Naidu wants to recreate Mahishmati in Amaravati, seeks Rajamouli's help

Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Nara Chandrababu Naidu who has been scouting for suitable plans for the Assembly and High Court buildings of the new capital Amaravati has finally zeroed on SS Rajamouli. 

Rajamouli’s creation Mahishmati in his two-part Baahubali movie seems to have caught the imagination of the chief minister.

On Wednesday morning Rajamouli along with the Capital Area Development Authority (CRDA) officials visited Amaravati and later met Naidu at the interim Secretariat and tried to understand the sentiment of the chief minister.

Naidu who has recently rejected the second plan submitted by the London based Norman Foster firm is expected to finalize the design on 25 October in London.

However, Naidu sought the help of Rajamouli to meet the Norman Foster architects and advise them on issues that would make the European looking capital reflect Telugu culture and tradition.

“The design submitted by the London group has wonderful waterfront and layout but the façade has to be more Telugu in style,” the CMO said quoting Naidu. Naidu who wanted to lay the foundation for construction work of permanent state capital on Vijayadasami has deferred the date in hope of a better design for his dream project Amaravati. 

As per the revised schedules, Rajamouli will be visiting Norman Fosters during the first week of October so that final plans could be made available by the time Naidu visits London.

However, the entire opposition and several architects of the state have criticized Naidu for relying on a movie maker for altering plans prepared by one of the world’s best firms.

They say that building structures of the modern days is complex and very scientific which cant not entrusted to people who work on miniature sets. Naidu has already rejected plans submitted by the Japanese firm Maki Associates saying that the designs reflected chimneys of a thermal power plant.