 On 3 November 2004 , Jagannadh met Mahesh Babu at the Taj Hotel in <unk> to outline the film 's plot . It told the story of Uttam Singh , an undercover police officer , infiltrating a mafia gang as a criminal , with the intention of killing its kingpin . Mahesh liked the script but suggested Jagannadh <unk> the script 's backdrop to suit the Telugu @-@ speaking peoples ' sensibilities . Jagannadh agreed and also replaced the existing title with Pokiri . Mahesh wanted the film 's production to begin in 2005 allowing him to complete his current commitments . While he waited for Mahesh , Jagannadh directed <unk> <unk> in Super ( 2005 ) . While reworking the script , Jagannadh took inspiration from <unk> <unk> ( 1988 ) and State <unk> ( 1989 ) . Pokiri was produced jointly by Jagannadh and <unk> <unk> 's production companies , <unk> Academy and Indira Productions respectively , on a budget of ₹ 100 — 120 million . 
