Jul 02, 2026 7:09pm IST
Bellamkonda Sreenivas on ‘Khoonkhar’ Getting 1 Billion Views On YouTube (EXCLUSIVE)
Telugu actor Bellamkonda Sreenivas is reveling in the success of his Hindi dubbed film, “Khoonkhar” (originally titled “Jaya Janaki Nayaka“ in Telugu) which has crossed a billion views on YouTube, making it the first full-length film uploaded to the platform to reach the milestone. In an exclusive interview with Variety India, he talks about getting love from South Asian countries, receiving congratulatory messages from the Telugu industry and his plans to celebrate the film’s success.
What do you attribute the popularity of "Khoonkhar,” the dubbed version of “Jaya Janaki Nayaka” to?
The family elements and action sequences resonate with viewers. The family scenes reflect our core Indian emotions. I have met a lot of people from Bangladesh, Sri Lanka and other Asian countries and I’m told the father-son scenes and the man going to any extent for the woman he loves even though she is married, has been widely appreciated. They have been able to relate to the emotion of love not dying even if a relationship ends. A lot of people are still friends with their exes because they have some emotion for them. And that has really worked with “Khoonkhar.”
Why do you think “Jaya Janaki Nayaka” did not perform as well when it was first released?
It was my third film. The same day, August 11, 2017, four other Telugu films were released. Because of this, my film did not get enough theatres. A lot of other things happened as well. But it is done and dusted now. All I will say is, unfortunately, once in a while, when a good film comes along, it gets killed by prominent people in our industry. I was taken aback because I really expected the movie to perform really well.
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What did you go through back then?
I was shattered for a very long time. I expected the movie to perform really well. I had worked hard on that film. It took some time to regain my confidence but luckily, I had a film called “Saksham” in my kitty. It was released in 2018 and it motivated me to keep working.
What has the industry reception to this achievement been like?
Many producers and directors have sent in appreciative messages congratulating me on my achievement. They are all very happy for me.
How are you planning to celebrate the film’s success?
The producers, the cast and I were trying to figure out how to celebrate the film’s success. It has become so huge that we are not quite sure how to go about it. It is a film that everyone in India should celebrate. I have been told that for the first time a 2.5-hour feature film has achieved this feat.
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Were you keeping track of the growing view count?
The dubbed version was released six years back, and it has grown to one billion views over the years. I also have another movie, “Sita” that was also dubbed and released in Hindi. It has got 710 million views on YouTube after its theatrical release in 2019.
You are currently working on two films right now.
I’m shooting for the last schedule of “Haindava” from July 10. We have 25 days of shooting left. So, we're going to wrap it soon and we plan to release it in October or November. I'm playing a cop called Balram in it. It’s an adventurous mystery film based on the subject of temple theft. There is one more untitled film where I will be playing the boy-next-door. He is a very quirky, fun kind of a guy. We are still finalizing the cast and crew.
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