NTR Jr’s ‘Devara Part 1’ Unveils Trailer
“Devara Part 1,” the next film from Indian star NTR Jr after the Golden Globe and Oscar-winning “RRR,” has unveiled a trailer.
The action saga set in India’s coast lands, reunites NTR Jr. with his “Janatha Garage” director Koratala Siva, whose last film was “Acharya,” starring megastar Chiranjeevi and “RRR” star Ram Charan. The film also stars Janhvi Kapoor (“Ulajh”) and Saif Ali Khan (“Vikram Vedha”) in pivotal roles.
More from Variety
The cast also includes Prakash Raj, Srikanth Meka, Tom Shine Chacko and Narain. The film is produced by Kosaraju Hari Krishna and Sudhakar Mikkilineni under the banners NTR Arts (“Bimbisara”) and Yuvasudha Arts respectively and is presented by Nandamuri Kalyan Ram. The film features music by Anirudh Ravichander (“Leo”), cinematography by R. Rathnavelu (“Sarileru Neekevvaru”), production design by Sabu Cyril (“RRR”) and editing by A. Sreekar Prasad (“RRR”).
The film will be released in two parts worldwide in the Telugu, Tamil, Hindi, Kannada and Malayalam languages. The first part has grossed more than $1 million from ticket sales for opening night screenings in the U.S., ahead of its Sept. 27 premiere, the fastest for any Indian film to date. Prathyangira Cinemas is releasing in the U.S.
The trailer was released at an event in Mumbai attended by NTR Jr, Kapoor, Siva and Indian media personality Karan Johar, who along with AA Films acquired the rights for the film’s North India theatrical distribution.
Johar described the film as “one of the most awaited films of Indian cinema, and we were only too happy, proud and privileged to present in Hindi ‘Devara,’ the madness, magic, magnitude and magnificence of ‘Devara.'”
Kapoor said about the experience of working with NTR Jr during the launch: “I had so much fun. I learned so much. And I think everyone knows what a big fan of him I’ve always been and I think I’ve become a bigger fan of him after having worked with him.”
Khan, who plays the antagonist Bhaira, said: “I remember my first shot speaking Telugu, and I had a bit of sweat running down my back, and I felt very nervous in a very, very different way. I mean, we come from the same country, but sometimes our states are really like different to one another. Movies made in the south recently have been mind blowing, and to get a chance to act in a film like this… I felt like a newcomer. I’m really excited, because I’ve spoken the language. It was a new language for me, and I love the movie, and I love what I’ve done in it also.”
Talking about the record advance ticket sales in the U.S., NTR Jr attributed it to “God’s blessings and the love which has always been showered by the fans and the audience.”
“The film is set against the forgotten lands of coastal India and the canvas is too big. As we started shooting the film, the canvas revealed itself and started getting bigger and bigger. Every character in the film has its own weight and they need to be explored and established in depth and in detail, which we can’t justify in one part. So, we took the decision to tell this big story and canvas in two parts. The story won’t change in shape but will thrive in scale,” Siva had said when the decision was made to release the film in two parts.
Watch the trailer here:
Best of Variety
Sign up for Variety's Newsletter. For the latest news, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.