Streaming · Telugu film · 2019
N.T.R: Kathanayukudu
ఎన్.టి.ఆర్. కథానాయకుడు
N.T.R: Kathanayukudu release date: 9 January 2019 (theatres). Directed by Radhakrishna Jagarlamudi; starring Nandamuri Balakrishna, Rana Daggubati and Nandamuri Kalyan Ram.
- Film release
- 9 January 2019 · All 2019 films
- Director
- Radhakrishna Jagarlamudi
- Music
- M. M. Keeravani
- Production
- NBK Films, Vaaraahi Chalana Chitram, Vibri Media
- Producer
- Nandamuri Balakrishna
- Writing credits
- Radhakrishna Jagarlamudi
- Runtime
- 171 min
- Language
- Telugu
OTT release
Streaming on Prime Video since 8 February 2019.
Film release: 9 January 2019 · all 2019 Telugu films.
Source: the film’s Wikipedia article, checked 25 September 2026. Only what the source states is shown.
Platform information and historical dates do not guarantee current access in every country. Availability, audio languages and subscription terms vary by location; check the platform before subscribing.
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NTR: Kathanayakudu (transl. NTR: The Protagonist) is a 2019 Indian Telugu-language biographical drama about the life and acting career of N. T. Rama Rao. It was directed by Krish Jagarlamudi and produced by Nandamuri Balakrishna, Sai Korrapati and Vishnu Vardhan Induri under NBK Films, Vaaraahi Chalana Chitram and Vibri Media. Balakrishna plays his father, NTR, alongside Nandamuri Kalyan Ram and Vidya Balan. It is the first of two parts. The second, NTR: Mahanayakudu, covers his political career.
Story
In 1984, NTR’s wife Basavatarakam asks their son Harikrishna to bring out an album of photographs from her husband’s early life. The story then goes back to 1947, when Rama Rao is a sub-registrar in Guntur. Driven by a passion for acting, he gives up his government job. With the support of his wife and his brother Trivikrama Rao, he heads to Madras, where he gets his first lead role and begins his rise in Telugu cinema.
Cast
- Nandamuri Balakrishna as N. T. Rama Rao
- Vidya Balan as Basavatarakam, in her Telugu debut
- Nandamuri Kalyan Ram as his own father, Nandamuri Harikrishna
- Rana Daggubati as N. Chandrababu Naidu
- Sumanth as his grandfather, Akkineni Nageswara Rao
- Jisshu Sengupta as L. V. Prasad, in his Telugu debut
- Sachin Khedekar as Nadendla Bhaskara Rao
- Daggubati Raja as Trivikrama Rao; Vennela Kishore as NTR’s manager
Development
Balakrishna announced the biopic on 6 February 2017. Ram Gopal Varma was first attached to direct but left, citing creative differences. Director Teja then took over, but he quit in April 2018, a month after the launch. Krish was signed next, leaving Manikarnika to take it on. Balakrishna turned down a reported ₹80 crore offer from Sony Pictures for the rights. Instead he set up NBK Films, his first venture as a producer. The project was first planned as a single film, but in October 2018 it was split into two parts, because the makers felt modern audiences would not sit through one five-hour film.
Filming
The launch shot took place on 29 March 2018 at Ramakrishna Cine Studios in Hyderabad. Balakrishna appeared as Duryodhana, one of his father’s famous roles. Principal photography began in early July, and some scenes were shot at NTR’s former home in Abids, Hyderabad. According to Krish, the shoot took 56 days. The film was reportedly made for ₹50 crore, the most expensive project of Balakrishna’s career. M. M. Keeravani composed the music for both parts.
Release
Because several people portrayed in the film are still alive, the censor board asked for no-objection certificates before clearing it with a U certificate and no cuts. The film opened on 9 January 2019 on about 1,100 screens worldwide. It performed poorly at the box office, and its makers put it on Amazon Prime Video on 8 February 2019, partly to promote the second part.
Sources: Wikipedia and Wikidata.
Trailer from the official YouTube channel of NBK Films, published 21 Dec 2018.
Cast of N.T.R: Kathanayukudu (2019)
- Nandamuri Balakrishna as N.T.Rama Rao
- Rana Daggubati as Nara Chandrababu Naidu
- Nandamuri Kalyan Ram
- Sumanth as Akkineni Nageswara Rao
- Vidya Balan as Basavatarakam
Additional cast
Further acting credits recorded for this film; voice-only and dubbing credits are excluded.
- Ravi Prakash
- Radhakrishna Jagarlamudi
- Vennela Kishore as Rukmanandha Rao
- Muralidhar Goud
- Brahmanandam
- Naresh as B. A. Subba Rao
- Srinivas Avasarala
- Sachin Khedekar as N. Bhaskara Rao
- Murali Sharma as Aluri Chakrapani
- Shriya Saran
- Nassar
- Kireeti Damaraju
- Prakash Raj as Nagi Reddy
- Payal Rajput as Jaya Sudha
- Jisshu Sengupta as L. V. Prasad
- Devayani
- Ravi Kishan as Ravikant Nagaich
- Kaikala Satyanarayana as H.M. Reddy
- Rakul Preet Singh as Sridevi
- Hansika Motwani as Jaya Pradha
- Nithya Menen as Savitri
- Pranitha Subhash
- Prakash Kovelamudi
- Nimmala Shankar
- Vijayachander
- Y. Kasi Viswanath
- Chandra Siddhartha
- Poonam Bajwa as Garapati Lokeshwari
- Vasu Inturi
- S. V. Krishna Reddy
- Bhanu Chander
- Subhalekha Sudhakar
- Mallikarjuna Rao
- Surya Srinivas
Also in the cast (TMDB): Nandamuri Kalyanram as Nandamuri Harikrishna, Manjima Mohan as Nara Bhuvaneswari, Bharath Reddy as Daggubati Venkateswara Rao, Anushka Shetty as B. Saroja Devi, Shalini Pandey as Sowcar Janaki, Mirchi Madhavi as Nannapaneni Rajakumari, Supriya Vinod as Indra Gandhi, Shri Tej as Y. S. Rajasekhara Reddy.
Character names as listed on TMDB, checked 10 Oct 2026.
What critics said
Reviews cited in the article were divided: several critics felt the biopic idolises NTR instead of exploring the man, while others welcomed it as a tribute with a strong Balakrishna.
- The Hindu (Sangeetha Devi Dundoo) called it an ode to NTR with a strong score and cinematography, but lacking drama and uncritical of its subject.
- The Indian Express (Manoj Kumar R.) felt director Krish portrays NTR as a messiah rather than a human being, while praising Balakrishna's performance.
- Deccan Chronicle (Suresh Kavirayani) called it a well-directed tribute and Balakrishna's best performance.
- Hindustan Times (Priyanka Sundar) felt it presents NTR as a perfect, larger-than-life man and leaves Vidya Balan's role underdeveloped.
Summarised by Tollywood Desk from the reception section of the Wikipedia article NTR: Kathanayakudu (revision 1362016996), which cites the reviews named above. Quotation marks show words quoted in that article; no ratings or scores are added here.
Source record: Q55641180 on Wikidata. Dates are those on record and can change; this is not a studio announcement. Spotted an error? Send a correction.