Given the scale of Nagabandham, Virat Karrna should have pulled off another Teja Sajja. The two young actors have chosen a similar trajectory. While Teja Sajja has fronted HanuMan and Mirai, both super-ambitious films, Virat has tried to position himself as a quintessential action hero through Nagabandham, a supernatural action fantasy drama that aimed for the impact of Akhanda but ended up in the universe of Akhanda 2.
Virat Karrna is not the son of a producer, but he comes from a networked family. He is the brother-in-law of Telugu film producer Miryala Ravinder Reddy, who produced his debut movie Peddha Kapu 1 through Dwaraka Creations (and the film was a colossal disaster). As someone hailing from an industry-adjacent family, Virat saw from close quarters the practical struggles involved in mounting a big-scale movie like Jaya Janaki Nayaka, a big-hero venture like Akhanda and a medium-range movie like Saahasam Swaasaga Saagipo (that was released amid high expectations but came a cropper).
Before the release of Nagabandham, Virat stated that the pre-release jitters he had been experiencing ahead of Nagabandham's release were making him piss in his pants. Allegedly made on a budget of Rs 100 Cr, the film grossed just about Rs 7 Cr in its first two days at the box office. It should have grossed three or four times more.
