Akkineni Nagarjuna and legendary filmmaker Raghavendra Rao are set to recreate the magic with another devotional outing in the form of Om Namo Venkatesaya, a biopic which reflects the life of saint follower Hathiram Baba. This is the fourth time the duo have teamed for a devotional film after Annamayya, Sri Ramdasu and Shirdi Sai. The film is slated for release on February 10th.
In an exclusive interview to a leading Telugu daily, Nagarjuna lauded the immense abilities of Raghavendra Rao in scripting such a beautiful and emotional character for him in this devotional film. Speaking about his role, Nag stated that Hathiram Baba, a North Indian, is a very emotional person who grows up with the desire to meet Lord Venkateswara. He faces many hurdles during his visit to Tirumala, but finally succeds in meeting his deity.
Nag revealed that in real life he is an ardent follower of Venkateswara Swamy and said that he is very content and considers himself very lucky to have done two films based on him.
Nagarjuna stated that he was initially reluctant to do this film as Annamayya remained as a classic and no other story on Lord Venkateswara could match the high expectations. But, it was the coercion from Raghavendra Rao that led to the story sittings of Om Namo Venkateshaya. It took just 30 seconds for Nagarjuna to give the nod to this film. He also revealed that this film which have more emotional tinge than Annamayya and will strike the right chord with everyone. He expressed confidence on the film’s success and thanked the whole team for making a memorable film.
Starring Anushka, Saurabh Raj Jain, Jagapathi Babu and Pragya Jaiswal in important roles, the film has its music score done by M.M. Keeravani. JK. Bharavi penned the story and dialogues.