IN MARCH 2011, when Telangana was still a part of Andhra Pradesh, Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy raised the banner of revolt in the Congress and launched a new political party. A month later, a multilingual political thriller―titled Rangam in Telugu and Ko in Tamil―was released in theatres. It had actor Jeeva as a journalist who goes against his longtime friend and budding politician, played by Ajmal Ameer.
The film was an instant hit, but Jagan’s party took time to find success. In 2019, five years after Andhra Pradesh was bifurcated, he led his party to victory and became chief minister.
For Vyooham, Ram Gopal Varma has moulded Dhananjay Prabhune, a former hotel owner, into former chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu on screen.
It is strange coincidence that both Jeeva and Ameer are now portraying Jagan in two separate films that will soon be released. Ameer is Jagan in Vyooham, and Jeeva plays the same part in Yatra 2, the sequel to the 2019 biopic of Jagan’s father, former chief minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy. The two films come at a crucial time―elections to the Andhra Pradesh assembly and the Lok Sabha are due next year.
Vyooham will be released on November 10. It is directed by Ram Gopal Varma, who gave final touches to the film’s first trailer at RGV Den, his workplace in Hyderabad. He has included the remixed version of the popular poll campaign song ‘Ravali Jagan, kavali Jagan’ (We will bring Jagan, we need Jagan) in the trailer.
Yatra 2, starring Jeeva, is a sequel to Yatra, in which Mammootty played Jagan’s father, former chief minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy. Yatra 2 focuses on Jagan’s own rise as a mass leader, and his padyatra that helped him become chief minister.
The original song was produced in 2019, by the political strategy firm I-PAC. It bolstered Jagan’s campaign to become chief minister, and was such a runaway hit that even opposition leaders found it catchy.
Is Vyooham a straightforward biopic? No, says Varma; it is a “political thriller”. “My intention is to capture the behind-the-scenes development of a certain political event that happened in 2009, with the death of YSR (Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy),” he says. “When a leader dies in an accident, everybody is unprepared, and a lot of people will jump into the fray to take advantage of the new situation. There are people trying to do things, implement strategies, counter-strategies, or work with an agenda.”
Vyooham will have a sequel, Shapadham. The two films, shot back to back, will cover key political moments such as Jagan’s arrest by the CBI in 2012, his fight against the Congress, his padyatra that led to him becoming chief minister, and the recent arrest of former chief minister N. Chandrababu Naidu. Going by the trailer and movie stills, one can expect Sonia Gandhi, Pawan Kalyan and Naidu to get significant screen time.
But how factual will be the story? Varma, in his trademark style, says that everybody believes in their truth in today’s polarised world. His narrative is based on his research and understanding of situations. “This is what I believe happened. Now, I can’t guarantee that this is what happened. But neither can anybody prove that this did not happen,” says Varma.
The thought that Jagan’s political journey would make for a great film first came to Varma nine years ago. He shaped Vyooham in his head in the past two years and, finally, shot it in just six months.
Razakar portrays events that led to the integration of Hyderabad State into India, especially the alleged atrocities of the Razakars, the private militia of the Nizam, who was opposed to merging with India.
Part of the movie was shot in Amaravati, Andhra Pradesh’s capital. Varma has a reputation for selecting actors who can resemble real-life people, and Vyooham offers the best example. Varma has moulded Dhananjay Prabhune, a former hotel owner, into Naidu on screen.
Why these movies are being released now is a no-brainer. The opportunity is not just political, but financial as well. Topical and easily marketable, these films can fill theatres.
What is Varma’s unfiltered opinion of Jagan? “I think he is an incredibly confident person. He thinks through a lot, listens to everyone very seriously, and then makes a call. When he tells you the reason why he has taken certain decisions, it is compelling. He is a simple man with a simple attire―rare in politics. He doesn’t try to stand out as others do,” says Varma.
Yatra, directed by Mahi V. Raghav and featuring Malayalam star Mammootty as YSR, was released just before the 2019 assembly polls. The movie focused on the padyatra that YSR undertook in 2003, which transformed him from opposition leader to chief minister. With Yatra 2, Raghav is now focusing on Jagan’s own rise as a mass leader.
Scenes from the movie’s shoot, which have Jeeva emulating Jagan’s bearing and mannerisms, have social media abuzz. The film will be released in February. Mahi describes it as “political drama” inspired by real people and events, but fictionalised enough to make it more dramatic and appealing.
Do movies like Yatra have an impact on poll outcomes? “Movies do not have any impact on elections,” says Mahi. “If films were taken so seriously, then why do we have actors who are struggling in politics? Voters are well-informed and shrewd. They know movies are just for entertainment. I feel it is an insult to their intelligence to think they can get carried away.”
With two movies on Jagan clashing at the box office, is Mahi worried? No, he says. “Ultimately, if the movie is good, it will work,” he says.
Telangana politics, too, is set to be jolted by a Telugu film. A movie related to the history of the erstwhile Hyderabad State will be released in November, when the state will go to the polls. Titled Razakar, the film reportedly portrays the events that led to the integration of Hyderabad State into India, especially the alleged atrocities of the Razakars, the private militia of the Nizam, who was opposed to merging with India.
The film will be dubbed in five languages, and is produced by BJP leader Gudur Narayana Reddy. Its trailer has stirred controversy, with critics saying that Razakar is aimed at polarising communities and stirring up communal passions for the BJP’s benefit. The Bharath Rashtra Samithi, which is in power in the state, has already threatened legal action, but the team behind Razakar is determined to release it.
Reddy says that the film is close to his heart, as his grandfather had fought the Razakars in his village. He also insists the film does not have anything to do with the polls. “I am not making the movie for elections,” he says. “We want to educate the younger generation about Hyderabad’s history. There was a genocide, and there is a risk of it repeating, given what is happening around the world. The [BRS] does not talk about it and wants to keep it under wraps.”