Indian movie stars thrive thanks to their ardent fans and Andhra King Taluka, starring Ram Pothineni, Upendra and Bhagyashri Borse, looks at exactly this fan culture, fan-star relationship and its impact on people's lives.
Sagar (Ram Pothineni) is a hardcore fan of 'Andhra King' Surya (Upendra) and will do anything for him. But to what extent will he go for his screen idol and the love of his life, Mahalakshmi (Bhagyashri Borse)?
Like what we see in real life in south India, Sagar, who hails from a small remote village called Godapalli Lanka (Godavari district), wants to catch superstar Surya Kumar's latest film in Mahalakshmi Theatre in the nearby town.
His father (Rao Ramesh) promises to take him if he excels in English and an excited Sagar holds his father to his promise. His bad luck, however, sees the movie running housefull and his father's plea to the fans' association head for two tickets has no impact.
The fans' head questions what they have done for the star and the 10-year-old hits upon a brilliant idea. He takes off his shirt to write something and scurries up the wooden ladder to put it up next to Surya Kumar's huge cut-out for the world to see - his shirt reads 'Andhra King Surya' giving the superstar a new name and Sagar instant fame.
As he grows older, Sagar engages in all that a fan does for his on-screen dol before every release - he sticks posters, puts up huge cut-outs, bursts firecrackers, does milk abhishekams (milk bath) for the cut-outs, throws torn tickets into the air, and whistles and screams louder than anyone at his hero's antics in each and every film. he eventually becomes the president of the Surya Kumar Fans's Aassociation in his area and the tag sticks on as that becomes his job as well.
Interestingly, even when he finds love, it is cinema that is a pain point as he's called 'nothing but a fan of Surya Kumar' and yet, it is also cinema that comes to his rescue.
On the other side, we see an aging superstar Surya, who is struggling to find a producer to finance his 100th film and who is possibly looking at the demise of his once illustrious career. When he tries to get a loan of Rs 3 crore from a financier, he is stunned to see the financier make a mockery out of the star who offers him a character role in his son's debut film.
Surya Kumar, a once celebrated hero, finds himself being relegated to the has-beens and it is an emotional blow for him. But someone deposits Rs 3 crore in his account. Who and why for the rest of the story. It is at this exact moment, we see Surya and Sagar connect - literally like the sun and the sea during sunset, and we are shown how it is a new sunrise for the two of them when the director takes us to the backstory of Sagar.
Andhra King Taluka is a Bildungsroman story that showcases how a young boy from a small village called Godapalli Lanka, that has no electricity or economic opportunities, uses cinema to help himself and his village.
Like most hardcore star fans, Sagar lives, eats and breathes cinema and his thoughts, actions and dreams all revolve around and are shaped by cinema. P Mahesh Babu, who has written and directed the film, has made sure that he has included all the signature elements that fans indulge and engage in in south cinema (especially Tamil and Telugu) but he has deftly refrained from turning the story into a psychological analysis or negative inspection of the star-fan relationship.
The director has also ensured that he showcases the other side - the realities an ageing superstar faces and how vulnerable the star becomes once their light starts to fade. Age is not kind to those on screen and as much as they try to be relevant and hold on to their fame, it can slip away easily as time goes.
The story is emotional, endearing and tells us how someone who is a nobody to a star can have a massive impact on his life and vice versa. The entire film revolves around a star, a fan, a theatre, a theatre owner and his daughter. Sagar's world is small and confined to cinema but it is also larger-than-life as it resembles a movie in itself. But the storyline mixes rural politics, personal loyalty, and the clash between tradition and modern aspirations of those in the village.
Unlike those who believe that fans and fanatical behaviour can destroy society, Mahesh Babu has shown the positive side of this which is uplifting and heart-warming. The storyline of the film is predictable and the film does have some lags, particularly in the middle portions.
Mahalakshmi's character could have had more depth as well. The editing needed to have been tighter but it is engaging for the most part thanks to earnest performances by the cast. The songs by Vivek and Mervin are par for the course with perfunctory numbers for the front benchers and the romantics.
Ram Pothineni, who has had several bad films in the last few years, is back in the reckoning with Andhra King Taluka with his solid (but sometimes over-the-top) performance as Sagar. The actor is relatable, energetic and charming, with impactful dramatic moments ensuring mass appeal.
Kannada star Upendra essays superstar Surya Kumar with ease and his layered performance as a star losing his shine stands out as he displays vulnerability and wisdom.
Rahul Ramakrishna as Sagar's friend has superb timing with his dialogue delivery which elicits laughs, while Bhagyashri Borse is on a roll with a top-notch performance here too, like Kaantha. She displays grace and sincerity in the role of Maheshwari and the chemistry between her and Ram Pothineni, particularly in some of the scenes in the second half, is very natural and endearing. On the whole, Andhra King Taluka is a strong comeback for Ram Pothineni and another win for Bhagyashri Borse.
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Ram Pothineni, Upendra, Bhagyashri Borse, Murli Sharma