NTR’s Gutsy Move May Put An End To Pan India Obsession

When every big-ticket actor of Tollywood is obsessed with pan-India formula and larger-than-life image, NTR seems to have pulled off an unexpected gamble by joining hands with blockbuster regional director Anil Ravipudi for a complete laugh riot.

From some one like NTR, who achieved stardom beyond Tollywood in recent years, returning to pure Telugu cinema is like a homecoming for sure. But, what makes this a gutsy decision is the timing of the project.

It is a known fact that NTR is currently occupied with several high-stakes projects that are being mounted on a massive scale with humongous budgets. While Prashanth Neel’s Dragon is being made in two parts, NTR’s next mega production will be God of War with director Trivikram Srinivas. Also, another multilingual with Kollywood director Nelson is on cards.

Amid the spate of these many heavyweight projects, a regional film with Anil Ravipudi will appear like an odd choice. But, this surprise move is a no doubt a refreshing detour from the pan-India overdose for both NTR and his fans.

From RRR and Devara to War 2 and Prashanth Neel’s Dragon, NTR has spent many years dominating the screen with intense action. Also, the inordinate time spent for making these films have hurt his fans to some extent because they have to wait for so long to witness his onscreen magic between two successive outings.

So, they are very eager to see him finish off a film quickly and release it for a festival like Sankranthi to enjoy his mass image. Moreover, they want him to see in a proper mass image with loads of punch dialogues, masala songs and fun-filled scenes.

NTR fans are now very sure that they will get a taste of all these mass ingredients in Ravipudi’s vintage style with this out-of-the-box film. They are very happy that he is finally unlocking a side fans have missed since the iconic Adhurs and Baadshah days.

Besides all this, many are surprised at how Anil Ravipudi convinced NTR and secured his dates when his slate is full of pan-India spectacles. Industry insiders believe that NTR’s brother Kalyan Ram, who is going to pool the money bags for this mass comedy, played a key role in bringing this combination.

As Kalyan Ram is presently working under Ravipudi for a multistarrer with Victory Venkatesh, there are strong chances that he might have influenced NTR’s decision to green-light the project despite jam-packed schedule.

Whatever may be the reason, by choosing Anil Ravipudi right in the middle of the Pan-India wave, NTR just flipped the script.

Here, NTR’s strategy looks like one of the smartest decisions by a Tier 1 star. Wrapping up the project quickly, exploring the comedy genre when no other top star is currently attempting it, targeting family audiences during Sankranthi and backing the film under his own production banner could make this a smart business move. It will also give him better profits.

If this experiment works, it could encourage more Pan India stars to return to the Telugu cinema zone for quick films with controlled budgets and good revenues.

More importantly, it could help them stay connected with Telugu family audiences by delivering entertaining films during major festivals instead of keeping fans waiting for years between big releases.