Game Changer is a 2025 Indian Telugu-language political action film directed by S. Shankar, in his Telugu debut, and produced by Dil Raju under Sri Venkateswara Creations.

The film stars Ram Charan in dual roles, alongside Kiara Advani, Anjali, S. J. Suryah, Srikanth, Sunil, Jayaram and Samuthirakani.

During a political rally for the CM's party, a mentally challenged elderly resident, Parvathy, unexpectedly interrupts the event and begins revealing Sathyamoorthy's past crimes.

The newly revived Abhyudhyam Party, led by Sabha and inspired by Appanna's original principles, wins by a landslide, and Ram is elected as the new Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh.

The production of Indian 2 faced significant delays following an on-set accident,[10][11] compounded by the nationwide COVID-19 pandemic lockdown in India, which created uncertainty about the film's resumption.

[12][13] During this time, director S. Shankar shifted his focus to other projects and began developing a script for a potential multi-starrer film intended for a multi-language release, with Yash considered for one of the leading roles.

[14][15] Shankar eventually collaborated with Dil Raju's Sri Venkateswara Creations,[16] which had initially planned to produce Indian 2 before stepping away, with Lyca Productions taking over.

[26] Ram Charan was paid ₹65 crore for his role, while Shankar adopted a revenue-sharing model, taking a smaller advance and opting to receive a substantial share of the film's profits as remuneration to support its production.

But there are different facets to it; there are different kinds of governance, and in this film, we have tried to explore the powers and boundaries of an IAS officer [...] as a story evolves, it might shape up to carry a few resemblances to real life, but we didn't design the character based on a single person."

Game Changer was initially developed as an interim project during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown, along with the adaptation of Veera Yuga Nayagan Velpari (2019), based on the ruler of Parambu nādu Vēl Pāri, by author-politician S. Venkatesan, a spy thriller which demanded shooting in foreign locales and science fiction action film that needed a fresh face in the leading role and extensive visual effects.

[40] Dance choreographers of the film include Prabhu Deva, Jani Master, Prem Rakshith, Bosco Martis, Ganesh Acharya, and Sandy.

[41] Shankar complimented that Charan had a "suppressed explosive energy" within, further adding "His performance reflects this; even when he subtly conveys something, you feel a power surging, ready to explode.

"[28] In late February, it was reported that South Korean actress Bae Suzy would play the female lead pairing opposite Charan, in her Indian film debut.

[42] Afterwards, Rashmika Mandanna was considered to play the female lead,[43] before Kiara Advani was finalized for that role in July 2021;[44] this would mark her second collaboration with Charan after Vinaya Vidheya Rama (2019).

[44] Anjali was cast in a pivotal role, while Sunil, Srikanth, Jayaram, and Naveen Chandra were all confirmed to be a part of the film during their presence at the puja ceremony.

[46] The film was formally launched with a muhurat shot on 8 September 2021 at Annapurna Studios in Hyderabad with a traditional pooja ceremony attended by Ranveer Singh, Chiranjeevi, and S. S.

[84] Game Changer was theatrically released on 10 January 2025, coinciding with Sankranti weekend, in standard and IMAX, 4DX, Dolby Cinema, and Qube EPIQ formats.

[93] Rachit Gupta of Filmfare rated the film 3.5/5 and wrote, "In essence, Game Changer is an unmistakable Shankar creation fuelled and delivered with Ram Charan's charisma.

Shankar's grand scale and Ram Charan's brilliant performance, combined with strong supporting roles and technical excellence, make it a compelling watch for enthusiasts of the genre".

[96] Bollywood Hungama rated the film 3.0/5 and wrote, "Game Changer is yet another mass-appealing anti-corruption saga from Shankar that works due to the clapworthy moments, twists and turns, relatable goings-on and performances of Ram Charan and S. J.

"[97] Prathamesh Jadhav of The Free Press Journal rated Game Changer 3/5 stars, calling it a grand and entertaining political drama with standout performances from Ram Charan and Anjali.

"[99] Avad Mohammad of OTTplay gave 3/5 stars and wrote, "Ram Charan shines in this social drama that has a predictable plot, narrated in a decent manner.

She remarked, "Director Shankar's latest has fun segments featuring Ram Charan and SJ Suryah, but the hasty narrative leaves little room for emotional heft.

"[101] Avinash Ramachandran of The Indian Express gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote, "Game Changer is essentially a lot of nice segments that are stitched together in the hope that it would make a good film.

"[103] Sudhir Srinivasan of Cinema Express gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote, "But here's the thing: a three-hour canvas of hero-uses-rules-to-thwart-villains can only stretch so far without fraying, especially when the film itself doesn't treat it too much reverence.

"[104] Kirubhakar Purushothaman of News18 gave 2.5/5 stars and wrote, "While mainstream Indian cinema has changed significantly in terms of style and content, Shankar's constant bet on his old ideas seems to be surprising.

"[105] Goutham S of Pinkvilla gave 2/5 stars and wrote, "Game Changer is undoubtedly one of the biggest movies to release this year, but it fails to live up to the expectations it set.

While director Shankar is known for addressing societal issues at the core of his films, this movie feels stuck in the 1990s style of Indian cinema in terms of execution.

"[106] Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV gave 2/5 stars and wrote, "Game Changer is never found wanting in the matter of giving plausibility a wide berth and finding easy answers to complex conundrums.

"[107] BVS Prakash of Deccan Chronicle gave 2/5 stars and wrote, "Director Shankar has to give up his old ideas and come back with refreshing story which doesn't have any shade or resemblance to his earlier blockbusters.