They Call Him OG trailer out: ‘I forgot I’m the Deputy CM,’ says Pawan Kalyan as sword act steals spotlight

They Call Him OG Trailer Out: On Saturday evening, at the pre-release event of 'They Call Him OG', actor-politician Pawan Kalyan walked onto the with a sword in hand sparking thunderous roars from those present.

“In my life, I never came like this to an audio function,” said Pawan Kalyan, the actor of the movie who is also Deputy Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh.

The star recited ‘Washi Yo Washi’, a dialogue-musical piece penned by director Sujeeth. He called Sujeeth and composer Thaman the “two stars of this film,” admitting they pulled him into their creative trip.

The JanaSena Party chief added since it is a film he was allowed to walk with a sword.

“I forgot I am the Deputy CM. Imagine, a Deputy CM coming with a katana like this. All this works in the film,” Pawan was quoted as saying the the gala event by several media houses.

Directed by Sujeeth, They Call Him OG is a stylised period gangster drama with Pawan Kalyan essaying Ojas Gambheera, a character unlike any in his long career. They Call Him OG trailer was out on YouTube on Monday and within an hour, the video was viewed for over 7 lakh times with over 12,000 comments.

Backed by DVV Entertainment, They Call Him OG releases worldwide on September 25.

Pawan Signed Movies Before becoming Deputy CM

Pawan Kalyan signed Hari Hara Veera Mallu (HHVM), Ustaad Bhagat Singh, and They Call Him OG before contesting in the Andhra Pradesh elections in 2024. He, however, completed shooting for all three films after becoming the Deputy CM of Andhra Pradesh under the state government led by TDP chief and chief minister Chandrababu Naidu.

Politicians becoming actors is not a rarity in India, more so in Southern states. But Pawan is perhaps the only serving Deputy CM to act full time in movies.

In the 2024 assembly elections held in Andhra Pradesh along with 2024 Lok Sabha polls, the political alliance Kutami, led by the Telugu Desam Party (TDP) won the election in a landslide, winning 164 of the 175 seats. The TDP won 135 out of 144 contested seats.

The Janasena Party (JSP) won all the 21 seats it contested and the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) won 8 out of 10 contested seats.

Petition against Pawan

In August 2025, Former IAS officer Vijay Kumar has moved the Andhra Pradesh High Court over Pawan Kalyan continuing to act in films despite being sworn in as the Deputy Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh.

In the writ petition, Vijay sought interim orders to restrict Pawan from appearing in anything entertainment-related. The High Court rejected the request to issue notices to CBI, ACB and Pawan over it

HHVM was released in theatres on 24 July, and Pawan Kalyan, who is known for famously not promoting his films, took part in the promotions.

I need cinema for my financial sustenance: Pawan

Pawan has admitted in interviews that he needed to be in the entertainment industry to earn money. He said he might produce films if not act in them to make money.

“I need cinema for my financial sustenance. So, I will look to producing films in the future. Even if I do act, it will only be for two hours per day,” he said.