This Wednesday fans of the iconic Telugu superstars Nagarjuna and Chiranjeevi are in for a treat. Their new films will open simultaneously on Wednesday. While Chiranjeevi’s Godfather is the more hyped between the two films, it is Nagarjuna’s The Ghost which carries the stronger pre-release reports.
Ghost, written and directed by Praveen Sattaru is an out-and-out actioner.
Says Nagarjuna, “It is a film directed by Praveen Sattaru. He’s a big name in Telugu cinema with many hits to his credit. We shot for The Ghost in Hyderabad, London, Goa and Ooty. It’s an out-and-out action film.”
Nagarjuna has a confession to make. “I am in the mood for action. Enough of family dramas, love stories and biopics. The audience wants to see some solid action on screen. I think I am up to it. I’ve never felt fitter in my life. So my forthcoming films will be action-dominated. Even my last release Wild Dog was an action film.”
At 63 Nagarjuna is at his fittest. “I feel fit. I’ve never felt more equipped to do some heavy-duty action. So bring it on.”
Chiranjeevi’s Godfather has roped in Salman Khan to boost the film’s appeal in the Hindi belt. Telugu superstar Chiranjeevi has a lot riding on Godfather. His last film Acharya where he co-starred with his son Ram Charan , bombed miserably. For Godfather, Chiranjeevi has teamed up with his old friend Salman Khan to ensure a pan-India audience. What was supposed to be a guest appearance, then an “extended cameo” for Salman, is now a full-fledged starring role in Godfather.
Salman’s role was extended as per the need of the hour. Salman had a dance with Chiranjeevi and a few dialogues. Now he is playing a full-fledged role in Godfather. In the Malayalam original film, Lucifer Prithviraj played the role that Salman plays now. Mohanlal played the role that Chiranjeevi plays in the remake. Salman is not only partnering with Chiranjeevi on screen he will also be the film’s presenter in the Hindi belt.
There is a Hindi version of Nagarjuna’s The Ghost which is not being released at the moment.
About the battle at the box office with Chiranjeevi, Nagarjuna protests, “We don’t look at it that way. His (Chiranjeevi’s) film and mine are not in competition. We are both on the same side. I want his film to succeed and I am sure he wants my film to succeed as well.”
Subhash K Jha is a Patna-based film critic who has been writing about Bollywood for long enough to know the industry inside out. He tweets at @SubhashK_Jha.
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