Kantri’s run away success has made the trio NTR-Ashwini Dutt-Mehar Ramesh sit together and think of generating yet another product from their stable. Thus ‘Shakti’ was born, but with an additional purpose to export NTR to neighbouring states. This time NTR will also speak Tamil. Seeing this combination setting foot on yet another product, others of ‘Kantri’ fame like music director Mani Sharma, cameraman Sameer Reddy, editor Marthand K Venkatesh also joined hands. Not stopping with this, the film ‘Shakti’ has a large comedy group led by Brahmmu, supported by Ali, MS Narayana, Dharmavarapu, Venu Madhav, Krishna Bhagawan, Srinivas Reddy, etc., apart from imports from other states like Prabhu, Jackie Shroff and Pooja Bedi, not to forget the dazzling Ileana. Well the story goes like this.
NTR (Shakti) is a National Security Guard and Prabhu is the chief of the unit. Ileana is his daughter. She sets on visiting different temples in India out of spiritual desire. Prabhu decides to send NTR as her bodyguard for her. As they set on journey they undergo threats and attacks from different corners which NTR thwarts at ease. But as the days pass by, the intensity of attacks increase and finally NTR learns the motive behind the attacks. It is then the flashback starts where NTR was King Rudra fighting an evil (Sonu Sood) wanting to capture the 18 Shakti Peetams. In the process he dies. So it is now the ‘Shakti’ and Sonu Sood’s descendents who again fight in the present world. NTR finally releases the hold of those 18 Shakti Peetams.
So the movie’s entire length is expected to portray NTR frame after frame, thus dominating the entire film. The movie further being released in Tamil version will also show NTR’s capability to understand the Tamil public and deliver. This film being a socio-fantasy one, producer Ashwini Dutt has already opined that NTR’s image would gain unimaginable mileage similar to that of the Sr NTR. So the entire Nandamuri fans are eagerly waiting for this film.
The huge star cast and top technicians with about 300 unit members and 18 months of hard work on costly sets gulping crores of rupees, this movie is finally ready to hit theaters on April 1st. The distributors have decided to release the Tamil version in Tamil Nadu and Kerala together and the Telugu version in Andhra Pradesh and the rest of India.
For Mehar Ramesh who has just entered into the direction there has to be always firsts and this happens to be his first period film. His other movies in Telugu are ‘Kantri’ and ‘Billa’. He also assisted Puri Jagannath for ‘Pokiri’ apart from directing two films in Kannada.
It’s almost 5 years back Ileana did a movie (Rakhi) with NTR and the repeat will only mean that there won’t be need for synchronization. While Ileana’s role is very prominent and understood, it’s another female lead Manjari Fadnis who apparently plays along NTR probably in flash back scenes.
The movie under Vyjayanti Movies banner will also cast SPB, Manju Bhargavi, Roja and Nazar apart from the whole lot mentioned above. Sameer Reddy trained camera will no doubt play a vital role apart from Satyanand’s dialogues which of course Marthand K Venkatesh will have enough editing rights on. Such a period film cannot stand in the minds of people without proper art work and it is Anand Sai who has been entrusted with the job who does not need any introduction.
Veturi, Sirivennela and Ramajogayya Sastry competed with each other to provide the lyrics matching today’s temperament which Mani Sharma converted them into lovable music. He also added flavour to the background music by re-recording them at Prague (Czech) which in general accommodates only Hollywood films.
Kantri’s success showed NTR as a stylish hero. But ‘Shakti’ will portray him as a socio-fantasy character. The Telugu public even today relates Sr NTR to certain mythological roles, particularly to that of Lord Krishna. They also see a Sr NTR in the face of Jr NTR due to startling resemblance of face. Now this film will further strengthen their feeling and one can expect Jr NTR gaining a good momentum through this film. With very huge budget and expensive star cast filmed in different locations mainly Egypt (apart from Jammu & Kashmir, Kulu Manali, Hampi-Badami, Sivarla, Haridwar, Hyderabad and some part of Rajasthan), will this movie create a record similar to ‘Arundathi’ and ‘Magadheera’?
