After a month-long wait, Ram Gopal Varma’s Lakshmi’s NTR has finally hit the theatres here only to receive a lukewarm response from the audience.
Theatres in the city sported a rather deserted look even after the posters were put up and bookings made open to all.
“The movie was quite appealing. The events unfolded in the movie seemed accurate and none of it was exaggerated. People should know why N.T. Rama Rao was deserted by his family and party workers,” said Pardhu Ganesh, a third year engineering student studying in a college here.
Pardhu was one of the few people in the audience to have watched the movie with interest.
The theatre, which could accommodate a large audience witnessed only a handful of them for the matinee show. “We came to watch the film because of the controversy it had stirred up last month, but there is nothing worth the controversy,” said Ajay Kumar, who planned on leaving the theatre right after the interval.”
A few people walked to the theatre for some respite from the rising temperature “Standing outside in the heat is unbearable, hence, I decided to enjoy the AC in the theatre,” said Srinivas Kumar, who casually shared a laugh along with few others who walked in with the same intention as his.
The biopic, which was supposed to release on March 29, was postponed until yesterday after some TDP leaders approached the Election Commission alleging that the film depicted the former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh, N Chandrababu Naidu in bad light, which could have the potential to impact the poll prospects.
The film gained more traction when Ram Gopal Varma was detained at the Vijaywada airport when he announced, on Twitter, that he would hold a press conference, in the middle of the road, for the film.
The biopic delves into the life of Telugu matinee idol and former Chief Minister, N.T. Rama Rao of the then united Andhra from the eyes of Lakshmi Parvati and the relation both of them shared during his last days.