Hyderabad, April 28 -- For many years, Tollywood was all about big action, strong heroes, and mass entertainment. These kinds of movies made many actors into superstars. But in 2006, a new kind of movie came out - one that showed heroes in a fresh and different way. That movie was Pokiri! Today, it celebrates 19 years!

Pokiri: A Big Turning Point

Pokiri was released on April 28, 2006, with Mahesh Babu and Ileana D'Cruz as the stars. Directed by Puri Jagannadh, it told the story of an undercover cop who joins the mafia to bring them down. Mahesh's famous dialogue - "Okasari commit aithe, na mata nene vinanu" - is still loved by fans.

At first, the makers wanted Ravi Teja and Deepika Padukone for the lead roles. But when that didn't happ...