Godfather: As Salman Khan, Chiranjeevi’s film crosses Rs 100 Cr, here’s what Arbaaz thought of Mohanlal’s Lucifer

Arbaaz Khan had watched the Prithviraj Sukumaran’s directorial while he was in Kerala shooting for Big Brother three years ago

Chiranjeevi and Salman Khan in GodFather, and (right) Arbaaz Khan and Mohanlal

Who would have imagined that it would take Salman Khan a South film to give him his first Rs 100 Crore-grosser post pandemic. The Bollywood superstar, who had two releases in the past two years – the direct-to-OTT movie Radhe and Antim: The Final Truth, scored his first big hit since December 2019, albeit in an extended cameo, with Chiranjeevi-led GodFather, which is the Telugu remake of the Malayalam blockbuster Lucifer.

However, not many know that Salman’s brother Arbaaz had reportedly watched the Malayalam version, starring Mohanlal and Prithviraj Sukumaran, back in 2019 and had even entertained thoughts of purchasing its Bollywood rights.

Also read: Mohanlal's Lucifer vs Chiranjeevi's Godfather sparks off a dance battle between fans on Twitter

Arbaaz, who had acted with Mohanlal in Siddique’s Big Brother soon after the release of Lucifer, had said in an interview back in 2019 that the Malayalam political thriller was “an outstanding film”. “Mohanlal sir performed brilliantly; I am equally impressed by how Prithviraj had directed it. He has done such fabulous work for an actor-turned-director, with some amazing shots and presentation, he said.

Salman essayed the role of Chiranjeevi’s sidekick in the Telugu venture, helmed by Mohan Raja. Prithviraj had played the character in Malayalam. Salman and Chiranjeevi’s film, however, had more over-the-top scenes that pandered to the Telugu megastar’s fanbase, as per reports. This seems to have worked well too with the film breaching the Rs 100 crore mark, amid tough competition from Nagarjuna’s The Ghost during the pooja holidays.

Fans of both Mohanlal and Chiranjeevi have been at loggerheads since the first teaser of the latter’s GodFather had dropped. Many called the Telugu movie a knock-off version that didn’t have depth. But the box office success of the film has clearly shown that the writer and director had tailored the film taking into account the sensibilities of the Telugu audience.

Mohanlal and Prithviraj are set to team up again next year for Empuraan, the second instalment of the Lucifer franchise. Chiranjeevi’s GodFather too is expected to follow suit after the film’s release in late 2023 or early 2024.

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