MUMBAI: OG is surrounded by massive hype everywhere. Fans are especially excited to witness Pawan Kalyan’s rage on the big screen. With fireworks, flexis, cutouts, fan celebrations ' OG premieres in theatres today.
Pawan Kalyan, as the enigmatic “Ojas Gambheera", dominates every frame with a haunting stillness. There’s a deliberate restraint in his performance - a silent rage. A man with a violent past and a code of honor. His body language, the slow-burn intensity in his eyes, and the fluidity with which he handles the Katana - all signal a transformation that’s both physical and psychological.
This is a Powerstar audiences have longed to see - intense, silent, ruthless, yet deeply human. Wielding a katana with surgical precision, he redefines cinematic action.
Sujeeth integrates it beautifully into the choreography, creating elegant, blood-soaked ballets of violence. The action sequences aren’t loud or cluttered. Instead, they are minimalistic, calculated, and poetic - shot stylishly. Credit goes to cinematographer Ravi K Chandran, whose frames are rich with shadows, reflections, and muted palettes that create a sleek aesthetic.
The film will take you to 80's Mumbai. The rain-soaked alleys, the vintage cars, and wide-angle fight sequences are just Slick. Sukeeth manages to pen a screenplay that gives high after high without letting down the fans cheers from start to end. The screen presence of Pawan Kalyan adds more weight to every scene.
In his Telugu debut, Emraan Hashmi is a revelation. As the antagonist OMI, he plays a menacing villain. Hashmi doesn’t resort to over-the-top theatrics; instead, he lets his measured tone and still expressions do the talking. In a face-off between charisma and cunning, he makes for a formidable rival to Pawan Kalyan, and the chemistry between the two elevates the narrative stakes.
After Saaho, Sujeeth seems to have found a clearer voice with They Call Him OG. He dials down the noise and leans into character depth and atmospheric storytelling. The writing is sparse but effective. Dialogues are used sparingly, relying more on silence and staging to convey emotional weight. His handling of Pawan Kalyan’s character as a living myth - is done with admiration but not excess. There’s fan service, yes, but it’s woven into the story, not stapled on.
Music director Thaman delivers a background score that doesn’t just support the film - it drives it. The firestorm and Guns & Roses gets massive cheers and whistles in theatres. On the other side, the emotional background score also adds more magic. Iz becomes the heartbeat of the narrative, escalating in intensity alongside the character’s journey. Thaman’s work here is among his best.
Editing by Navin Nooli is crisp, allowing scenes to breathe while maintaining narrative momentum. Production design by AS Prakash gives the underworld setting a stylized, almost graphic novel-like feel. The action choreography is brilliant, almost every action sequence stands out with unique cinematic taking. Kudos to the stunt choreographers A Vijay, Peter Hein, Dhilip Subbarayan, Kevin Kumar, Stunt Silva, Sunil Rodrigues, Kecha Khampakdee, Juji, Supreme Sundar, Jashwa and Parvez Costume design subtly reflects character transition and represents 80's style, Pawan’s minimalistic, rugged look versus Emraan’s sharp, tailored villainy.
They Call Him OG is not just another gangster film. It’s a character study of Ojas Gambheera, and a stylised action opera driven by a career-defining turn from Pawan Kalyan. Director Sujeeth delivers his most focused and mature work, backed by stellar music from Thaman and a standout antagonist in Emraan Hashmi. For fans of the genre and the star, this is unmissable.
They Call Him OG is a stylish, emotionally resonant gangster epic powered by Pawan Kalyan’s electrifying presence, Thaman’s thundering score, and Sujeeth’s confident direction.
4/5 stars.
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