Home Minister Amit Shah met with matinee idol Junior NTR at the Airport Novotel Hotel and was closeted for about 20 minutes before they were joined by Union Minister for Tourism, Culture and Development of Northeast Region G. Kishan Reddy, Telangana BJP president Bandi Sanjay Kumar, general secretary Tarun Chugh and others late on Sunday night.
Party sources said it was a courtesy call and the discussion was about his recent blockbuster hit ‘RRR’ which is being touted as a contender for being nominated for the Oscar Award from the country. The on record briefing has been that the Home Minister was keen to meet both actors — Ram Charan and Junior NTR — to appreciate them for their respective roles in the movie but Chiranjeevi’s son was not available.
But, no one rules out political talk happening between Mr. Shah and NTR Jr. The latter has been keeping away from the Telugu Desam activities for many years to focus on his acting career. While few would bet on him giving up his acting and join politics full time considering that he is inarguably acknowledged as the best actor in Telugu film industry, the talk off-record is that he might be considered as a ‘long term investment’ for the party, at least in Andhra Pradesh.
“With former Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu’s son Lokesh being pushed into the heir apparent role in TD, there is less scope for NTR Junior to make a mark there,” it is being pointed out.
Meanwhile, former director-general of police T. Krishna Prasad was also welcomed into the party by Mr. Shah during the Munugode public meeting on Saturday. The Union Home Minister also called on media baron Ramoji Rao at the Ramoji Film City.
