Thursday belonged to the fans of actor-turned-politician Nandamuri Balakrishna, whose 100th film Gautamiputra Satakarni , an epic historical action film, hit the cinemas in a big way. The grand opening virtually turned the ‘Legend’ into ‘Satakarni.’
Crowded theatres and serpentine queues pointed to the entry of an iconic film in Telugu film history. So did the reactions of viewers walking out of single screens and multiplexes across the world.
Fans carrying flags shouted ‘Jai Balayya’ at several centres. Car rallies with flags made it to theatres in several cities of the U.S.
While boisterous fans in Hyderabad and other places made their appreciation obvious, celebrities took to Twitter to share their feelings.
The 100th film of Balakrishna, which coincided with Chiranjeevi’s comeback Khaidi Number 150 , made the release all the more interesting. Balakrishna watched the movie in Brahmarambha theatre in Kukatpally early in the morning much to the delight of his fans, and enjoyed every bit of the attention and response he received.
However, rivalry among his fans and those of actor Chiranjeevi crossed the limit on social media. It was a crude show of ‘we versus them.’
Members of the Nandamuri Balakrishna Charity (NBKC) performed paalabhishekham (pouring of milk) on the actor’s portrait outside Kapparthi and Alankar theatres in Vijayawada.
Motorcycle rally
Fans took out a motorcycle rally in Gandhinagar area where Balayya Babu’s film was showing. Since benefit shows were not allowed in the city, many eager fans were seen making enquiries with their counterparts in Hyderabad about the ‘talk’ emerging after the first shows of the film.
“The film is getting a positive response. Balakrishna has his distinct style of dialogue delivery which nobody can match,” said Chakrapani, a resident of Nunna and a die-hard Balayya fan.
‘Satakarni fever’
The ‘Satakarni’ fever, as a fan put it, gripped the town with both the cinemas screening the film reporting days of advanced booking. The 100th film of Balakrishna was released to packed houses and led to traffic jams on streets, with police bandobust being provided outside cinemas and on the streets to control the crowds.
While many have resigned to the fact that there are no tickets for several days and that they will get to watch the film only next week, a few die-hard fans have already watched the film twice.
(With inputs from Vijayawada)
