Latest news with #NTR
Hans India
11 hours ago
- Entertainment
- Hans India
NTR, MGR inspire Pawan's ‘Veera Mallu' role
As Pawan Kalyan's upcoming film 'Hari Hara Veera Mallu' gears up for its July 24th release, the hype surrounding the film has reached fever pitch. In an interesting revelation, director Jyothi Krisna states that he has drawn inspiration from legendary actors NTR and MGR to design Pawan Kalyan's character in 'Hari Hara Veera Mallu'. The filmmaker adds that he was motivated to write Pawan's role after observing his trailblazing qualities similar to those of iconic personalities like NTR and MGR. According to Jyothi Krisna, Pawan's onscreen persona in 'Hari Hara Veera Mallu' was carefully crafted to align with his image as a virtuous, strong, and 'people's man.' The director shares that even after becoming Chief Minister, MGR continued to act in films that were consistently filled with message-oriented themes and honesty. 'I was inspired by this aspect and composed a powerful and thought-provoking song 'Maata Vinali' in 'Hari Hara Veera Mallu'. The essence of the song conveys the message to embrace positivity and righteousness in life, reflecting Pawan's ideology and appeal. The song impacted and resonated deeply with audiences,' says Jyothi Krisna. Similarly, some of NTR's most celebrated performances came from mythological and folklore films. His iconic portrayals as Lord Rama and Lord Krishna remain definitive representations of those characters. 'NTR garu was admirably depicted as Lord Rama with a bow and arrow, symbolizing his power and ability to uphold dharma. I drew inspiration from this and designed a bow and arrow for Pawan garu in 'Hari Hara Veera Mallu' (which is also a period film). These weapons symbolize Pawan's power and readiness to fight for justice and uphold dharma,' explains the director, adding that while writing the script, he realized people are seeing Pawan Kalyan as a leader, not just a hero. 'I wanted to create every scene as a 'special one' that'll elevate the narrative.'
India Today
18 hours ago
- Entertainment
- India Today
Producer Naga Vamsi confirms Jr NTR has full role in War 2, not a cameo
Ever since Jr NTR was announced as part of YRF's spy universe with the upcoming action film 'War 2', fan speculation has been rife, particularly around the screen time and significance of his character. The teaser only amplified the chatter, with many online users questioning whether Tarak's role would be limited to a brief appearance. Now, producer Naga Vamsi has clarified the rumours, confirming that NTR will have a full-length role in the an interview with Gulte Pro, Vamsi said, 'NTR being there for 30-40 minutes is not true. Both of them will be there throughout the film. After the first 15 minutes, Tarak anna will enter, and both of them will dance to a song. It is a commercially packed film.'advertisementSitara Entertainments, Vamsi's banner, has acquired the Telugu distribution rights for 'War 2' for a reported Rs 80 crore. Asked about the decision, Vamsi added, 'I bought it because all these commercial elements will be there. How everything will come together, even I will watch it with the audience in the morning show. Based on my faith in NTR's judgement, I bought the film.'Naga Vamsi, a close associate of Jr NTR, is also producing the actor's ambitious mythological project with Trivikram Srinivas, reportedly based on Lord Karthikeya. Here's the teaser: Meanwhile, Hrithik Roshan and Jr NTR recently wrapped the shoot for 'War 2'. Directed by Ayan Mukerji and also starring Kiara Advani, the action film has been shot across five countries and features six large-scale set pieces. The film is scheduled to hit theatres on August 14, 2025, in Hindi, Telugu, and Tamil.- Ends
Scroll.in
a day ago
- Politics
- Scroll.in
Former civil servant and RBI governor YV Reddy revisits his mistakes and interventions in a new book
When a political party sweeps to power, they sometimes abandon the unfinished projects started by the previous regime in order to start their own new projects, which are in alignment with their particular agendas. But abandoning projects close to completion, especially those that were 80 per cent or more complete, had been proving to be highly wasteful. As Secretary, Planning, Government of Andhra Pradesh, I went to Chief Minister NT Rama Rao with a proposal to earmark Rs 1 crore per district (it was a substantial amount in those days), purely on grounds of efficiency, for projects that were 80 per cent completed (last mile projects). This Rs 1 crore would be spent only to complete these last mile projects. These projects were to be identified by a technical committee headed by the district collector and would be outside the normal budgetary allocations to the department concerned. The district collector's office was not subject to short-term political changes and would, I reasoned, ensure a longer-term perspective. I argued that the funds should be sanctioned straightaway as 'crucial balancing investment'. It would, I argued, greatly improve efficiencies. The then Secretary to the Chief Minister and my dear friend, UB Raghavendra Rao, was not convinced. He warned me that it would undermine both the process of expenditure authorisation by the government and the parliamentary system. I disagreed and persisted. NTR approved the crucial balancing investment scheme for each district. For a