Ram Charan's wrestler avatar from Peddi out, puzzled fans react

A new glimpse of Ram Charan from the upcoming sports drama Peddi was unveiled on the actor's 41st birthday. The short video shows him as a pehelwan (wrestler) participating in mud wrestling, which surprised fans since earlier promotional material had only shown him as a cricketer.

The 44-second clip begins with a voice-over explaining that wrestling is very different from cricket. It says, "It's a game where you face death itself," and asks, "Tell me now, do you want to stay or leave?" Ram Charan appears bulked up, with his hair tied in a manbun, training and wrestling with skill. He also says, "Listen, dear. My pride is in my game."

The new look, however, confused many fans because all previous promotions had depicted Ram as a rural cricketer dressed in bright shirts and trousers. Some viewers on social media expressed their surprise and speculated whether he might be playing dual roles.

One fan wrote on X (formerly Twitter), "All these days I thought Peddi was about cricket." Another asked, "You came from cricket to wrestling, what are you planning Buchi Babu Sana?" reflecting the confusion caused by the new glimpse.

Peddi is the second film by director Buchi Babu Sana after his 2021 hit Uppena. The film is produced by Venkata Satish Kilaru under Vriddhi Cinemas, co-produced by Ishan Saksena of IVY Entertainment, and presented by Mythri Movie Makers and Sukumar Writings.

The cast includes Ram Charan, Janhvi Kapoor, Shiva Rajkumar, Jagapathi Babu, and Divyenndu. The film is scheduled for release in theatres on April 30.