Balayya to play Ramanuja

On Thursday, Nandamuri Balakrishna made a surprise announcement at his felicitation ceremony by the Brahmin community. “I am planning to play Ramanujacharya’s (Hindu theologian) role and want to make the film on my 60th birthday,” he said. 

Though the actor didn’t disclose any details about the director or the technicians, he made an announcement about the film as he felt that it was the best occasion to reveal it.

The actor, who played Satakarni and Krishnadevaraya in his earlier films, revealed that he wanted to portray Ramanuja. “My father did a film on Brahmanaidu, which showed that all people are the same. Ramanuja also said that there is no caste or religion, and that everyone comes under one umbrella,” said Balakrishna.

Meanwhile, his latest film Jai Simha is doing well at the box-office and a particular scene in the film tells about the importance of Brahmins in society. Pleased by this, the AP and Telangana Brahmin Asosications came forward to felicitate the actor. 

“When we were shown in a bad light, we fought against those films and filmmakers; this film has highlighted us, so we want to give our blessing to the makers,” said Dronamraju Ravi Kumar, Secretary of the All India Brahmins Federation.

He said that many filmmakers were showing the community in poor light and requested Balakrishna to help prevent the same in the future. To which the actor responded, “I will talk to the filmmakers and also the concerned Movie Artistes Association not to degrade the community in the films.” Balakrishna also showed his command over the Telugu language by reciting a few poems from the Puranas and explaining the importance of Brahmins.