Sting in the sequel? NTR biopic blanks out political coups against him in 1984 and 1995

HYDERABAD: Former CM and TDP founder NT Rama Rao’s biopic “NTR Kathanayakudu”, released on Wednesday, kept the most speculated part out of the movie. The suspense was built ever since Nandamuri Balakrishna announced a biopic of his father and the audience expected that the film would show the episode where NTR was dethroned and his son-in-law N Chandrababu Naidu took over as CM after an internal TDP coup in 1995. However, major political developments are not shown in the film and the audience is expecting that it may figure in the sequel “NTR Mahanayakudu” to be released in February.
People walking out of a movie theatre after watching NTR biopic on Wednesday

The first-day first-show witnessed huge crowd and audience were seen applauding and shouting ‘Jai Balayya’ while watching the film. The movie shows Chandrababu Naidu (role played by Daggubati Rana) in good light. In a scene, two Congress CMs — T Anjaiah and Bhavanam Venkatram — ask him to confirm rumours of actor NTR’s foray into politics but Naidu, then a Congress MLA, says he had no idea.

Former CM Nadendla Bhaskar Rao, who had recently warned of legal action if he is portrayed in bad light, hogs the limelight in the film when NTR decides to take the political plunge. Bhaskar Rao is shown as the driving force for NTR to get into public service. It may be mentioned that Nadendla had overthrown NTR in 1984 to become the CM.

“This is the third time the Congress has changed chief ministers in a five-year term. This is how it functions. What is the point in the chief minister taking oath? He does not even know how long he will last,” Nadendla Bhaskar Rao’s character is seen telling NTR sitting beside him at the swearing-in of Bhavanam Venkatram Reddy as CM. When NTR announces formation of TDP at old MLA quarters in 1982, Bhaskar Rao is seen lending his support after quitting the Congress.

The film shows NTR as a committed actor and the reasons that prompted him to take the political plunge. It showed an incident where during a function in Delhi when NTR and Akkineni Nageshwara Rao were given Padma Sri awards, PV Narasimha Rao introduced them to then PM Indira Gandhi. Indira and her aide referred to them as “Madrasis” and the aide justified his remark by saying all South Indians are anyway “Madrasis”. “We are Telugus. We have an identity of our own,” NTR replies. The film also shows NTR piqued by Indira Gandhi for imposing emergency.