Actor Nagarjuna has said that his real crossover into the Hindi-speaking market did not come through his original Bollywood films like Shiva or Khuda Gawah, but through two Telugu films dubbed in Hindi that were frequently played on satellite channels. He said that his fans from the north often talk to him about Meri Jung: One Man Army and Don No 1.
Speaking in an interview with Variety India, Nagarjuna explained, “More than all the straight films I’ve done in Hindi, there are two films which are, I think, bigger hits than my Shiva or Khuda Gawah or anything for me,” Nagarjuna said. “There are two films called Mass, which was called Meri Jung in Hindi, and Don No 1. Anywhere I go in the north, whether I go to Delhi, whether I go to Kullu-Manali, whether I go to Goa, they actually come up to me and they go crazy over these films.”
But before those dubbed films changed the equation, there was one moment that told Nagarjuna he had a place in Bollywood. It happened at the premiere of Khuda Gawah in 1992, which starred Amitabh Bachchan and Sridevi in lead roles. The film, directed by Mukul Anand, had him playing Inspector Raja Mirza. It was a big-budget Bollywood production set against the backdrop of Afghanistan, and the premiere was a major industry event.
“After Shiva, the next big Hindi film I was called for a premiere was Khuda Gawah,” Nagarjuna recalled. “Of course, Amitabh ji got the most claps and whistles when he came on screen. But when my entry came, it was huge. It was like ‘Welcome to Bollywood’ or something like that. I was a little shocked and taken aback, and then I realised they like me here. They love me here.”
What makes Nagarjuna’s claim significant is the context of what these films represented for the South Indian dubbing industry. Mass, directed by Raghava Lawrence in his directorial debut, was a high-energy action entertainer starring Nagarjuna alongside Jyothika and Charmy Kaur.
On the other hand, Don, also directed by Lawrence, starred Nagarjuna alongside Anushka Shetty and was dubbed into Hindi as Don No 1. In its Hindi version, the geographical setting was changed, with the characters of Nagarjuna and Kelly Dorji reframed as the Dons of India and Pakistan respectively, rather than Andhra and Mumbai as in the original. Nagarjuna played a character named Surya in the film.
Both films were picked up by Hindi satellite channels and aired repeatedly over the years, reaching a North Indian audience that had limited exposure to Telugu cinema at that time. In the pre-streaming era, satellite television was the primary pipeline through which South Indian films reached Hindi-speaking households.
Nagarjuna credited both films with opening up that pipeline. “These two films opened up the South dubbing market into Hindi,” he said. “Shiva was there, Khuda Gawah was there,” Nagarjuna said, acknowledging his original Hindi work. “But for these two films, I think I was the biggest star. I really think I crossed over with these two films.”
