'Pawan Kalyan's 'OG' trailer is similar to 'Kabzaa'; R Chandru's claim stirs controversy; Netizens react

Kannada filmmaker R Chandru who is best known for directing the actioner ' Kabzaa ', has found himself in the spotlight after alleging that Pawan Kalyan ’s 2025 blockbuster ' They Call Him OG ' may have drawn inspiration from his 2023 film.

During a recent YouTube interview, Chandru remarked that certain visuals and sequences from the 'OG' trailer closely resembled moments from Kabzaa.

'OG's trailer was similar to 'Kabzaa'

R Chandru's statement, though made casually during a promotional chat with News Hunt for his upcoming projects, quickly took social media by storm. “Watch a few moments from OG’s trailer — you’ll notice striking similarities to my film Kabzaa. I’m certain they’ve drawn some inspiration from it.” Chandru said. While acknowledging the resemblance, he added that “inspiration is not a bad thing” and suggested that filmmakers often learn from each other’s work.


Netizens react to R. Chandru's statement

Netizens were quick to react to R Chandru's statement on 'OG' and 'Kabzaa. One Twitter user wrote, "Then u copied all scenes from KGF." Another one commented, "Kabza wholly inspired by KGF." A third one wrote, "Still He believe in Kabza." Majority of the Twitter users were pointing out that his 'Kabzaa' was indeed a copy of Yash's 'KGF'.



About 'OG' and 'Kabzaa''They Call Him OG', directed and written by Sujeeth, features Pawan Kalyan, Emraan Hashmi, Priyanka Mohan, Arjun Das, and Prakash Raj in pivotal roles. Although the movie may not have received magnificent reviews as expected, 'OG' turned out to be a decent outing when compared to Pawan Kalyan's recent releases like 'Hari Hara Veera Mallu'. The action flick is currently streaming on OTT.


Meanwhile, Chandru’s Kabzaa, starring Upendra, Sudeep, and Shriya Saran, released in 2023. The movie received much criticisms for blindly following the superhit film 'KGF's execution style. 'Kabzaa' also didn't perform well at the box office.