while, it was a success. After about five years, a weak Collector gave in to pressure from local politicians. The Rs 1 crore was distributed equally among Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) without the need to follow the 80 per cent completion guideline. Over time, this malpractice spread to other districts. Later, even the guideline of 80 per cent completion was officially diluted. Exactly the opposite of what was intended had taken place, and the original problem had worsened. Raghavendra Rao was proved right. Later, a similar scheme called the Members of Parliament (MP) Local Area Development Scheme was adopted by the Government of India with an even greater dilution of guidelines. What seemed at first an obvious solution using a pragmatic, dynamic plan to improve efficiency had had unintended consequences. This happened because I did not pay attention to possible second-order and third-order effects. A costly mistake, indeed. Although it is impossible to accurately envision all possible second and third-order effects, I have found that it is important to at least contemplate them. Over time, one's skill and judgement pertaining to next-order effects get honed, providing a very useful framework. As a government officer, my father would visit the villages in his jurisdiction. Despite his stature, he would sit with farmers and talk about their problems in local gathering places. He showed his deep empathy for the poor. During my vacations, I would accompany him. My father's concern for the common man influenced me greatly. As a student in Anantapur, I shared a hostel with young men from poor families, and this close experience also had a deep influence on me. The Telugu phrase 'samayam, sandarbham' translates to time and context. Samayam, sandarbham are always predominant in my decision-making. Nearly all actions and situations are meaningless when stripped of their time and context. What are considered pillars of virtue in one society (for example, the quality of harmony and collectivism in certain Asian cultures) might be less important in another, or might even be considered inferior (for example, in certain Western cultures, disruption and individualism are valued over harmony and the collective good). Also, developed markets with robust legal systems can support certain policies. These same measures will not work in less developed markets that lack strong and swift legal systems to which citizens can turn in the case of fraud or failure. Formulaic prescriptions should be viewed in context. There is a standard formula for measuring the optimum level of foreign exchange reserves of a country. In India (and elsewhere), forex reserves are the reserves of foreign convertible currencies (mainly US dollars) and gold held by the monetary authority for various reasons, including to provide stability to the system. (The International Monetary Fund's [IMF] Special Drawing Rights form much smaller components of the forex reserves.) The optimal level of forex reserves is calculated in economic terms and exposures. But what of geo-political factors? I maintained that we needed to also take geopolitical risks and security into account. President Bill Clinton was once quoted as saying that the US should help bail out Mexico in a time of need, but not some other country, such as India. (He specifically mentioned India as a country that the US would not help bail out.) In such a situation, Mexico can afford to have fewer reserves than India, which must have more because it does not belong to any bloc and cannot expect a bailout from anyone. India has to take care of at least three potential shocks from the external sector – food, fuel, and finance (external finance). I have also learnt from the sound counsel of Bimal Jalan. The RBI manages the public debt of the Government of India through the Public Debt Office. In 1997, as Deputy Governor, I argued for creating an independent debt office, separate from the RBI. This separation of powers seemed logical, efficient, and consistent with international practice. I made a presentation to Governor Jalan. He listened attentively and complimented me. Then, to my surprise, he asked me to write a note opposing my own recommendation (I later realised this was to help me think through the opposing view). On reflection, I understood his viewpoint. Our context was unique. When the RBI is the public debt manager for the government, it keeps in mind the government's interests. Once that function is taken out of the RBI's purview, the government is exposed to market risk and possible vested interests. Jalan felt we should hold off till our markets were sufficiently well-developed and the government was able to raise money without the RBI's help as a public debt manager. My initial view, while attractive at first, did not give sufficient weight to these realities. The experience of Greece (and several other countries) during the financial crisis of 2008 supported Jalan's wisdom. In summary, it is wise to look at formulae, theory, standard practice, and the experience of others while crafting policy or making decisions. To then evaluate their relevance in the particular samayam and sandarbham of the practitioner's system is even wiser. The RBI viewed certain financial innovations as healthy, but only in small quantities. A proliferation of these innovations often presented systemic risks that