NTR biopic launched in Hyderabad

In a grand event, the biopic on late actor-politician NT Rama Rao titled NTR went on the floors at Ramakrishna Studios in Hyderabad on Thursday. The event was attended by a slew of Telugu celebrities and Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu. All the guest speakers and the cast and crew paid rich tribute to NTR, whose life is the subject of the upcoming bilingual film.

Late matinee idol NT Rama Rao's star son Nandamuri Balakrishna is playing his father's role in the biopic. Dressed up in a mythological costume, Balakrishna reprised NTR's Duryodhana role from Daana Veera Soora Karna for the muhurtham shot.

The first shot was directed by veteran Telugu filmmaker Raghavendra Rao, who has done many movies with NTR and director Boyapati Sreenu. Telangana minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav also took part in the film launch by switching on the camera.

Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu sounded the first clap for the opening shot. Speaking in Telugu, he called the event 'historic' and described NTR as the pride of Telugu-speaking people living around the world. "I wanted to come here today, despite rules and restrictions. It is because personally, I admire Sri Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao and the work he had done," he said.

Director Teja said the scripting process was still underway as the life story of NTR is so vast that the filmmakers found it challenging to fit important chapters of his life in just one film. He said if things go according to the plan, they will release NTR film for Dussehra.

The biopic will cover NTR's meteoric rise to stardom and from there his successful journey to the Chief Minister's office of the united Andhra Pradesh.