Power Star Pawan Kalyan's films are always far and inbetween and he many times went on record that he was an accidental actor. He virtually disappeared from the screen after he came the Dy CM of Andhra Pradesh. Finally his film, Hari Hara Veera Mallu released recently and the film turned out to be a huge disappointment.
In the midst of all this, Pawan Kalyan's gangster based action entertainer OG directed by Sujeeth is releasing today (25 September 2025). With Sujeeth known for his stylish action entertainers and Pawan kalyan having tremendous fan frenzy, expectations are high on the project and the teasers and trailers doubled them. OG OTT rights have been acquired for a staggering sum by the popular OTT giant Netflix.
Let us see whether Pawan Kalyan creates a firestorm as OJas Gambheera in the theatres and break box office records across the world.
OG story revolves around an exiled and dreaded gangster (Ojas Gambheera) from Mumbai and what forces him to comeback after many decades.
Satya Dada aka Satyanarayana (Prakash Raj) has controlled the Mumbai Port for many decades before he gets a shock of his life when his son Parthu is brutally murdered when he tries to stop a shipment. At first, it looks like a small incident, but things go out of hand, and Satya finds his life and that of his supporters in danger.
What is the reason behind Satya Dada's Son's killing, what is in the ship and why dreaded gangster Omi Bhau (Emraan Hashmi) is interested and what connection Satya Dada and OG aka Ojas Gambheera (Pawan Kalyan) from the quest of the narration in which Kanmani (Priyanka Arul Mohan) Arjun (Arjun Das), Geeta (Sriya Reddy), Dharani (Subhalekha Sudhakar), Deera (Harish Utthaman) Minister brother Jimmy (Sudev Nair), Minister Mirajkar (Tej Sapru), Police Officer Tawade (Abhimanyu Singh) played the interesting part of the narration.
Pawan Kalyan looked extremely stylish and vintage on the screen and it is a treat to watch him in this manner not only fans but also to the movie lovers. He showed intense expressions and screen presence and the body language is captivating. He showcased his martial arts skills and also enacted breathtaking action sequences with ease to leave all stunned and shocked. He expressed himself through his eyes and emoted well and delivered powerful dialogues.
Emraan Hashmi made his entry into Tollywood with this film. He made a stylish entry and expressed himself quite well on the screen. However he should have got more screen presence and dialogues.
Sriya Reddy performed an important and emotional role.She with her screen presence and dialogue delivery added value to the proceedings. Priyanka Arul Mohan played a role of a traditional house wife. She is ok with her performance and played a pivotal role in taking the story forward. Prakash Raj performed his role accordingly and he did what was required of him. He showed good feelings as the Satya Dada who ruled and who runs out of options. Sudev Nair did well in the role and so did Tej Sapru and Abhimanyu Singh in a key role. Arjun Das is ok in his role and his talent is wasted to an extent. Others performed according to their roles.
OG story is penned by Sujeeth. Sujeeth who is a diehard fan of Pawan Kalyan and who is known for his stylish action entertainers tried to show Pawan Kalyan in an extremely stylish and vintage avatar. He emerged successful for most of the time and to unleash Pawan Kalyan's firestorm, he didnot depend much on the story. The story turns out to be a routine, predictable revenge drama.
However he added many stylish scenes, action sequences, and also satisfied fans elevating Pawan Kalyan's heroism to new heights showcasing his forgotten martial arts. He starts the narration in an interesting manner with a unique backdrop and then shifts fo Mumbai. He introduces various characters before the stylish and adrenaline pumping entry of Pawan Kalyan.
Though the story is predictable, he ensured that the narration and screenplay keeps the interest levels intact and the curiousity increased. He ends the first half with a intense action sequence setting the scene for the second half. The second half narration dips in pace due to the emotional flashback but he quickly brings the story to track once again with the current intense developments.
Flash back elements though dipped the pace of the narration, added value and takes the story forward in the second half towards the pre climax and climax sequences which are highoctane. Finally the film ends with OG ending his mission but with a lead to the sequel. The convenient screenplay and no real opposition with Pawan Kalyan going on slashing and chopping heads, looks too artificial and unbelievable and Sujeeth also used many characters to create confusion among the viewers.
Ravi K Chandran and Manoj Paramahamsa's Cinematography is good. He effectively presented the various scenes according to the timelines. They used the camera angles quite effectively and showed the locations in a natural and realistic way as per the context.
The stunt choreographers A Vijay, Peter Hein, Dhilip Subbarayan, Kevin Kumar, Stunt Silva, Sunil Rodrigues, Kecha Khampakdee, Juji, Supreme Sundar, Jashwa, Parvez did a commendable job driving all the fans and movie lovers crazy with adrenaline pumping sequences.
Thaman stands up to come up with captivating music. The songs are minimal and situational and added value to the narration. Thaman's background score and the thumping music elevated the scenes to another stage taking viewers into the world of OG. Thaman's background music gives goosebumps to all the viewers in a powerful and impactful manner. Dialogues are good and impactful.
The editing of Naveen Nooli is good in the first half but the pace dipped in the second half due to drags in the narration. Production values of DVV. Entertainments are of top class.
Altogether, OG turns out to be Pawan Kalyan powerful action feast in the recent past. Director Sujeeth who is a diehard fan of Pawan Kalyan, waited patiently for many years and showed Pawan Kalyan in a vintage avatar. He showed him in a stylish avatar and also highlighted his martial arts blending it splendidly to the storyline. He got the optimum out of the technical crew with the BGM and Cinematography taking the scenes and the narration to another level. However, in the midst of his elevations for Pawan Kalyan, he missed the crucial emotions and at times he took many convenient and cinematic liberties which impacted the story and the writing. Considering all these elements, Cinejosh goes with a 2.75 rating for OG (They Call Him OG).