Stuartpuram, located in the Chirala district of Andhra Pradesh, is gaining a considerable amount of fame these days. It was once known as the ‘village of thieves’, but now it is making efforts to shed that image. The reason for the village’s newfound popularity is a film called ‘Tiger Nageswara Rao’, in which actor Ravi Teja is playing the lead role. Abhishek Agarwal, of ‘The Kashmir Files’ and ‘Karthikeya 2’ fame is the producer of the film. It will be Telugu actor Ravi Teja’s first pan-India movie.
Stuartpuram of Andhra Pradesh and ‘Tiger Nageswara Rao’: An interesting story
An entire set depicting the village of Stuartpuram has been created for the film. It was reported that it cost 7 crore rupees just to build this set. Posters of the film have also been released, which has increased people’s curiosity. The movie is based on a thief named ‘Nageswara Rao’, whom people called ‘Tiger’. He was considered the ‘Robinhood’ of his area. The locals say that he used to rob wealthy people who tortured the poor and then distribute the stolen wealth among the poor. Even today, Nageswara Rao’s village of Stuartpuram is known by his name. The people of Stuartpuram still hold memories of Tiger Nagashwara Rao. According to some accounts, he would help the needy and fight for their rights.
The village of Stuartpuram has an interesting history. During the time of British rule, it was established in the name of the member of the Madras Presidency, Herold Stuart, to settle thieves and robbers from various areas in one place. This made it easier for the Britishers to keep an eye on them. In the 1970s and for 15 years after that, Tiger Nagashwara Rao had a lot of influence in this village. He used to steal in the areas of Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, and Karnataka, – 4 states of India today. He had to spend many years in jail after being arrested by the police, as he was involved in numerous cases of theft and robbery.
The police and social workers in the area, however, strongly disagree with those showing sympathy with ‘Tiger’ Nageswara Rao. They say that those who commit theft and robbery should be punished, because one should think about the pain of those whose money got stolen. According to them, punishment is necessary to discourage others from engaging in such kinds of illegal activities. A former police officer who took action against Tiger Nageswara Rao suggests that people should support the police and not criminals, although he acknowledges that not all police officers are honest.
According to ex-police officers who knew him, Nageswara Rao was an expert thief who used to break into houses at night to steal money, jewellery etc. Nageswara died in a police encounter in 1987. This incident had angered the locals so much that they came out on the road protesting against the police. In 1974, a bank robbery in Banganapalli created national headlines because it happened right in front of a police station.
Nageshwar’s brother Prabhakar had told BBC in an interview that there were 10 members in the gang responsible for this bank robbery, including both brothers. In those days, 35 lakhs was a large amount of money. With 14 kg of gold and 50,000 rupees in cash, all the robbers went to a nearby cremation ground, where they were supposed to distribute the loot among themselves. However, the police surrounded the village. Nageshwar managed to escape, but Prabhakar had to surrender.
Nageswara Rao was also involved in the Chennai jailbreak case. He was arrested in 1976 along with his brother Prabhakar. Prabhakar recalls that Nageswara Rao had then told him that he couldn’t stay in jail anymore. Today, things are changing in Stuartpuram, and children are studying outside while people are into better professions.
Talking to OpIndia, Abhishek Agarwal said that he loves producing films. He believes in promoting Indian history, culture, and heritage.
Brought up in North, gained superstardom in south: Ravi Teja the ‘Mass Maharaja’
As far as Ravi Teja is concerned, he is a well-known name among the Telugu audience In addition to being a popular face in the industry, he is known for his comic timing. He is also known as the “Mass Maharaja” in the South. 55 years old Ravi Teja is acting in a pan-India film for the first time.
#TigerNageswaraRao strikes big with tremendous response 💥
— Abhishek Agarwal 🇮🇳 (@AbhishekOfficl) March 29, 2023
HUNTING WORLDWIDE from OCTOBER 20th 🔥🔥@RaviTeja_offl @DirVamsee @AbhishekOfficl #RenuDesai @AnupamPKher @NupurSanon @gaya3bh @Jisshusengupta @gvprakash @madhie1 @artkolla @SrikanthVissa @MayankOfficl @AAArtsOfficial pic.twitter.com/ktcRz67yeg
He started his movie career in the year 1990 with an uncredited minor role in the film “Kartavyam”. It took him nearly a decade to get a lead role. He made his debut as a lead actor with the 1999 romantic drama “Nee Kosam”. He established himself with the movie “Itlu Sravani Subramanyam” just two years later. It’s also worth knowing that he spent his childhood in North India. He went to school in Jaipur, Delhi, Mumbai, and Bhopal.
