The buzz surrounding Janatha Garage has masked the clear indications that NTR is no longer letting the demands that come with his stardom hamper his vision. And we couldn’t be happier with this change in his approach.
A day before ‘Janatha Garage’ released in theatres, NTR confessed to the media that he is ‘tired of being called a star hero.’ Perhaps, we weren’t ready to hear those words for him. However, by then, he had already begun walking the line. For the past few years, at least from the moment he began acting in ‘Temper’, he has been very particular about calling himself an ‘actor’ than a ‘star’ or a ‘hero’. And before you think that NTR is just making a profound statement, there’s some truth to his new voice and it’s all the more evident in his latest film ‘Janatha Garage’.
Although on a superficial level, Janatha Garage might seem like a star-driven film, it is, in fact, a story where everyone is restrained from showing their true emotions. People talk rather than fight. And more importantly, the script doesn’t treat its two lead actors – NTR and Mohanlal, as Gods. NTR never overshadows the story and one can go to the extent of saying that he wouldn’t have done any of this five years ago. In the film, NTR is barely present on screen for the first 45 minutes into the film (someone even calculated that NTR appears for only 9 minutes in that segment which focuses a lot on Mohanlal). That’s not it. His so-called ‘entry’ into the film is treated as a matter-of-fact thing and even the introduction song is given the treatment it deserves, rather than having lyrics which highlight the greatness of the hero.
Perhaps, the defining image of NTR version 2.0 is evident in the way he interacts with Mohanlal in the second half of the film. In one of the scenes, when NTR gets to know about his parents, he breaks down and even goes to the extent of sacrificing his love to continue what he believes in. His voice begins to shake a little and by the time, he begins to cry along with Samantha, you know that you are watching someone actually pouring their heart out. Janatha Garage is the story of these two people, who have different views on life. One loves nature and another loves people. When they work together, it creates a force that is greater than their individual traits. Observe carefully and you’ll realise that NTR is always alongside Mohanlal in the film and full credit to Koratala Siva for balancing their roles.
This is unimaginable in a star-hero’s film and once you let all this sink in, everything that NTR said during the promotional interviews of the film comes back to you. “When I read a script, I only focus on what can I do in this film and whether my contribution will make a difference or not,” NTR said in a recent interaction with the media.
We can argue over whether Janatha Garage works as a film or not, but there is no denying that the film introduced us to a very different NTR, who isn’t afraid to experiment with his image. In an industry where everyone is so obsessed with stardom, every move made by an A-list actor, who shows his willingness to be part of a film rather than overpower it, should be magnified. We have seen actors like Chiranjeevi, Balakrishna, Nagarjuna, Venkatesh doing that in the past. And then the next generation of stars like Mahesh Babu, Pawan Kalyan have tried doing in a select few films. In recent years, it’s NTR’s turn to change the game. Quite frankly, it’s refreshing to hear a star like NTR talk about wanting to be an actor and it’s all the more heart-warming to see him put all that into practice.
When Rajamouli said that he’s liking the way NTR is planning his career and characters, perhaps this is what he was referring to. Despite the short shelf lives of films, it’s the characters and how well actors pull them off that remain in our memories. A long time ago, we saw NTR as an angry young man in films like Aadi and Simhadri, and then for a long time, it’s all a blur. Neither the film, nor the characters have stood the test of time, except the likes of Rakhi and Yamadonga. It was the star in him that chose films like Shakti, Kantri, Adhurs, Baadshah, Ramayya Vastavayya and Rabhasa. Maybe that star in him is in a constant battle with the actor, who’s tired of waiting forever to prove himself.
With his past couple of films, NTR has proved that he’s determined that he wants to make every film count. That, in the end, could be the only thing that matters.
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