This iconic film to be screened in Tenali as part of NTR's centenary film fest

While there were revered actors in Telugu cinema before, it took the arrival of NTR for the industry to understand the impact of stardom. The legendary star, former AP CM with a career spanning over 300 films would've turned 100 if he were alive this year. Commemorating NTR's centenary, a film festival commenced earlier this year in Tenali, where his films are being screened as a mark of honour to his legacy every day. Nippulanti Manishi will be the 100th film to be organised as part of the festival today.

Nippulanti Manishi has immense significance in the career of NTR, for it marked a shift in the star's strategy in an attempt to be relevant among his audiences in the 70s. It was his first-ever remake of an Amitabh Bachchan film and the story of an honest cop-gone-rogue fit his persona to the T, much to the surprise of naysayers. NTR managed to give his own spin to the role of Vijay and performed the part with a flamboyance of a youngster even as he'd turned 50. Lata was the female lead in this actioner.

Zanjeer was an equally important film for Amitabh, given it helped him reach out to the masses after fine performances in his other works like Anand, Saudagar and Saat Hindustani, to name a few. Interestingly, even with NTR, Nippulanti Manishi released in the silver jubilee year of his career in 1974, thereby proving that there was a lot of fuel left in his tank to draw crowds to theatres. Most of his contemporaries including Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor, MGR and Sivaji Ganesan had slowed down by then.

Noted actor Satyanarayana stepped into the shoes of Pran from the original in an intriguing foe-turned-friend role to NTR and added depth to the film. Who can forget the song Snehamera Jeevitham that pays homage to true friendship, summarising the essence of life? SD Lal adapted Zanjeer for a new audience with elan. The story of a cop frustrated about the corruption within the system mirrored the angst and hopelessness of many youngsters of the generation.

Gifted are those who'll have the opportunity to revisit this film on the big screen in Tenali today. Gollapudi Maruthi Rao wrote the dialogues for the film that also starred Prabhakar Reddy, Relangi, Raja Babu, Rajanala, Devika and Kanta Rao. Satyam had scored the music for the film produced by YV Rao under Ravi Chitra Films. (Nippulanti Manishi, that released on October 25 1974, can also be watched on Youtube)