'Businessman' is up for re-release this Wednesday. Not so surprisingly, the film's re-release has become a reason for celebration among Mahesh Babu's fans. Even Puri Jagannadh's fans can't wait to watch the film on the big screen.
The gangster action drama was originally released in 2012. Its box-office success (however moderate it might or might not be) aside, the film's sensibilities were low-brow. It was Mahesh's terrific screen presence and characterization that did all the magic. Puri's dialogues were good, but they were nowhere close to the classic punchlines delivered in 'Pokiri'.
In a way, 'Businessman' is a bane in disguise if you look at how Puri allowed his filmography to become debased after 2012. 'Cameraman Ganga Tho Rambabu' clicked because of Pawan Kalyan and ample controversies. It had half-decent story and character arcs. The antagonist in it was imbecile and impotent.
Most of the films that Puri did after 'Businessman' have been mediocre or outright lousy. 'iSmart Shankar' worked because of Ram Pothineni and Mani Sharma.
After Businessman's release, the director would gloat that he wrote the script pretty fast. And the film's shoot was completed in 74 working days. Amidst numerous cine-goers hailing 'Businessman' as a cult film, Puri Jagannadh seemingly developed a conviction that his rapid approach to crafting movie scripts was the key to success. That's the reason he made crappy movies such as 'Liger', 'Rogue' and 'ISM' in recent years. Had 'Businessman' become a flop, Puri wouldn't have taken the audience for granted.
