Jr. NTR flies to Japan ahead of ‘Devara: Part 1’ release

Jr. NTR flew to Japan ahead of the release of Devara: Part 1

Jr. NTR flew to Japan ahead of the release of his film Devara: Part 1, which is directed by Koratala Siva and stars Janhvi Kapoor and Saif Ali Khan. With the release date set for March 28, 2025, in both IMAX and regular formats, the actor and the director are currently involved in press engagements.

Speaking to The Hindu ahead of the film’s release in India, Jr. NTR called this his most enterprising project yet, “This is probably the most ambitious movie I’ve been a part of so far in my career. It’s very high on VFX which is a different craft altogether and Rajamouli has mastered it. He knows when, where, why and how to use it. So it’s not everybody’s cup of tea.”

The term devara alludes to male Gods who are revered by coastal communities. NTR plays Devara, a mysterious figure in a fictional coastal region adjacent to the mountains. The story begins in 1996, as India gears up to host the Cricket World Cup, and goes back in time to recount the story of Devara, who supposedly rules over the high seas.

The actor has amassed a fan following in the far east Asian country after his performance in SS Rajamouli’s RRR. On comparing his latest movie with RRR, he added, “RRR was a film by Rajamouli; this is all on us! I’m very confident of team Devara thanks to the kind of technicians we have... my director Siva (Koratala Siva), Sabu sir (production designer Sabu Cyril), Sreekar sir (editor Sreekar Prasad) and Randy sir (cinematographer Rathnavelu). Anirudh has been killing it lately, too. They all have done something wonderful in the film and I wish I could show it on my face.”

The production of the sequel is set to begin next year.

The successful global reach of the film was evident when Ed Sheeran took to stage in Bengaluru with singer Shilpa Rao joining him for a cover performance of ‘Chuttamalle’. Ed later shared a video of their collab on Instagram, writing, “Obsessed with @shilparao’s voice for the last while, a real privilege to share the stage tonight, and learn a new language!”

Reacting to the performance, Janhvi Kapoor wrote on her Instagram Stories, “What a crossover to wake up to”