A month after Krish’s ‘official’ biopic on the late NT Rama Rao, NTR Kathanayakudu (2019), there is another film coming up based on the life and times of Telugu’s cinema’s first superstar. Ram Gopal Varma and Agasthya Manju’s Lakshmi’s NTR seems to delve into the clear divide between the two former chief ministers of Andhra Pradesh — NT Rama Rao and N Chandrababu Naidu.
The trailer begins with a mysterious phone call that disturbs the usually peaceful NTR (P Vijay Kumar). It also marks the arrival of Lakshmi Parvathi (Yagna Shetty) into the household. While she steps in to be the confidante and caretaker of NTR, the family finds it disturbing and starts spreading rumours of their alliance. The trailer also delves into the rivalry and hostile takeover of the Telugu Desam Party by Naidu (Tharak Ponappa).
The trailer does not shy away from showing the confrontations between the two, and shows NTR saying, “The only mistake I did in my life was to trust that snake”. In another scene, the trailer recreates the infamous Viceroy hotel incident from 1992, when NTR and Lakshmi Parvathi were assaulted by a mob with stones.
With its backing of controversial scenes, punch dialogues and heavy political conflict, the trailer catches attention, but seems to lack the cinematic touch that often defined Varma’s films. Although the director does not walk away without leaving his signatures through his odd camera angles.
While the trailer only takes place in the latter half of NTR’s life, post-1989, the film seems to be clashing with the upcoming sequel by Krish, NTR: Mahanayakudu, which will be released on the same day (22 February). It would be interesting to see which NTR biopic viewers choose.
The trailer also paints the family of NTR as joining hands with Naidu in betraying him, and might face some flak for that.