Veteran Telugu producer Dil Raju has openly expressed his regret over collaborating with director Shankar on the Ram Charan-starrer "Game Changer," admitting it was a "mistake" on his part. In a candid interview with M9 News on June 24, 2025, Raju reflected on the challenges and turbulent journey behind the making of the big-budget political action drama, which failed to impress both critics and audiences upon its release earlier this year.
"Game Changer," which featured Ram Charan in a dual role alongside Kiara Advani and a star-studded cast, was one of the most highly anticipated films of the year. Touted as a political action thriller with massive scale and expectations, the movie ultimately struggled at the box office, leaving a significant dent in Dil Raju's credentials. The film, reportedly mounted on a budget of ₹400 crore, only managed to earn ₹186.25 crore worldwide.
Dil Raju didn't shy away from taking personal responsibility for what went wrong. He confessed that he had never worked with such big directors like Shankar in his film career, and "Game Changer" was his first "wrong step." He admitted that he should have clearly mentioned his points in the contract and moved into production accordingly, but he failed to do so.
One of the more surprising revelations was about "Game Changer's" original length. Dil Raju confirmed earlier comments by editor Shameer Mohammed that the film initially ran well over seven hours in its rough cut. He acknowledged that such interference is bound to happen when working with big directors. Shameer Muhammed had earlier revealed that he reduced the film to four and a half hours, but another editor later brought it down to 2.5–3 hours.
Dil Raju stated, "When making big films with big directors, 100% problems are going to come up, not only for me but for almost everyone." He also added, "The editor's statement about Game Changer once having a runtime of four and a half hours is true, and such interference is bound to happen when working with big directors.” He feels that it’s a producer's responsibility to stop things when they go wrong, but he couldn't, and that was his failure.
Interestingly, months after the release of "Game Changer," filmmaker-writer Karthik Subbaraj, who was once deeply grateful to director Shankar for allowing him to be part of the ambitious vision behind the film, claimed that the final story was entirely different from what he originally proposed. Subbaraj, known for writing and directing commercial successes, was credited with the storyline of "Game Changer." However, in the wake of the film's disappointing box office performance, he subtly distanced himself from the outcome, stating that the script and story were significantly altered due to the involvement of others.
Despite the lukewarm response to "Game Changer," Ram Charan's career momentum remains strong. He is currently working on "Peddi," a sports-oriented action drama directed by Buchi Babu Sana, slated for a theatrical release on March 26, 2026.
Dil Raju, with over 55 films in his career, suffered a major blow with "Game Changer," reportedly losing close to Rs 100 crore. He is now gearing up for his next film, "Thammudu," scheduled for release on July 4, 2025, and seems to have learned a valuable lesson from his experience with "Game Changer." He stated that he should not have greenlit a project like "Game Changer" in the first place and regrets not giving Ram Charan a hit after "RRR."
