People had started building expectations since Krish came on board for NTR Biopic and the expectations have spiked up further with the stunning first look, teasers and trailers that came out.
The biopic on NTR, the legendary actor and politician, is one of the biggest movies in the recent times.
With Balakrishna stepping in his fathers shoes for the screen and Vidya Balan playing as Basavatarakam, all film lovers have been waiting to see the magic unfold on the silver screen.
Has the film turned out to be a befitting tribute to the legendary actor Lets find out.
Analysis:-
Making biopic on a great personality like NT Rama Rao, who had changed the course of Telugu cinema with a filmography of nearly 300 movies as an actor, producer and director and ushered in many changes in modern Andhra Pradeshs politics, and whose life story is known to everyone, is not an easy task.
Compressing his life as cinema into 2 hour runtime itself is a huge challenging job. This is why, director and his writers team have split his biopic in two parts NTR Kathanayakudu and NTR Mahanayakudu, and we are talking about the first part.
Despite splitting the movie in two parts, Krish has made the movie with 170 minutes of runtime and solely focused on his personal life and acting career.
As recently seen in Mahanati, Savitris biopic, the film begins in a hospital. Here in NTRs biopic, it is his wife Basavatarakam who is hospitalized and she is recollecting the memories and the story of NTR starts unfolding.
The entire first half runs on showing how NTR entered into films, the initial struggles, the first success, the contract with Vijay Vauhini Movies, his dramatic entry as Lord Krishna in Maya Bazaar, his friendship with ANR, his noble donation drive for Rayalaseema drought, the various avatar he had done till Bandipotu (1963).
Except one emotional scene of his elder sons death, the first half of the film runs on a pretty straight line. The first half offers only two interesting scenes the dramatic entry of NTR as Lord Krishna and Lord Venkteshwara, and NTRs sons death scene.
Post interval, the movie focuses on Emergency period, the incidents that prompted NTR to think about Praja Seva. There is also small reference of the emergence of Krishna as superstar and NTR and ANR losing their prominence.
The second half also focuses on his later career Yama Gola, Adavi Ramudu, Sardar Paparayudu, Vetagadu and Bobbilipuli. There is also one sequence of Diviseema cyclone that made him enter politics. The film ends on the point when he announces to launch Telugu Desam Party in Hyderabad.
In recent Mahanati, there is lot of drama (her addiction to alcohol and trauma in her personal life is boldly narrated) to hold the interest and it had good songs (non Savitri movies) whereas this part of NTRs biopic only extols the virtues of the great actor. There are no negatives, no villains, no major turns. It is almost like collage of his old movies.
Added to this, the film runs on slow pace for 170 minutes. Hence despite some good moments here and there, the film doesnt glue us to the screens throughout this movie.
However, it may work for NTRs fans as it gives glimpse of the great actors life, his struggles and his achievements.
All in all, NTR Kathanayakudu is a plain biopic that has many problems but can be watched as it tries to tell the story of one of the greatest actor and politician of Andhra Pradesh.
Greatandhra
