NTR got deeply involved in politics and even made great strides with his political party, Telugu Desam Party.
NTR was extremely excited to team up with Venkatesh and play the role of Gautamiputra in the film.
Actor Daggubati Venkatesh has carved a massive fan following for himself with his stellar body of work in the Telugu cinema. As per reports, at one point, even Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao aka senior NTR wanted to collaborate with Venkatesh for a film based on the ruler Gautamiputra Satakarni. Gautamiputra was a ruler of the Satavahana Empire in the present-day Deccan region of India. NTR was extremely excited to team up with Venkatesh and play the role of Gautamiputra. He decided to cast Venkatesh for the character of Vasishthiputra Pulumavi, Gautamiputra’s son. NTR had also prepared the storyline of this film and was all pumped up to show the heroic exploits of king Gautamiputra Satakarni. Then the unthinkable happened. It seemed as though the two bigwigs were not destined to work together in this film.
NTR got deeply involved in politics and even made great strides with his political party, Telugu Desam Party. He also went on to become the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh three times. Amid a busy political career, NTR hardly had any time to essay pivotal roles in films. The project got delayed constantly and got shelved at the end. For NTR and Venkatesh followers, this news was like a bolt from the blue.
Fans of both celebrities thought that they would not get a chance to see the life of Gautamiputra and his son on celluloid. Then in a riveting twist, this film was revived by director Krish Jagarlamudi. Can you guess which actor essayed the role of Gautamiputra? Not NTR, but his son Nandamuri Balakrishna did so. For the role of Vasishthiputra, child actor Snehith Chowdary was cast. Released on January 12, 2017, Gautamiputra Satakarni received mixed reviews from the audience.
Some called it a well-executed war drama, while others panned it pointing out the weak execution and bland narration. As opined by the cine buffs, the director didn’t even bother to show a background story of Gautamiputra. This could have infused strength to the plotline of the story and made it an interesting watch. Cine buffs couldn’t form an emotional connection with this movie and feel that it could have been a blockbuster success with NTR and Venkatesh in lead roles.
