By 1989, the mercurial chief minister had landed himself in a series of controversies, many of them of his own making. His image took a sev...
By 1989, the mercurial chief minister had landed himself in a series of controversies, many of them of his own making. His image took a severe beating. Senior party leaders who fell out with him became a thorn in his side. Caste conflicts and Naxalite violence created fissures in his governance. His iron grip over the party and the administration seemed to loosen. The Opposition stepped up its attack. The Congress (I) was able to pin him down on his home turf when he thought he was close to realizing his ambition of taking on the establishment at the national level…
Enmeshed in the political quagmire, NTR found solace in the idea of making a movie that allowed him to project himself the way he perceived himself. Since he became chief minister in 1983, NTR always ardently talked about his movie career and how people wanted him to continue to showcase his histrionics. He sincerely believed that his absence was a great void in the field. The character of Viswamitra, a temperamental sage in Hindu mythology, caught his attention a long time ago. He first announced plans for a film on the rishi in January 1987.
Taking inspiration from Viswamitra
Whenever an opportunity presented itself, NTR...
