Did you know Balakrishna paid a subtle tribute to this Sr NTR starrer with ‘Parama Veera Chakra’?

The 1982 release Bobbili Puli, directed by Dasari Narayana Rao, is considered to be one of the most popular mass movies of all time. The film, featuring a stellar performance to the iconic Sr NTR, created a fair of buzz among fans due to its gripping dialogues and strong social message, and this helped it emerge as a commercial success. The action-drama was remade in Hindi as Zakhmi Sher, with Jeetendra in the lead, and this helped the story reach a wider audience.

While almost everyone is familiar with the rich legacy of Bobbili Puli, what many of the younger fans might not know is that Tollywood’s favourite ‘Legend’ Balakrishna paid a subtle tribute to the cult hit and its leading man with the 2011 release Parama Veera Chakra, the 150^th movie of Dasari’s career. The Sankranti release saw NBK play an actor named Chakradhar, which incidentally was the name of the character essayed by ‘Annagaru’ in Bobbili Puli.

While the reference clicked with ‘N’ fans, Parama Veera Chakra failed to set the box office of fire. The actioner received negative reviews from most quarters and this proved to be its downfall. The movie, which revolved around the exploits of an actor and an army officer (both played by Balakrishna), had a strong cast that included Murali Mohan, Neha Dhupia, Jayasudha and Ameesha Patel.

Coming to the present, Balakrishna is going through a difficult phase on the professional side of things. His problems started when NTR Kathanayakudu failed to live upto expectations. The second installment of the magnum opus, titled NTR Mahanayakudu, turned out to be a bigger disaster. The mass hero was last seen in the KS Ravikumar-helmed Ruler, which sank without a trace. Balakrishna will resume work on the eagerly-awaited NBK 106, directed by Boyapati Srinu, after the coronavirus situation improves. The film might feature Bollywood actor Sanjay Dutt in a negative role but this is yet to be confirmed.