Director Prashanth Neel and Jr NTR are collaborating for the first time on Dragon, one of the most anticipated upcoming pan-India films. On Jr NTR’s birthday on Wednesday, the makers unveiled the film’s first teaser, introducing the actor as an assassin named Luger.
Now, in a conversation with Galatta Plus, Prashanth Neel opened up about finally working with Jr NTR after admiring him for years. The filmmaker admitted that while he was excited about the collaboration, he was also initially intimidated by the actor’s larger-than-life screen persona.
“For the last 25 years, I have been a huge fan of NTR and all the mass films he has done. So when Mythri Movie Makers first called me and said I had to go meet NTR, I was extremely excited. At the same time, I was also afraid. The persona I had seen on screen and the kind of energy he carries — I thought it might be toxic for me,” Prashanth said.
Explaining what he meant by “toxic,” the director clarified that he was worried Jr NTR might be too set in his ways as an actor.
“There are actors who have their own fixed patterns — what they are and what they want to do. Looking at him from the outside, it felt like you couldn’t change his mind. Usually, I need to fall in love with my heroes because we are literally married to each other for a couple of years while making a film. So it was intimidating to meet him,” he shared.
‘Jr NTR is stubborn’
However, Prashanth said his perception changed completely after spending time with the actor.
“After we met and spent time together, I understood the practicality with which he approaches things. He is family to me now. One thing I understood about him is that he is stubborn — but in a very honest way. He is not somebody who hides his stubbornness,” he said.
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The filmmaker revealed that he never wanted to micromanage Jr NTR’s performance as Luger because the actor instinctively understood the character.
“There was no way I was going to tell him, ‘You should act like this or walk like this.’ He would do it naturally, and there would only be minor corrections from my side. I knew what he was giving to the character, but I didn’t know exactly what he was going to do with Luger. The moment he walked out and performed, I understood that he had completely understood the character. It was exactly where I wanted it to be. I was very happy, and I told him that too. Working with NTR feels like he is self-programmed to do what he has to do. He understood the character, and he loves the drama of this movie,” he said.
‘We have been writing this drama together’
Prashanth also revealed that the two had been discussing and shaping the film’s drama for nearly three-and-a-half years before the project officially went on floors.
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“We have been writing this drama together for at least three and a half years before starting the film. He used to discuss so many shots with me, and that gave me a lot of confidence,” he shared.
Calling Jr NTR “extremely intelligent,” the filmmaker praised the actor’s understanding of world cinema and performance.
“He watches world cinema and knows exactly how a character needs to be played. But I feel he hadn’t explored that side fully all these years. I wanted him to do something different, and there was no rigidity or friction. He understood how Luger was supposed to be played, and that is exactly what he delivered,” he said.
‘He is like a nuclear plant’
Prashanth further compared Jr NTR’s passion for films to the energy of a “nuclear plant.”
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“You know, he is like a nuclear plant — he powers everything. His enthusiasm for cinema and drama is absolutely unparalleled. He looks at films as stories first. For him, the story has to be convincing before it becomes a movie,” the director explained.
He also said that Jr NTR was never concerned about his “mass hero” image while working on Dragon.
“It never felt like I was brought in just to elevate the hero because I am known for giving heroes that mass appeal. He is not worried about that. He knows the mass moments will come naturally with the drama,” Prashanth said.
The filmmaker added that working with Jr NTR changed the way he looked at storytelling itself.
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“He is stubborn in the best possible way about what a film should be. That quality rubbed off on me — not in changing my style of storytelling, but in focusing more deeply on the story itself. With him, conversations are never like formal meeting-room discussions. We only talk about drama,” he said.
Prashanth also spoke about Jr NTR’s emotional depth and personality.
“I think his life itself has been a drama, and people close to him know why he is the way he is. I feel absolutely privileged to be around a man like that — not just as an individual, but also as a film personality. I think we are going to make a very good movie together,” he said.
Jr NTR’s physical transformation for the role has already caught fans’ attention in the teaser. Prashanth revealed that the actor lost nearly 15 kilos in just four months for the part.
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About Dragon
Apart from Jr NTR, Dragon also stars Anil Kapoor, Ashutosh Rana, Rukmini Vasanth and Biju Menon in key roles.
The film is jointly produced by Mythri Movie Makers and NTR Arts. Producers include Nandamuri Kalyan Ram, Naveen Yerneni, Y. Ravi Shankar and Kosaraju Harikrishna. The film is being presented by T-Series through Gulshan Kumar and Bhushan Kumar.
Originally scheduled to release on June 25, 2026, Dragon has now been pushed and is set for a worldwide theatrical release on June 11, 2027.
