The teaser launch of Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy, the latest movie of one of the biggest stars of Telugu cinema, Chiranjeevi was a grand affair. The trailer was released in five different languages on Tuesday. In Mumbai, at a glitzy event, actor-director Farhan Akhtar shared the stage with Chiranjeevi, his son and producer of the movie, Ram Charan and actress Tamannah and answered questions on why he chose to present the Hindi version of the period drama. While social media went into a tizzy after the launch, a family in Hyderabad, though very much connected to the movie, is in a different mood.
Fifty three-year-old Doravari Dastagiri Reddy is the direct descendant of Uyyalawada Narasimha Reddy, one of the first persons from the Telugu region who rebelled against the British Raj and fought three wars in the 1840s. A Polygar, he protested the reforms introduced by the British, and with the support of local peasants, fought the British. He was captured and hanged in 1847. Chiranjeevi's Sye Raa Narasimha Reddy is touted as the biopic of this legendray hero.
“We have no option but to commit suicide if nobody comes forward to help us,” said Dastagiri Reddy’s wife, exactly around the time when Telugu movie fans were celebrating the on-screen avatar of Chiranjeevi as the freedom fighter. “He (Narasimha Reddy) did what he had to do in his era and left the world. That is history and it is over. Having a great ancestor does not guarantee you food. We are living in utter poverty and are in dire need of money,” said Dastagiri.
Dastagiri is a cashier in a small firm. He along with a few other descendants of Narasimha Reddy were in the news recently for staging a protest outside producer Ram Charan’s office. They demanded compensation for sharing information about their ancestors and also because Ram Charan had promised them financial help last year. According to the family members, there are close to seven families which are directly connected to Narasimha Reddy. While Dastagiri’s family had migrated to Hyderabad, the rest live in and around Uyyalawada village in Kurnool district of Andhra Pradesh. Almost all of them are neck-deep in debt, Dastagiri said.
Most of the family members are farmers. While Narasimha Reddy is being hailed as an unsung hero with a glorious past, Dastagiri, to an extent blames his ancestor for their pitiable state. “Narasimha Reddy had more than 50 villages and thousands of acres under him. The land was lost during the wars. Some were encroached by his supporters and soldiers. After he died, for close to 100 years, the British imposed sanctions on our family. The villagers were ordered not to support us in any way. Our forefathers suffered a lot and took to alcohol, unable to cope up with the difficult times. We have a great legacy but it did not help us. We continue to be in a bad position.”
According to the family members, there are four unmarried men in their family as they are finding it difficult to find brides. Bajja Reddy, 49, is another descendant of Narasimha Reddy and lives in his native village. “I don’t know much about the movie and I do not wish to talk about it,” he said. When asked if he had knowledge of any arms or artefacts related to Narasimha Reddy, he said, “I am not in touch with my family members.”The rest of the family members are also not in a mood to celebrate the fact that their hero is being brought to life on screen.
K. Prabhakar Reddy, a journalist-turned-freelance writer, is not connected to the Narasimha Reddy family but he did more to popularise the legend than all of his family members. It was in 1999 that he first wrote on the heroics of Narasimha Reddy in a daily that grabbed attention. Later, he went on to create a Wikipedia page on Narasimha Reddy and also wrote a series of articles on him. He also formed a group that worked towards recognising Narasimha Reddy as a national hero in history books and also organised events to create awareness.
The film’s team reached out to him a few years back. “Narasimha Reddy was a person who revolted against the British Raj. He was a brave freedom fighter who did not accept the humiliating ways of the British administration. This led to three wars. He was ignored by most of the historians, who were north Indians,” he said.
In the last few months, Prabhakar Reddy travelled extensively and collected information from old archives by visiting institutions and libraries. Among the many gazettes and records that he went through, the most memorable is the one with the judgment on Narasimha Reddy which he found in Chennai. According to him, it was mentioned that Narasimha Reddy should be hanged and also his head should be hung at the entrance of the village as a deterrence for anyone who thought of participating in an uprising against the British. “It was a very rare verdict. I cannot think of any other judgment which is similar to this,” he said. For the next 30 years, his head was hung on a fort.
Prabhakar helped the film’s production team with inputs on culture, dressing and lifestyle of the period and also shared stories about Narasimha Reddy which were passed down through generations. Apart from that, he also gave books and documents to the crew.
How does it feel to be involved with such a big-ticket project? “I feel good that more people will now know about Narasimha Reddy. But, I am hurt that the producers have distanced themselves from me. It feels like I have been used and thrown away. For months, I sat down with them and discussed all aspects of the character. Now, I am not even sure if I will be given any credit. I did not get a single penny for all the hard work I put in.”
For now, Prabhakar Reddy and Dastagiri Reddy are relegated to the sidelines. The focus is on Chiranjeevi and Narasimha Reddy.