3 min readHyderabadApr 20, 2026 08:52 PM IST
When Vijay Sethupathi says a film will be remembered, people tend to believe him. He said that about Slumdog – 33 Temple Road and it’s director Puri Jagannadh on Monday.
Sethupathi took to X to mark Jagannadh’s 26 years as a director. “26 years in cinema is not just a milestone,” he wrote, adding, “It’s a legacy built with courage, conviction, and a fearless voice.”
The actor then spoke about shooting Slumdog – 33 Temple Road together, calling it an absolute pleasure. “As actors, we always look for directors who trust us and push us beyond our comfort zones and you do that effortlessly. I believe this will be remembered as a very special film for all of us involved. Respect always.”
What a journey it has been for this Man 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻
26 years in cinema is not just a milestone, it’s a legacy built with courage, conviction, and a fearless voice.
Dear Puri sir, it was an absolute pleasure working with you on #SLUMDOG – 33 Temple Road. As actors, we always look… pic.twitter.com/XJ9NM1fWv2
— VijaySethupathi (@VijaySethuOffl) April 20, 2026
Puri Jagannadh made his directorial debut with the 2000 Telugu film Badri, starring Pawan Kalyan. Before that, he had spent years watching and learning as an assistant to Ram Gopal Varma. When Jagannadh finally got his own film, he came in with his own style, his own way of building a hero, and Badri became a superhit.
The years that followed were not all smooth, there were films that did not work. But there were also films that changed things. Pokiri in 2006 with Mahesh Babu became the kind of hit that rewrites a director’s standing in the industry. It gave Puri Jagannadh recognition well beyond Telugu cinema, with the film being remade across multiple languages. He also gave Ram Charan his debut with Chirutha, launched Puneeth Rajkumar in Kannada cinema with Appu, and kept delivering films that had a very specific energy to them. His heroes were never soft, they were rough around the edges, a little dangerous, and almost always carrying some version of a grudge against the world.
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Slumdog – 33 Temple Road fits that pattern, at least from what has been shown so far. The title was revealed on Vijay Sethupathi’s birthday in January 2026 with a poster that had him standing in the middle of a violent, grim scene, holding a blood-stained sword. Puri Jagannadh announced it the way only he would. He wrote on X, “From the slums rises a storm no one can stop. RAW. RUTHLESS. REAL.” Six words and you already know roughly what kind of film it is going to be.
