'People Said He Had Some Illness...': Dragon Director Prashanth Neel Opens Up About Jr NTR's Body Transformation Amid Trolling Over 'Sickly' Look

Tollywood star Jr NTR announced NTR31 with director Prashanth Neel in May 2022. The film was delayed as Neel was occupied with Prabhas starrer Salaar Part 1: Ceasefire, which released in 2023. After Salaar hit the big screens and received a good response at the box office, Neel shifted focus to his movie with Jr NTR. However, this project faced its fair share of delays. It was reported last year that some portions filmed were scrapped, and based on Jr NTR's inputs, Neel also reworked the script.

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On May 20, which also marks Jr NTR's birthday, the movie's official title - Dragon - and a teaser were unveiled. Fans pointed out that Dragon's universe looked similar to Neel's KGF and Salaar. This has also fueled speculation of a movieverse in which Yash, Prabhas and Jr NTR could possibly share the screen space. The initial reception to Dragon has been good. However, what stood out for many was Jr NTR's physique.

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In a leaner frame, Jr NTR, as Luger, plays an assassin in Dragon. However, trolls said that he looked "sickly" and "lacked the aura" of a powerful character he is shown to be in the movie. About Jr NTR's transformation for the role, Neel said, "I just told NTR to become a little thinner, but later he became unstoppable. He lost about 15 kilos at one point in time. His wife, mother, friends, and my team were completely upset with me. I asked him to stop many times because he started looking paler and frail. But he never stopped. He said he wanted to achieve something for the story I am writing and what I envisioned.”

“I have not seen such stubbornness in anybody. All the blame was put on me. People said he had some illness or he was not happy. He is the true madman I have seen,“ the KGF director added. Dragon will release in June next year.