Jr NTR, the star of S. S. Rajamouli’s RRR, will lead a comedy directed by Anil Ravipudi, whose Sankranti holiday releases have made him one of Telugu cinema’s most reliable hitmakers. Both men announced the untitled film on X on Saturday 14 November, and Ravipudi’s post carried a photograph of the two with Nandamuri Kalyan Ram, the actor’s half-brother, who will produce through the family banner NTR Arts.
“This one’s going to be a laugh riot,” Jr NTR wrote. Ravipudi called the pairing “long overdue”, promised a “full-on entertainer” and said it would be “rolling very soon”. Neither post gave a title, cast, budget, start date or release date.
Key facts
- Star: Jr NTR (N. T. Rama Rao Jr.), turning to comedy after the action-led run of RRR, Devara and War 2
- Director: Anil Ravipudi, whose last two Sankranti releases reportedly grossed more than ₹250 crore ($26.5m) and ₹300 crore ($31.8m) worldwide
- Producer: Nandamuri Kalyan Ram for NTR Arts, which also produced Ravipudi’s first film, Pataas (2015)
- Status: untitled; no cast, budget, shoot start or release date announced
- Ahead of it: Jr NTR’s Dragon with Prashanth Neel, dated 11 June 2027, and Ravipudi’s January 12 Vidudala, aimed at Sankranti 2027
The director
Ravipudi has made the January harvest-festival weekend his own. F2 grossed about ₹137 crore ($14.5m) worldwide in 2019, and each of his next three Sankranti releases passed ₹200 crore ($21.2m), according to Cinejosh: Mahesh Babu’s Sarileru Neekevvaru (2020), Venkatesh’s Sankranthiki Vasthunam (2025) and Chiranjeevi’s Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu (2026). Cinejosh puts the last two at more than ₹250 crore and ₹300 crore respectively; the ₹300 crore figure for Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu is also the makers’ own. In between came the 2023 action drama Bhagavanth Kesari, with Nandamuri Balakrishna, which won the National Film Award for best Telugu film.
He is just as well known for holding down costs. In a January interview with Great Andhra, reported by The Indian Express, he said the film-making cost of Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu stayed below ₹30 crore ($3.2m), and that Sankranthiki Vasthunam had a budget of about ₹55 crore ($5.8m). He did not confirm reports that the Chiranjeevi film’s overall budget, stars’ fees included, reached ₹200 crore. “If remuneration is high, the production budget should be controlled,” he said. Dollar figures in this story use the European Central Bank reference rate for 13 November, ₹94.24 to the dollar.
The new film also brings Ravipudi back to where he started. He made his debut with Pataas, an action comedy starring Kalyan Ram and produced by NTR Arts. His next release, January 12 Vidudala, again stars Kalyan Ram, this time alongside Venkatesh, and is aimed at Sankranti 2027, Telugu360 reports.
The star’s slate
Jr NTR is shooting Dragon, Prashanth Neel’s action film for Mythri Movie Makers and NTR Arts, which is dated for a worldwide release on 11 June 2027. Sacnilk and Telugu360 also report a reunion with the director Trivikram Srinivas, his partner on Aravinda Sametha Veera Raghava. The order of the Ravipudi and Trivikram projects has not been announced.
Some Telugu outlets have floated Sankranti 2028 as a target for the comedy. Nobody involved has said so, and Cinejosh reports that Ravipudi is separately set to reunite with the producer Dil Raju on a film aimed at the same festival.
Our reading
The pairing is a bet on contrast. Jr NTR’s last three films were large-scale action productions, and Dragon is another. Ravipudi’s films are family comedies timed to one holiday window, made to a disciplined production budget and carried by a star’s name. Keeping the film at NTR Arts means the family company, rather than an outside studio, takes the upside of that bet.
The announcement is a photograph and two posts, so the commercial details are still missing. The title, the cast and a release date will show where the film fits in a crowded 2027–28 calendar, and whether it competes with Ravipudi’s own festival film. Our recent India coverage includes Yash Raj Films’ first horror film, Ramayana‘s second-week box office and Jailer 2‘s record run for Tamil cinema.
Sources
- Jr NTR (@tarak9999) on X, announcement post, 14 November 2026 (as embedded by Sacnilk)
- Anil Ravipudi (@AnilRavipudi) on X, announcement post, 14 November 2026 (as embedded by ETV Bharat)
- Telugu360, Anil Ravipudi to direct NTR, 14 November 2026
- Hindustan Times Telugu, Jr NTR and Anil Ravipudi film announcement, 14 November 2026
- Cinejosh, Anil Ravipudi's Sankranthi run has a new challenge
- The Indian Express, Rs 28 cr budget for Chiranjeevi's Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu; it earned over Rs 300 cr globally, says director, 23 January 2026
- European Central Bank euro reference rates, 13 November 2026 (INR 104.1575, USD 1.1052; cross rate ₹94.24 to the dollar)