After delivering back-to-back hits, director Anil Ravipudi is reportedly planning another big multi-starrer. According to industry buzz, he wants to bring Chiranjeevi and Nagarjuna together for a commercial entertainer. Reports also suggest that Dil Raju is likely to produce the film if everything falls into place.
If it happens, it will be the first full-length film featuring Chiranjeevi and Nagarjuna together, something Telugu audiences have wanted to see for many years.
On paper, it is a dream combination. But making it work will not be easy.
The biggest challenge will be giving both stars equally strong roles. While Chiranjeevi and Nagarjuna are good friends in real life, fans will closely watch how their characters are written and presented.
Many Nagarjuna fans have already expressed their concerns. They say Nagarjuna has always spoken highly of Chiranjeevi and even jokingly call him “Chiranjeevi’s biggest fan.” But if they finally act together, they want Nagarjuna to have an equally important role, not just support Chiranjeevi. They want Nagarjuna to be projected no less than Chiranjeevi.
Also, the Coolie experience makes things more worrisome. Many Nagarjuna fans felt his character mainly existed to make Rajinikanth’s role look bigger instead of having a strong impact of its own. They do not want to repeat that bitter experience again.
This is where Anil Ravipudi faces his biggest challenge.
His job is not just to deliver comedy and entertainment. He has to make sure both Chiranjeevi and Nagarjuna have equally powerful characters. If one hero dominates the other, fan disappointment is almost certain.
Also, Anil Ravipudi’s handling of the Chiranjeevi-Venkatesh combo scenes in Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu didn’t make much of an impact. It felt like he didn’t know how to utilize two such huge senior stars and ended up making them dance to each other’s songs. Many scenes depended more on nostalgia than on strong writing.
If Anil Ravipudi gets the balance right this time, the film has the potential to become one of Telugu cinema’s biggest multi-starrers.
