Balakrishna didn’t choose Jr NTR’s blockbuster for a reason

‘Baahubali’ writer Vijayendra Prasad has revealed that the script of ‘Simhadri’ was first offered to Nandamuri Balakrishna. B Gopal, who had previously made ‘Samarasimha Reddy’ and ‘Narasimha Naidu’, both blockbusters, was supposed to direct it.

The writer revealed that Balayya, who had by then made a name for himself as the ultimate mass hero of violent movies, liked the story but didn’t want to do it. Since SS Rajamouli loved the story, he came forward to take it up and narrated the story to Tarak. Jr NTR came on board because he loved the narration and the interval twist.

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In 2019, Paruchuri Gopalakrishna revealed that Balayya didn’t opt for ‘Simhadri’ for a story-related reason. By 2002 or so, Balayya had acted in movies dealing with the ‘crime and punishment’ template. Since ‘Simhadri’ was a repeat of the formula, Balayya didn’t want to do it.

‘Simhadri’, which hit the screens in 2003, was a massive hit. Starring Bhumika Chawla and Ankitha as heroines, it had Mukesh Rishi, Nasser and Mukul Dev in key roles. Music by MM Keeravani had chartbusters. Rajamouli wrote its screenplay, while the story was by his father.