From NTR to Savitri: 6 eye-catching first look posters of NTR biopic

Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao famously called as NTR among his millions of fans is a true demigod in the Telugu-speaking territory both on the cinema and political front. So, when his son Nandamuri Balakrishna announced a biopic on his legendary father, a huge sense of excitement and anticipation triggered among all people of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. The most-prestigious project was officially launched on March 29 at the Ramakrishna Studios in Hyderabad.

Teja was initially finalised to direct NTR’s biopic and the pre-production work was also supervised by him. However, owing to creative differences, ‘Manikarnika’ fame Krish Jagarlamudi was roped in to replace Teja in the month of May. Bankrolled by Balakrishna along with Sai Korrapati and Vishnu Induri, NTR biopic features a slew of prominent actors playing pivotal roles of renowned personalities in Telugu cinema. Right from NTR, ANR, Chandrababu Naidu, Harikrishna to Savitri & Sridevi, here are 6 eye-catching first look posters which had a striking resemblance to the original ones.

The first look of Nitya Menen as the legendary actress of Telugu cinema Savitri has been dropped by the makers on the auspicious occasion of Diwali. The released poster is a magical moment from the famous ‘Lechindi Nidra Lechindi Mahila Lokam’ in the evergreen hit film ‘Gundamma Katha’. The Bengaluru beauty perfectly fits the bill as Savitri with her expressive face and a house wife-next-door personality. Initially, the makers thought of roping in Keerthy Suresh who played the same role in ‘Mahanati’. But, citing dating issues, the Tamil beauty backed off and Nitya Menen joined in.

On her 28th birthday, the first look poster of Rakul Preet Singh as the late-legendary actress Sridevi has been unveiled by the makers of NTR biopic. The Punjabi diva matched the appearance of Sridevi in terms of her vibrant smile and trademark expression. The second posture of Rakul matching steps with Balakrishna in the iconic rain song Aaku Chatu Pinde Tadise also released to a fabulous response from netizens.

Both the actors posed a striking resemblance to Senior NTR and Sridevi in the superhit number from the 1979 blockbuster film ‘Vetagadu’ directed by veteran filmmaker K Raghavendra Rao.

On the occasion of Dussehra, Nandamuri Kalyan Ram shared his first look from the prestigious film which displayed Balakrishna as NTR sitting in the chair and listening to his son Harikrishna portrayed by Kalyan Ram himself. Both the Nandamuri scions bared a striking resemblance to their respective fathers and credit must go to the make-up team and costume department for acquiring the authenticity during the 80s. The picture will also bring back fond memories as Harikrishna was the right hand and side-kick of NTR during his path-breaking political journey.

In the first look poster of Sumanth as ANR, the 43-year-old actor posed a striking resemblance to his grandfather. His facial expressions, old-age glasses, and that cute smile as the evergreen doyen struck the right chord with Telugu viewers. In another memorable poster, Balakrishna as NTR and Sumanth as ANR are seen lighting up a cigarette indicating that they were the best buddies of that generation. The posture looked epic and took us back to the golden era of Telugu cinema.

Rana Daggubati looked like a splitting image of Nara Chandrababu Naidu in his first look poster as CBN. The black & white image of the Baahubali star acutely resembled the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh during his younger days. Right from the hairdo to the moustache, Rana got everything right. In the background of the poster is a framed photo of NTR and the look on Rana’s face is hell-bent.

While the first edition of NTR's biopic titled Kathanayakudu will hit the screens on January 9, the second part Mahanayakudu will release on January 24 as a Republic Day special.

Last but not the least, Balakrishna stunned everyone with his first look as NTR. The Nandamuri scion has nailed it in the old avatar of NTR and bared a striking resemblance to the former Chief Minister. Featuring the Indian national flag at the background, the poster showed Balayya as the saffron Caesar posing with his trademark mannerism. The look takes us back to the 80s where the 'Telugu Desam Party' founder, delivered thunderous speeches to massive crowds who came to catch a glimpse of their favourite actor-cum-politician.

The makeover is spot-on and this particular look generated a truckload of expectations on the film.