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Jr NTR is taking the legacy of his family forward. Today, on his birthday, the Telugu superstar unveiled the first glimpse of his upcoming movie, Dragon.
Directed by Prashanth Neel, the film also stars Anil Kapoor, Rukmini Vasanth and many others. Mounted on a budget of around Rs 500 to Rs 600 crore, it is one of the most expensive and anticipated projects ever made in the Telugu industry. The star-studded cast has been paid exceptionally well, if reports are to be believed, and Jr NTR leads the salary chart.
Jr NTR's fee escalation over the years
According to reports, Jr NTR, or Taarak, has come on board for Rs 100 crore plus remuneration. Reportedly, his usual fee is between Rs 50 and 80 crore, but for Dragon, he is said to be earning a figure in the range of Rs 120 and Rs 150 crore. Jr NTR has had an incredible journey in the film industry since his debut, Ninnu Choodalani, in 2001. The actor was paid Rs 4 lakh for the movie. He gave his first cheque to his mother, Shalini Bhaskar Rao.
How Jr NTR remains a bankable star in Telugu cinema
In his initial years in cinema, Jr NTR chose massy subjects with films like Student No.1 and Aadi. His collaborations with SS Rajamouli never failed. They worked on the blockbuster Yamadonga, which was a turning point in his career. After establishing himself in the Telugu industry, Taarak did movies such as Brindavanam, Temper, Nannaku Prematho, Janatha Garage and Aravinda Sametha Veera Raghava that strengthened his position as a bankable star. When he teamed up with Rajamouli again, their film RRR broke box office records and became one of the highest-grossing Indian movies worldwide. It gained global success too, as Naatu Naatu won the Oscar for Best Original Song, the Golden Globe Awards for Best Original Song, and the Critics' Choice Awards Best Song honour.
After RRR, Jr NTR became a global sensation with filmmakers across languages wanting to work with him. He made his Bollywood debut with War 2 co-starring Hrithik Roshan and Kiara Advani in 2025. He is expected to return when the next part of the film is sanctioned.
About Dragon
His next, Dragon, is set in 1967 and revolves around the Golden Triangle and the opium trade. The film features intense clashes between the Afghan Trading Company and the Golden Trading Company. It is made under the banner of Mythri Movie Makers and NTR Arts. Also starring Biju Menon, Khushbu Sundar, Guru Somasundaram, Rajeev Kanakala, Ashutosh Rana, Anshuman Pushkar, Sidhant Gupta, Prabhas Srinu, Shatru, Shiva, Bhimal Jeet Oberoi, Ntuthuzelo Prince Grootboom, Aleksandr Mizev and Benedict Paul Garrett, Dragon releases on June 11, 2027, in Telugu, Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, and Malayalam.
