'Tiger Nageswara Rao' is slated to hit the cinemas on October 20. Ravi Teja is playing the titular character, which is directly based on a real-life dacoit who pulled off unique and daring heists in the 1970s.
The film has been described as a biographical period action thriller. It is clear from the trailer that Nageswara Rao has been normalized and even glorified in this pre-Dasara box-office candidate.
As if the glorification of a notorious criminal was not enough, director Vamsee has been quoted as saying that Nageswara Rao's heists were inspiring. "His robberies were inspiring," Vamsee told a portal.
This has been deemed problematic by many. Nageswara Rao might be a Robin Hood as per some accounts, but to project his robberies as some sort of inspiration is an intellectually shallow thing to do.
The day Mass Maharaja chose to play the role of a notorious thief, it was evident that the tone of the biographical action drama would not be serious. Yet, calling unlawful activities inspiring is uncalled for.
