You would think that an actor like Jr NTR, who is 29 films old, wouldn’t feel nervous about his film's release. "If you take RRR, it was all Rajamouli and so we were entirely banking on him. But, Devara is my solo release after six years, which is quite a long time. I don't remember the last time I was this nervous," says Jr NTR, with just days left for the release of the Koratala Siva directorial.
While he is nervous on one hand, he is quick and confident to declare that Devara is "hands down, the most ambitious film that I have been a part of." Talking about the scale of the film, the actor is all praises for production designer Sabu Cyril. "Sabu sir constructed a 250 ft by 150 ft tank, which was about 6 ft deep, for the boat placements and other surface-level water shots. For the underwater sequences, we constructed another tank, which was about 20 ft deep," says Jr NTR. "Unfortunately, we live in an era where production design is misunderstood as VFX," he says, before adding, "Water is one of the toughest elements to bring about through VFX. It needed to be very realistic and I think we have pulled it off quite brilliantly."
Jr NTR plays a dual role in Devara, a father and a son. By now, it is clear that the film's name comes from its lead character. Shedding light on the meaning of the title Devara, he shares, "The local deities or grama devatha are also referred to as Devara in Telugu. While a female deity is referred to as devatha, a male deity is called devara. That’s the idea behind the title, and my older character is titular, while my younger character is Vara." He also assures that Devara will be a novel addition to the commercial film genre. "Usually in a commercial film, a protagonist comes to the aid of people who have no confidence. In Devara, there is a lot of confidence among people who are reminded that there is someone who must be feared. This is very beautifully articulated heroism."
Jr NTR is more than grateful and proud of the work of his National Award- and state award-winning technicians, Sreekar Prasad, Sabu Cyril, and R Rathnavelu. He also has special praise for music composer Anirudh Ravichander, whom he endearingly calls 'machan'. "I genuinely believe Anirudh is here to stay, his is no fleeting success. He doesn't compromise on quality, even under pressure. His dedication is unwavering because he knows the impact music can have on films." He is also confident that the composer will reach great heights and create something grand and global. "Not only for Devara, I could take Jailer as an example. I went berserk seeing Rajinikanth sir on the big screen, thanks to Ani’s music, which played a huge role. I can say the same about films like Vikram and Master."
Anirudh shares how he landed the opportunity to work with his Tarak in Devara. "I have been wanting to work with Tarak Anna for a while now. In Telugu I have done only a few films, in fact, Devara is just my fourth. Tarak Anna’s fans are hectic fans, and even before the announcement was made they kept saying “We want Anirudh” on social media," he shares, mentioning that his fans were one of the many reasons this collaboration happened. Like Jr NTR, Anirudh also says that Devara is not like any usual commercial film. "When Koratala Siva sir narrated the story to me, I was genuinely excited and entertained. I realised that it is not a mainstream Telugu film, but a rather different idea in the commercial genre. I had also not done a mass film in Telugu until then. Additionally, this film is Anna’s solo release after 6 years, which means that it will have a lot of expectations."
Tarak is not miserly when it comes to praise. He says Janhvi has "killed it" when asked about her performance in Devara, which marks her Telugu debut. "Although she was quite nervous about speaking in Telugu, dancing, performing well, and mainly, living up to the legacy of Sridevi ma’am, she has performed excellently," says the actor who has grown up watching Sridevi act alongside his grandfather on the big screens. "In certain angles, she’s a Xerox copy of Sridevi ma’am, while in some others she is quite different. I think that’s where the Boney Kapoor side comes into play," he shares jokingly while speaking about the resemblance.
Speaking about his co-star Janhvi, Jr NTR says she has "killed it" in Devara, which marks her Telugu debut. "At times, she looks like an exact copy of Sridevi ma’am, while in other times she is quite different. I think that’s where the Boney Kapoor side comes into play," he shares jokingly. According to Jr NTR, Saif Ali Khan's character in Devara was inspired by the actor's role in the 2006 film, Omkara. "Saif Ali Khan has done something completely new and different in Devara. Saif’s Ishwar "Langda" Tyagi from Omkara was an unforgettable character for Siva and me. We were inspired by that character to create something unique for Saif sir in Devara. His character Bhaira is as powerful as Devara," he says, adding, "Not only Saif sir but Kalaiyarasan and Shine Tom Chacko have also done interesting roles in the film."
Having achieved nationwide fame with RRR, it would only be natural to think Jr NTR would want to cater to every set of audiences with every project going forward. On the contrary, the actor asserts that he is not into the pan-Indian game. "Only when a story has the inherent capacity to travel beyond one place, should you push it. Certain stories will work only for Southern audiences, while others will work globally. A beautiful example would be Kantara. As my mother is Kannadiga, I am half-Kannadiga and I grew up listening to the stories of Guliga and Panjurli deities. When Kantara came out, I was excited to watch it, but I never thought it would strike a chord with the entire country. The writer and the filmmaker should be able to connect a story with the masses, and only then will it become pan-Indian," the actor signs off.
