The first part of Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao’s biopic ‘NTR: Kathanayakudu’ released on Tuesday and the film only glorifies the actor as a legend. His life journey has not been shown like a usual biopic, a common man rose to fame through hardships and becomes the stature of a demi-god, rather it is shown as if NTR was a legend since the very beginning.
The film opens with angry NTR resigning from the coveted job of a sub-registrar at Madras Service Commission, in protest to the bribery going on in his department. He goes home and tells his family that he is going to Madras (now Chennai) to meet director LV Prasad, who has offered him an acting job. NTR’s wife Basavatarakam (Vidya Balan) without uttering a word, helps him pack and gives him her gold necklace for hard times.
When NTR reaches to meet LV Prasad, the security guard refuses to let him go inside. To which he picks up a fight with him and the director sees him. By some miracle, the biggest director at the time Prasad himself comes out, walks down the stairs, and receives the aspiring actor. This part is not convincing and doesn’t make any sense. Prasad personally takes NTR to the audition, as if the industry was waiting just for him.
Director BA Subba Rao who can’t find an actor for the hero’s role in his film titled Palletoori Pilla (1950), sees NTR and without even auditioning offers him the film. It is like a cake walk for NTR like he was spoonfed his success.
Subba Rao does not start the movie even after several weeks of signing NTR. So he writes a letter informing him that he was rejecting his film offer as he can’t wait anymore. To which the director begs the newcomer not to leave and he will start the movie soon.
Everything seems so simple for NTR, that it makes the audience think how much of the movie actually true. After playing Lord Krishna in several films, NTR became a deity himself for the audience and it was said that pilgrimage to Tirupati was not complete for many without getting ‘NTR Darshanam’ at his house.
The movie looks more like a tribute to the first superstar of India, and less like his life’s story. However, Balakrishna effortlessly portrayed his father on the big screen and there were scenes where you forget that you are not watching NTR on the screen. Vidya Balan also pulled off the character very well.
The first part miserably fails to explore NTR’s real-life journey, hopefully, the director explores it in the next part ‘NTR: Mahanayakudu’.