That his late father is a godly figure to Nandamuri Balakrishna is common knowledge. He regards NTR as a manifestation of the divine (well, almost). Playing such a great personality must have been his unstated dream for many years. Since Balayya is the only second-generation superstar legatee in NTR's family, he is best placed to portray him on screen. There are no arguments over this.

That said, issues are there, avoidable or otherwise.

1. Legal issues:

The procedure has it that, before making a biopic on a dead person, the permission of his/her spouse has to be taken. In this case, it's Lakshmi Parvathi, NTR's second wife.

Whether or not she will put a spanner in the wheel, it's clear that the makers of the biopic are not going to approach her to seek permission. Balayya and Lakshmi Parvathi are sworn rivals.

Even if they were to do it, for argument's sake, Lakshmi Parvathi wouldn't delude herself into believing that her account will be shown in the biopic.

2. Funny choice called RGV:

It's not about who has been chosen to direct the biopic, but who has made the choice that is utterly funny about it.

Who would have expected the devout son Balakrishna to select a director who doesn't seem to have the right sensibilities to tell the life story of a rich personality? NTR is no Paritala Ravindra, willy nilly.

Just take his acting career. He played Krishna, Rama and other mythological characters about whom the mediocre pop-philosopher director called RGV has no serious understanding. Heck, RGV is someone who thinks that comparing Pawan Kalyan with Arjuna is akin to insulting the former.

Can RGV even understand the characters that NTR played to perfection? Yes, as a talented director who has made masterpieces like 'Shiva', he may well understand what kind of homework NTR must have made before essaying those timeless characters, but is that enough? Shouldn't one have a strong sense of Telugu literature to make a biopic on the legendary NTR?

RGV can be trusted to dramatize the rise of NTR post the formation of TDP. Balakrishna can ask him to smash Congress party's rivals in just one or two lines. RGV will deliver the goods.

But is that all?

RGV's idiom is well-known. Be it Sarkar or Vangaveeti, the characters were placed in a cinematic situation. They constantly faced bloody opponents and they themselves were bloody.

NTR was a different personality. He was a rare phenomenon who didn't talk darkly like a Sarkar. How is RGV to be trusted to bring out the true NTR through Balayya? We suspect Balayya will have to ghost-direct some portions, as the son knows much better about his father.

(RGV did attend a Mahanadu, but Balayya wouldn't consider it as a qualification. Mind it!)

3. A biopic of Balayya, for Balayya:

Finally, the obvious. It's going to be a biopic of Balayya, for Balayya. In other words, the other important personality who will love it is the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh. That's not our business, but it's a plain fact.

For sure, a large chunk of the population are going to say that the film is dishonest. It's because, NTR's last days were mired in controversy. The great man's career fell apart, leaving his followers shocked and shattered. When he died, an era came to an end. The fact that before and after his death in 1996, there was utter disunity among NTR's family members made it all the more disastrous. The Nandamuris were divided into camps. For months on end, their infighting was a major preoccupation of the common man.

The founder of the now-defunct Anna Telugu Desam Party, Lakshmi Parvathi, has already said that the film should bring out the trauma that NTR went through in his last days after his son-in-law, N Chandrababu Naidu, usurped the throne in a dramatic coup.

This is going to be a biopic everyone from the Chief Ministers of AP and TS to the comedians of 'Jabardasth' are going to tell their opinion about. Brace up, folks!