could be difficult to undo. Also, unlike Food and Drug Regulation authorities, which can first carry out controlled experiments with a drug before releasing it into the larger population, financial systems do not first test the safety of financial innovations before injecting them into markets. Timing can be crucial. In the 2004 elections, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led coalition government, the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), was defeated and the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) coalition government, under the Congress's Sonia Gandhi, was elected. Although eventually Manmohan Singh was declared the prime minister, there was, for one day, great uncertainty about who would lead the country. During this time, there was an attack on the stock exchange. This resulted in a huge dollar outflow due to demand for the currency. The rupee began falling dramatically. The market sentiment was totally against us and acting in such an environment posed risks and costs. In addition, as RBI Governor, I had to keep the political leadership informed of my actions in a situation where we were politically rudderless. I called the outgoing finance minister, Jaswant Singh. I explained that I was not intervening immediately but would act at the appropriate time. Jaswant Singh was puzzled. He pointed out that he was not the finance minister anymore. I told him that, legally, until the next Cabinet was formed, he still was. Therefore, I reported to him. I assured him that he could convey this information to anyone he wanted if he felt it was appropriate. The rupee continued to fall, but we at the RBI did not act. By late morning, several people were asking the RBI to intervene. The clamour grew louder, as did the support for intervention. A little after lunchtime, we acted. The RBI intervened in a massive way – spending huge amounts to buy dollars, showing our strong determination, and stemming the slide. The markets stabilised. If the timing was wrong, the costs of intervention would have proved prohibitive in an environment of adverse market sentiment. We waited till such time as there was a critical minimum level at which at least some people in the markets started thinking that enough was enough and demanded that the RBI intervene. That was when we considered it appropriate to hit hard and decisively— we turned the anti-rupee sentiment into a pro-rupee sentiment. In all this, timing was key. At the RBI, one of the highlights was the chance to meet and interact with distinguished people. I served under Manmohan Singh and worked with P Chidambaram, Yashwant Sinha, and Jaswant Singh. The RBI board meetings were a delight. The Board of Directors included many eminent people – scientists such as APJ Abdul Kalam and UR Rao; industrialists such as Ashok Ganguly, Ratan Tata, and Narayana Murthy; economists such as A Vaidyanathan and Mihir Rakshit; and social workers such as Amrita Patel and Sashi Rajagopalan. The insights and perspectives gained during our regular meetings, as well as relationships formed during those sessions, still stay with me. I hosted many central bankers from other countries and a G20 summit (which at that time came and went without much fanfare). I also greatly enjoyed my interactions with journalists and looked forward to the friendly banter and repartee I shared with them. My job as RBI Governor was the ultimate in satisfaction, and in many respects, the highlight of my entire working life. Professionally, I had had a dream run and my working life had been intense, eventful, and consequential. In addition, I was immensely fortunate to be recognised for my work internationally and nationally, including with a Padma Vibhushan. YV Reddy was born on August 17, 1941. He is an Indian economist and a former IAS officer of the 1964 batch belonging to the Andhra Pradesh cadre. Reddy served as Governor of the Reserve Bank of India from September 2003 to September 2008.
Hans India
a day ago
- Entertainment
- Hans India
Ramchander Rao mourns death of legendary actress B Saroja Devi
Hyderabad: BJP Telangana State President N. Ramchander Rao expressed deep sorrow over the passing of legendary actress B. Saroja Devi, calling it a huge loss to the South Indian film industry. In a statement on Monday, Rao said, 'The news of the death of B. Saroja Devi, who won the hearts of millions with her excellent acting and extraordinary performances in the Telugu film industry and other South Indian languages, is deeply saddening. I express my heartfelt condolences.' Saroja Devi, widely celebrated as 'Abhinaya Saraswati', acted alongside stalwarts like N.T. Rama Rao (NTR), Akkineni Nageswara Rao (ANR), M.G. Ramachandran (MGR), and Sivaji Ganesan, carving a unique identity for herself over a career that spanned more than four decades. She acted in over 200 films, leaving a lasting impact on Telugu and South Indian cinema. Rao highlighted her iconic roles in films such as Kitturu Rani Chennamma, Bhukailas, and Sri Krishnarjuna Yuddha, which remain etched in the memory of audiences. He noted that it is a matter of pride for the nation that the Government of India honored her with the Padma Shri (1969) and Padma Bhushan (1992) in recognition of her contribution to Indian cinema. 'I pray that her soul rests in peace and offer my condolences to her family and fans during this time of grief,' Rao said.
