NTR 31 is exactly the kind of film Jr NTR fans have been craving after the more controlled, global-friendly success of RRR. Directed by Prashanth Neel of KGF and Salaar fame, this is unapologetic, high-voltage Telugu mass cinema that never pretends to be subtle. From the opening shot to the final frame, the movie blasts pure mass energy in neon, and in this case, that is a compliment.
A Visual Blast of Smoke, Fire, and Steel
Prashanth Neel treats every frame like a playground for chaos and carnage. Most of the film lives in low-light, gritty shades of rust, blood, and gunmetal, which makes it feel closer to a violent graphic novel than a traditional period action drama.
Bhuvan Gowda’s camera work is jaw-dropping. Every explosion, every slow-motion shell hitting the floor, every sweat-soaked close-up of Jr NTR looks like a war painting come to life. Ravi Basrur’s background score is thunderous and constant, so loud and aggressive that it almost feels like another character storming through the speakers.
Jr NTR: A One-Man Destruction Squad
This film belongs to Jr NTR, full stop. He plays a Komaram Bheem-inspired tribal rebel who turns into a vigilante (the story loosely draws from events in the 1920s Godavari agency tracts), but historical truth is clearly secondary to building a larger-than-life legend.
NTR shifts between three core modes: heavy, simmering silence, explosive rage, and an eerie calm that signals oncoming violence. He jumps between these states with scary ease. The much-talked-about interval block, a 22-minute single stretch where he wipes out an entire army unit in a burning train compartment, already has fans calling it one of the best action sequences Indian cinema has produced. When he lets out that famous roar at the end of the scene, half the audience in my show roared right back.
The Prashanth Neel Formula: Strengths Weaknesses
If you have watched KGF Chapter 2 or Salaar, you know the pattern: a wronged hero, crooked British officers, and greedy local landlords, slow-motion walks away from blasts, godlike voice-over, and punchlines written for whistles and repeat viewings.
That same formula is on full display here. The first half is razor-sharp, brisk, and incredibly stylish. The second half, though, begins to groan under its own scale. At 3 hours and 12 minutes, the film cries out for a tougher edit. Several side tracks, especially the romantic subplot with Janhvi Kapoor, feel pushed in mainly to justify songs and emotional flashbacks that drag down the momentum.
Supporting Cast and Technical Firepower
Janhvi Kapoor looks gorgeous on screen and puts in clear effort with her Telugu, but the writing gives her very little power or purpose. Prithviraj Sukumaran, widely rumored to be the main villain, turns up only in the final 20 minutes, which clearly exists to set up a second part.
The real heroes behind the scenes are the stunt team Anbariv and the VFX artists at Makuta. The action design is brutal and inventive, and the visual effects create large-scale destruction that stands tall next to big-budget Hollywood action films, despite working with a smaller budget.
Key Details
- Lead Actor: Jr NTR, in his second collaboration with Prashanth Neel after the planned two-part epic that was first announced
- Director: Prashanth Neel (known for KGF and Salaar)
- Genre: High-octane action drama with a dark, intense, and violent revenge core
- Scale: Pan-India release planned, with a massive budget reportedly in the ₹300-350 crore range or higher
- Status: In pre-production or very early stages of filming
- First Look / Title Reveal: Official title and first-look poster dropped on November 22, 2025 (Jr NTR’s mother’s birthday). NTR appears in a rugged, bearded, blood-soaked look, holding a sword.
- Official Title: The film is now officially titled Dragon, with the tagline “The Beast Is Unleashed.”
- Music: Ravi Basrur was first announced, but strong reports suggest Anirudh Ravichander has stepped in to compose the score
- Cast Buzz:
- Strong talk that Prithviraj Sukumaran will play the main antagonist
- Names like Sanjay Dutt and Bobby Deol have been linked, though nothing is confirmed yet
- Release Window: Targeting January 2027, likely for Sankranti or the Republic Day weekend
The movie is already one of the most talked-about Indian projects, thanks to the pairing of Jr NTR (riding global hype after RRR) and Prashanth Neel (fresh off the success of KGF Chapter 2 and Salaar). The first-look poster exploded across social media, and early buzz points to a raw, bloody, and oversized action spectacle.
Final Verdict: 4/5
NTR 31 is far from flawless. It is overlong, sometimes silly, and so obsessed with hero worship that it occasionally forgets about clear storytelling. But that is not what this film is chasing. This is cinema as a collective adrenaline rush, built to make 2,000 people yell, clap, and lose control together in a dark theater, and on that front, it delivers in a big way. When the credits rolled with the promise “Komaram Bheemudu will return…”, the cheers were deafening.
If you love loud, unapologetic mass masala at its most extravagant, watch this on the biggest screen you can find. If you prefer emotional subtlety and tight, restrained writing, you might be happier waiting for Devara Part 2. For everyone else, this is a full-throttle return to the house of Jr NTR. The god of mass cinema is furious, and it is a joy to watch.