Two of the biggest stars in Telugu cinema, Jr NTR and Ram Charan, are locked in a single project, RRR. It is the ultimate multi-starrer in TFI and one for ages under the direction of SS Rajamouli. So, there is no problem with it, but what about the next? Who has better planning and line up? And it is not just the combination but also concerns the pressure as its result.
First things first, Jr NTR has Trivikram Srinivas and Prashanth Neel as his line up whereas Ram Charan has a film with Koratala Siva, before, and one with Shankar, after RRR. There will also be another update on Charan’s birthday regarding his 16th film, as well.
On paper, Jr NTR and Ram Charan’s lineup look perfect with a little edge for the former considering both the big names come after RRR. However, when looking at the overall trajectory as a ‘star’ and the ‘pressure’ that comes with it, it is Charan who has a right line up with a better balance.
For starters, Charan will have a release before RRR itself. He plays a crucial role in Acharya. His last release was in 2019 (Vinaya Vidheya Rama). In comparison, Jr NTR has had no release since 2018. But, more importantly, it was with Trivikram Srinivas. The star’s next after RRR will again be with him, which raises high expectations. Trivikram too is coming post career-best.
It would be the same case with Charan and more so as he collaborates with Shankar. However, a lot would depend on Shankar’s current project (Indian2). A grand success would put Charan ahead concerning pressure. Any other result would ease it up for him.
Jr NTR’s next after Trivikram would be with Prashanth Neel. It will be third crazy project back to back for Jr NTR. The expectations would be sky-high irrespective of how Trivikram’s film or Salaar fare. Naturally, it further increases pressure on the project and the star.
In the past, Jr NTR had a phenomenal rise as a star with back to back blockbuster success. It came on the back of riding on ‘blockbuster’ formulaic fare back then.
While not repeating the same mistake (and admittedly changed since Temper), Jr NTR could be potentially committing another major mistake ahead. It is the missing balance and looking for instant (and minimum guarantee) success. If it was formulaic stories back then, it could be the combinations, now. Let’s see how he handles the crucial time ahead in his career.
