We Are Going Ahead With Our Release, Says Nagarjuna

Nagarjuna says  his  producers are  going ahead with the  release of the out-and-out comedy Bangarraju which stars Nag and his son Naga Chaitanya.

Says  Nag, “We  are releasing as  per schedule  on January 14.The  third wave is  not that strong in Hyderabad and Andhra. Yesterday there were  huge traffic jams in Hyderabad  as people made their way back to their villages. We  are confident that  people would want to see our film.”

  Nag  is  confident  of  getting  his  audience, “It is  the kind of escapist no-brainer that people need right now. We have  no intellectual pretensions in Bangarraju . It is  a straightforward escapist entertainer  meant to make  people forget  their  worries for  two hours.”

But Rajamouli  chose  to postpone  the  release  of RRR again.

 Nag  reasons,  “ But postponing that film is  not the same thing as postponing our film.We  are  targeting our film at  predominantly an Andhra-Telangana   audience whereas RRR  is  meant  for   a pan-India audience. In fact why  just India?  RRR is  aimed at a  global audience. There is no comparison between the expected  reach  of their film and  ours.”

Bag  is confident  that audiences will turn up in movie theatres  for Bangarraju  “There is  a tradition of watching movies  in  Andhra  and Telangana for Makkar Sankranti.  They do their pujas  and then they dress up in new clothes and go see  a movie. Every year as  many  as  4-5  big film are released on Makar Sankranti. This  time, the situation being what it is, it’s just Bangarraju.  I am not saying to take risks  to see it. But mask up, take  all precautions and  you are  promised a  super time. It  is actually a super-hero film.

Nag calls  Bangarraja  a super-hero thouh not  like  the  Malayalam  blockbuster  Minnal  Murali      “Bangarrraju is  not a  super-hero film in that sense. Neither  Chaitanya nor I  get into  super-hero suits.But it is  about  powers that guide us through   life. In Indian culture we  believe that  our ancestors look over us. Bangarraju is about that . It also has a  wise  thoughtful  snake. It’s a  crazy crazy film, as  mad as Manmohan Desai’s cinema.Audiences should leave their brains behind and come for it.”

Nag  shares screen space  with his  son Naga Chaitanya.The  younger Akkineni  was  not  nervous  of his father’s  presence. “If he  was ,I didn’t see any nervousness. I   saw a remarkable   change in  Chaitanya  during  Bangarajju. When we did  Manam together he  was new  and  raw.  Now after  Love Story last year  , I saw a  very confident  co-actor  in  Bangarajju. Initially Chaitanya was  nervous   about  doing  something so over-the-top. But he  gradually got a  hang of it. By the time we completed  the film he was  as  confident as me.”

Chaitanya conducted  himself  with  dignity  during  the family crisis last year.

Speaking  for  the  first time  on the  family crisis when  Naga Chaitanya’s  wife Samantha ended   their marriage, Nargarjuna  says, “I am  very proud of  how calm he remained  through it all. He was not  provoked into  uttering   a  single  word . Like any father  I  was  very worried about him. But he was more worried  about me  than I was  about him. He would ask me, ‘You okay, Dad?’  and I’d be like, errr,  ‘Isn’t that what I should be asking  you?’

  Looking back at  the challenges  that destiny threw  at his family last year Nag says, “I would rather  focus  on  the  good than the bad. Both my sons broke through the  so-called  jinx  to  deliver mature performances in hit films. I am  proud  of  both Chaitanya and  Akhil  for what they achieved  in  Love Story and  Most Eligible Bachelor.”