Review of the film NTR Mahanayakudu: Balakrishna shines again but not the film

NTR: Mahanayakud movie performers: Nandamuri Balakrishna, Vidya Balan, Rana Daggubati
NTR: Mahanayakudu director: Krish
NTR: Mahanayakudu rank: 2 stars

NTR: Dead Reef 10, tells the larger-than-life story of NT Rama Rao and his rise to the status of demi-god of Andhra Pradesh by playing a series of mythological characters on the big screen. The film ended when Balakrishna's NT Rama Rao announced his political downfall with his new party, the Telugu Desam Party.

NTR: Mahanayakudu, which was unveiled today (February 22), resumes the story of the first part ended. And again, director Radha Krishna Jagarlamudi, nicknamed Krish, fills the film with a lot of trivial information that adds little to his narration or to the cinematic experience of the audience. The director, who was also responsible for the script of this biopic in two parts, ensures that his characters reveal unnecessary details throughout the film.

For example, there is so much talk about the NTR Chevrolet van, which became famous after the show. he integrated into his political campaign. The old Chevrolet was named Chaitanya Ratham, in which NTR lived during its political campaign for the 1983 elections in Andhra Pradesh. This revolutionized political campaigning methods across the country.

There is so much going back and forth between NTR and the people around him regarding the technical aspects of using Chaitanya Ratham for the political campaign. We are even told few details, but none of them explains the emotional connection that NTR has with Chaitanya Ratham.

In another scene, at the height of his political campaign, NTR expresses his inability to attend the wedding of his sons. And this also appears as a trivial attempt to play a well-known fact. The majority of the film, including the first part, consists of a series of transient references to the achievements of an iconic film and political personality. We have very little emotion, nuance, depth and taste for producing professional films in both episodes.

The main problem with Krish's biopic is the lack of subtext. There is nothing beyond the action and images that we see on the surface. An in-depth scenario could have made us really feel for NTR when his government was overthrown by power-hungry politicians. The public's reaction to NTR's suffering is likely to be as superficial as the scenario.

That being said, NTR: Mahanayakudu got me into the narrative, for a short while, when NTR loses its government in a nasty grabbing of power. What came to my mind is that like clbadical Indian cinema, even the state of the country's politics is stuck in a time loop. Watching the film in Karnataka found more resonance as the state made headlines about the controversies surrounding the horse trade and the politicians who were trying to exploit loopholes to seize the power. The shameful antics of politicians present in the badembly to prevent prosecution, hiding among others the deputies to rival parties to protect them from corruption or threats, are surprisingly prevalent in current politics.

Contrary to its 35 glorious years For a long time in cinema, NTR's life in active politics has not always been filled with sunshine and rainbows. It was peppered with upheavals and historical moments of Indian politics. The film narrative would have magnificently explored the story of a new regional political party that allegedly knelt an all-powerful national party by rallying opposition parties across the country. However, Krish is happy with the idea of ​​playing at the gallery.

Vidya Balan, Basavatarakam, wife of NTR, does not have many scenes in the film. Even when she appears on the screen, she does not have time to shine. Krish packed the screenplay with so many questions from a man; there is no space to write in scenes where the audience can develop a real perception of the characters. Rana Daggubati as Chandra Bau Naidu, son-in-law of NTR, makes her presence on the screen despite the short duration. His performance controlled as a perceptive but calm politician fills the screen. Balakrishna as NTR strikes again out of the park, but his performance is disappointed by an amateur scenario. The score and background songs by composer MM Keeravani complete the frames of cinematographer Gnana Shekar V.S who celebrate the larger than ever image of NTR.

NTR Mahanayakudu feels slightly better than NTR: Kathanayakudu. But, when I think of everything that the second part could have done filmically, it hurts a lot.