South star Jr NTR, who is celebrating his birthday today, shared an update about his much-awaited film RRR two days before the special occasion. The actor, on Monday, issued a statement on Twitter, in which he consoled his fans, who were eagerly waiting for his first look and the teaser of the film and revealed that the makers were unable to release his first look from the film on his birthday as they couldn't complete it on time due to the "social distancing guidelines and restrictions" amid the coronavirus lockdown. In his statement, the actor also asked his fans to stay at home and follow the lockdown protocols instead of celebrating his birthday like every year.
The statement read: "A heartfelt request to all my dear fans. These are extraordinary times and safeguarding the health of you and your loved ones is the most important thing to do. Together, we can fight this thing and came out stronger. Every year, the love and affection shown by you all on the occasion of my birthday is something that I truly cherish. But this year, the biggest and most valuable gift that you can give me is to stay home and stay safe."
"I am also aware that many of you are disappointed about the lack of a first look or a teaser from RRR. Believe me when I say that the team is as disappointed as you are. They have worked extremely hard and tried to come up with something worthy of the film. But social distancing guidelines and restrictions prevented the team from getting it done. RRR is a prestigious film that is being helmed by Rajamouli Garu, so I have no doubts that you will be thrilled by the final output. Once again, thank you for all the love," read the full statement.
— Jr NTR (@tarak9999) May 18, 2020
On Monday, the official account of SS Rajamouli's RRR also tweeted about their inability to release the teaser of the film on Jr NTR's birthday and added that whenever they will release the teaser, it will be worth the wait. "As the lockdown gets extended time and again, work has come to a dead stop. And though we tried our best, we couldn't finish work on a glimpse of Jr NTR to give you all a treat on his birthday! And so, we will not be releasing either a first look or a video on the occasion," read the tweet.
"We don't want to release something just for the sake of it and we promise that the wait will absolutely be worth it! Whenever it comes to you, be sure it will be the biggest festival for all of us!" said the makers in a separate tweet.
As the lockdown gets extended time and again, work has come to a dead stop. And though we tried our best, we couldn't finish work on a glimpse of @tarak9999 to give you all a treat on his birthday!
— RRR Movie (@RRRMovie) May 18, 2020
And so, we will not be releasing either a first look or a video on the occasion.
We don't want to release something just for the sake of it and we promise that the wait will absolutely be worth it! Whenever it comes to you, be sure it will be the biggest festival for all of us! #RRRMovie
— RRR Movie (@RRRMovie) May 18, 2020
RRR will star Ram Charan and Jr NTR in lead roles. It will also feature Alia Bhatt and Ajay Devgn and international actors such as Ray Stevenson, Olivia Morris and Alison Doody. RRR is set in the 1920s and it is a story based on freedom fighters Alluri Seetharamaraju and Komaram Bheem, who fought against the British Raj and the Nizam of Hyderabad, respectively. The period drama film is likely to release on January 8, 2021.
