket matches and elections, he inhales and exhales pop culture and news. Currently, he watches movies and TV shows and talks to celebrities for a living, while occasionally writing about them as well. A journalism graduate of Delhi College of Arts and Commerce, Delhi University, Abhimanyu began his career with Hindustan Times at the age of 20, swapping classrooms for newsrooms at an early age. He began his journey in the early days of digital journalism, later switching to the madness of print journalism. Work has led him to far off places like Japan and Jordan, as well as to the interiors of Haryana and the Indo-Pak border. He dabbled in city reporting in places like Meerut, Gurgaon, and Delhi, covered the Olympics and Cricket World Cups, before finding his calling in entertainment and lifestyle during the pandemic. A Rotten Tomatoes Certified Film Critic, he is equally at home covering stories on ground as he is interviewing celebrities and studios, and sometimes prefers to shepherd teams in delivering traffic through the day. Even as his role has evolved from reporter to supervisor over the years, his first love remains writing (and of late, talking on camera). With a good understanding of cinema and its trends, and a keen eye for detail, he continues to spark conversations around showbiz for readers around the world.Read More

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