Indian Express
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- Indian Express
A star beyond language and region: Legendary actor Saroja Devi dies
'Kappa, nimageke kodabeku kappa (Royalty, why should we pay the royalty)', the iconic dialogue by actor B Saroja Devi, playing freedom fighter Kittur Chennamma in the 1961 film by the same name, established her as one of the leading female stars of Kannada cinema. Only 23-year-old then, the young actor went on to become a legend in not just Kannada, but also Tamil, Telugu and Hindi films. B Saroja Devi, 87, died on Monday at her residence in Malleswaram following age-related illness. The doe-eyed beauty with over 200 films to her credit was one of the first Kannada actors to act in other language movies opposite biggest stars of that time. Saroja Devi was always up for learning new things, so much so that she opened her Instagram account at the age of 83 years (in 2021). Following her death, who's who of the film industry and political world took to social media to convey their condolences. Taking to X, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called her an exemplary icon of Indian cinema and culture. 'Her diverse performances left an indelible mark across generations.' Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah called her 'Abhinaya Saraswati' and said her departure is a great loss to the Indian cinema. Superstars Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan, Khushbu Sundar and others remembered her as a great artist who lived beyond the boundaries of 'language and region'. Born in a Vokkaliga family with her roots in Mandya district, Saroja Devi was the daughter of a police officer, Bhairappa. In those days, when women were not encouraged to act in movies, Bhairappa supported Saroja Devi to make her debut at the age of 17 opposite Dr Rajkumar, who went on to become another Kannada superstar, in 'Mahakavi Kalidasa' (1955). Her screen presence immediately captured the hearts of people and she started getting offers for Tamil films as well. In 1958, Saroja Devi played the female lead in 'Nadodi Mannan' opposite Tamil cinema legend M G Ramachandran (MGR) and later went on to give more than 20 back to back Tamil hits. It was not just MGR, she was cast with several other reigning superstars of the time, including Sivaji Ganesan, Gemini Ganesan, Dr Rajkumar and N T Rama Rao (NTR). She became the face of 'Kittur Chennamma' in 1961 with her powerful dialogues as the Queen of Kittur fighting the British against royalty collection from princely states. In those days, it is said, when children were asked who Kittur Rani Chennamma was, they would instantly reply 'Saroja Devi'. Hindi film, 'Paigham' (1959), starring Dilip Kumar and Vyjayanthimala in lead roles, was a blockbuster hit and Saroja Devi, despite her 'bit role', managed to impress the audience and directors with her crackling screen presence. She went on to act in films like 'Sasural' (1961) with Rajendra Kumar, Beti Bete (1964) with Sunil Dutt and 'Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kiya' (1963) with Shammi Kapoor. She also acted in a few scenes with Raj Kapoor in 'Nazrana', but was later replaced by Vyjayanthimala reportedly over strict instructions of her mother, Rudramma, that she will not wear sleeveless dresses and swimwear. Saroja Devi made her Telugu film debut in 1957 in 'Panduranga Mahatyam', in which she starred alongside NTR and Akkineni Nageswara Rao. After her marriage to Sri Harsha, an engineer, Saroja Devi's appearance in movies declined in the 1970s, though she continued to act in Kannada, Telugu and Tamil films. Her acting career took a massive hit in 1986, after her husband fell ill while she was shooting a Kannada movie — 'Ladies Hostel'. People known to her say she did not visit guests for nearly one year after the demise of her husband as she did not want to show her face without kumkuma (vermillion) on her forehead. She was the first vice-president of Kannada film artists' association when Dr Rajkumar was its president. Despite working with many superstars in south India and in Hindi movies, Saroja Devi kept a low profile. She was given several offers to join political parties, but she chose to stay away from politics. Then Karnataka Chief Minister Gundu Rao made her an offer to contest from Malleswaram Assembly constituency on a Congress ticket, but she declined. Recognising her contribution to Indian cinema, the central government acknowledged her with Padma Shri (1969), Padma Bhushan (1992) and Lifetime Achievement Award during India's 60th Independence Day celebrations in 2008. She also won many state awards, including the prestigious Kalaimamani Lifetime Achievement award by the Tamil Nadu government in 2009. Umesh Banakar, president of the Kannada Film Producers Association, recalled Saroja Devi as an extremely disciplined and no-nonsense superstar. 'Be it a superstar or a commoner, no one could meet her without an appointment. She always arrived on time for any event. Some superstars used to turn up late but she never stayed back,' he said. A veteran photographer recalled that Saroja Devi was always conscious about her public appearance. During an interview at her residence, she asked him not to take photos from a low angle as it would expose her double chin. In 2019, Saroja Devi appeared for the last time in the late Puneeth Raj Kumar-starrer 'Natasaarvabhowma', a horror film by actor-producer Rockline Venkatesh.
