Ram Gopal Varma has released the second trailer of his latest biopic, Lakshmi’s NTR, centred around the relationship between actor-politician NTR, his wife Lakshmi Parvathi - who was decades younger than he was - and his protégé turned antagonist Chandrababu Naidu - the current Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh.
Take a look:
After taking audiences through NTR’s tumultuous journey in the first trailer, the second trailer focusses on the political drama that plays out along with the actor-politician’s relationship with Lakshmi Parvathi.
Another biopic on the former Andhra Pradesh CM, NTR: Kathanayakudu, was released on 9 January. It is the first of two parts and has been directed by Krish. RGV’s take has courted controversy for allegedly showing Chandrababu Naidu in poor light. In an interview with India Today, Varma said, “With regard to Chandrababu Naidu, I am making a film on a story which is in the public domain and I am well within my rights to do so and my intention is to depict the truth but not to target anyone.”
The film stars P Vijay Kumar and Yagna Shetty. The release date is yet to be announced. Varma has tweeted that the theatrical trailer will release on 22 February, the same day that NTR Mahanayakudu, the second part of Krish’s NTR biopic, is slated to release.
Chandrababu Portrayed Negatively, TDP Miffed
The trailer begins by declaring that the film is about the days following NTR's defeat in the 1989 elections. NTR, the founder of the Telugu Desam Party, is seen accusing Chandrababu Naidu of turning his own party against him. It deals with the entry of Lakshmi Parvathi into NTR’s life, the opposition to their marriage, the revolt by current TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu, and finally NTR's death on 18 January 1996.
Earlier, TDP leaders had objected to a song from the film which appears to be targeting Naidu for "backstabbing NTR". TDP legislator SVSN Varma had approached the Hyderabad High Court, seeking directions to remove the song from all streaming platforms, claiming it projects Naidu in poor light. Last month, the court served notices to the makers of Lakshmi's NTR and asked them to file a counter to the petition filed by the TDP MLA.
In Andhra Pradesh, the election to the state Assembly will coincide with the general election and given that both are just a couple of months away, the multiple biopics about the founder of the Telugu Desam Party will not just attract attention, but as is evident already, they will draw their fair share of controversy too.
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