Taking a short break after Congress debacle in the general elections, former Union Minister and Telugu actor K. Chiranjeevi is all set to act in his 150th film as Uyyalawada Narasimha Reddy, a local chieftain of Kurnool district who took on British forces in 1846.
The almost three-plus-years wait may end on August 22 (Chiranjeevi’s birthday) when the megastar is likely to don the grease paint for the movie that will be produced by his actor-son Ramcharan Tej. “Plans are on to rope in V.V. Vinayak of ‘Tagore’ fame to wield the megaphone for the film,” sources close to Mr. Chiranjeevi told The Hindu on Friday.
Sources maintained that Mr. Chiranjeevi, keen on keeping a low political profile for at least six months, wanted to start shooting from August and schedule the movie for a Sankranti release. It is understood that he was offered a meaty role in upcoming film Rani Rudrama Devi , but refused it. “He wants to make a comeback with a bang,” they said.
Paruchuri brothers have been commissioned to write the script for the movie that revolves around the life of Narasimha Reddy, a ‘polygar’ (chieftain) of Koilkuntla. He had under his command as many as 66 villages in Kadapa, Anantapur, Bellary and Kurnool districts with a 2,000-strong army.
Narasimha Reddy refused to accept the British regime after Nizam ceded Rayalaseema to them and stopped sharing the revenue accruing from the region with them. He waged a relentless armed struggle against them till he was captured after an informant tipped off about his hideout. He was tortured and hanged in the full view of the public at Koilkuntla in 1847.
Mr. Chiranjeevi’s last appearance in a cameo role was in the blockbuster Magadheera starring Ramcharan and directed by S.S. Rajamouli in 2009, but his last film as a hero was Shankar Dada Zindabad that was released in July 2007.
