Junior NTR on ‘Devaara: Part 1’ and how Janhvi Kapoor ‘revealed’ her role in the film

Keeping up the fashion with pan-Indian actors promoting their films at centers outside their homes, Jr. NTR was recently in Chennai for a press meet. Devara: 1st episode, After the monumental success of his upcoming film RRR. This marks how it is his first solo film in six years the mood The actor has no qualms in admitting that he is high-spirited about the release.

“RRR Rajamouli had a film; This is all on us! I am very confident in the team Gods Thanks to the kind of technicians we have… my director Siva (Koratala Siva), Sabu sir (production designer Sabu Cyril), Sreekar sir (editor Sreekar Prasad) and Randy sir (cinematographer Rathnavelu). Anirudh has been killing it lately too. All of them have done something wonderful in the film and I wish I could show it on my face,” says a smiling NTR.

unblocked factor

Talking about Anirudh, NTR said, “Tamil audiences have been listening to Ani for a long time and he is rocking. I’ve said it many times; This is the era of Ani. Many technicians have a phase of huge success but after a point of time, it’s out. We have seen several examples. But I think this person is here to stay.”

“He works hard; Even if we desperately need an output that has to come on the day itself, he doesn’t compromise on it because he knows how important music is to a film, not just Gods. I can’t remember the last time I was speechless watching Rajinikanth sir and this happened the jailer… Because of the music,” says NTR. “The same thing happened with this Vikram And the master. I am sure that one day he will reach the level of AR Rahman sir and write great things internationally. That’s my vision. There is a lot of work for him Gods And the trailer is a little synopsis of what’s to come.”

For the love of God

Explaining the meaning behind the film’s title, NTR says, “We have a lot in our South Indian culture Kula devams (local deities). In Telugu these deities are called Gods When goddesses are named god”

Jr. NTR in ‘Devaara: Part 1’

NTR added that he believes the title has a pan-Indian reach, “As a title, Gods Sounds new and wondered exactly how this title would work in other languages RRR There are two main characters here, Devara and Vara.

The key word is ‘ambitious’.

Call NTR Gods His most ambitious project and a claim for an actor who has recently been a part of a film RRR. “It’s probably the most ambitious movie I’ve been a part of in my career so far. It is very much in VFX which is a completely different craft and Rajamouli has mastered it. He knows when, where, why and how to use it. So it’s not everyone’s cup of tea,” said the actor.

“Water is probably the most difficult medium to work with in VFX, as it’s difficult to make it look realistic, but I think we pulled off the job quite brilliantly. On the huge floor, Sabu sir created a 200ft by 150ft tank which is about six feet deep. It was just for the underwater sequence, we made another swimming pool which was about 20 feet deep,” said NTR who called the work. Gods “Nothing less than international standards”.

Jr NTR in stills from ‘Devaara’

“Unfortunately, when a production designer does a great job, people think it’s done by VFX. For the type of boat he built for the film, they needed motors and were ready for sea. dive for Gods Perhaps the hardest was; We shot underwater for about 30 days and there were some crazy stunts involved.”

Skipping Pan-India games

RRR NTR may be a household name across the country, but he doesn’t believe that every one of his films matches that tag. “I am not in this pan-India game. Just when a story can push the boundaries, you push it; You don’t do that because you have a pan-Indian market. There are certain stories that will work locally, some that will work only in the South, some across the country and some stories will work globally,” says NTR. Cantara For example.

Actor Jr. NTR poses for a photo during the trailer launch of his upcoming movie ‘Devaara: Part 1’ in Mumbai. Photo credit: ANI

“My mother is a Kannadiga. I grew up hearing stories of Guliga and Panjurli (gods) all my life. My mother and my grandmother used to tell me stories about it and now there is a movie about it. I never thought that the movie would connect with the country, but it did. The writer and filmmaker must have the ability to connect it with the public and only then will it happen. Having said that, I think the story will decide whether it goes global or not.”

NTR adds that they never wanted to make Gods As a two partner. “We felt that to tell a story like this, a one-part, three-hour narrative was not enough. If our audience was ready to watch a five-hour movie, we would have done that. But we have a hunch that this might be a test of the audience’s patience. animal It was 3 hours 24 minutes, and that movie worked. Such runtime needs to be justified.”

The power of expression

Jr. NTR’s grandfather and legendary actor NT Rama Rao Praveen acted in a dozen films with Sridevi and GodsSridevi’s daughter Janhvi Kapoor is making her Telugu debut. NTR says that Janhvi has revealed her addition to the project.

“Karan Johar called me one day and told me that Janhvi is a brilliant actor and asked me to cast her in my movie. I told him we were still in the writing stage. But I think she revealed so much that by the end of it, we had no choice but to cast her and she killed it in the film,” says NTR, adding that Janhvi initially got her hitch. “He had a lot of fears and excitement, especially about Telugu, dance and more importantly meeting those expectations of Sridevi. Garu. But Janhvi surprised us all… In some angles she looks exactly like her mother and in other angles she looks completely different.

Jr NTR and Janhvi Kapoor in ‘Devaara’ stills

Only as strong as his villain

Janhvi is not the only cast member to be cast on Bollywood shores Gods; Its opposite is Saif Ali Khan who recently made his southern debut Progenitor NTR says that it was a conscious decision not to show him much in the trailer. “Unfortunately, the film is so tightly bound that I cannot reveal everything. He is amazing and has done things he has not done before. Omkara And his role in the film was amazing, and here he plays Bhaira who is equally strong Gods” said NTR.

Actors Jr. NTR and Saif Ali Khan at the trailer launch of their upcoming movie ‘Devaara: Part 1’ | Photo credit: ANI

“Gods A mass film with a lot of commercial elements,” adds NTR before clarifying what sets his film apart. “In mainstream commercial films, the hero comes to the aid of people who lack confidence, gives it to them and takes them forward. But here is the opposite; When people have a lot of confidence, someone from outside comes and says ‘No, we need to have a little fear’. It’s a very nicely articulated heroism.”

NTR also said that the characters played by Kalaiyarson and Shine Tom Chacko are different from what they have done before. “Gods It’s an action drama and when you have to say drama, you have to have a lot of relatable characters and that’s what we did. I can’t wait for you all to catch it.”

Devara: Part 1 is slated to hit theaters on September 27, 2024.