Even as the cast, crew and of course fans of Bahubali still bask in the glory of one of the biggest blockbusters across India, the news of Bhallala Deva @ Rana Daggubati starring in director Teja’s long-awaited Nene Raju Nene Mantri (NRNM) has come off as yet another much-awaited film.
It is Teja’s comeback film after a long hiatus, and is also talked about as a casting coup of sorts, what with Rana acting with Kajal Agarwal and Catherine Tresa. Actors Navadeep and Ashutosh Rana also essay pivotal roles in this movie.
Although the title was announced on May 28, it is set for a release soon. When contacted, the writer-director said he was shooting the last few shots at a temple in Kurnool district and the post-production work would be wrapped up in a few weeks. The spotlight is automatically on Rana what with his work as a menacing and muscled Bhallala Deva in Bahubali and Lt. Commander Arjun Verma in The Ghazi Attack .
In NRNM which is being planned for a simultaneous release in Telugu, Tamil, Malayalam and Hindu, he will don the role of Jogendra. While a heavy shroud of secrecy has been cast over NRNM, all that the director would say is, it was about breaking away from the ‘jane do yaar’ attitude and that it would see Rana changing this attitude. “Rana’s role has been specifically scripted to enlighten people and change the ‘light le lo’ bent of mind,” said Teja. For the director specifically, it will be a game changer as this film comes after a long time. Interestingly, work on this film started slightly ahead of S.S. Rajamouli’s blockbuster Bahubali .
Producer Suresh Daggubati, who is co-producing this big-budget entertainer with Ch. Bharat Chowdhary and V. Kiran Reddy under the twin banners of Suresh Productions and Blue Planet Entertainments said, “After hearing Teja’s script, I felt it would be a character that would present Rana in a whole new avatar with immense diversity.”
The lead actor Rana said, “ Nene Raju Nene Mantri is a perfect product and chiselled to delight everyone. I have always admired Teja’s hunger for brilliance and this one is turning out to be a compelling and thought-provoking film.”
