The makers of the game show Evaru Meelo Koteeswarulu announced on Saturday that its new season will be hosted by Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao (Jr NTR). The announcement was made on Friday through a promotional video, followed by a press conference held by the makers on Saturday.
Evaru Meelo Koteeswarulu is the Telugu version of popular Television reality show Who Wants to Be a Millionaire. The latest season marks the fifth season of the television reality show. In the promo, Jr NTR gives a walkthrough and explains the rules of the game show, and refers to himself as “Your Rama Rao” at the end. The actor is usually known as Jr NTR or Tarak. Rama Rao is one of the ways in which his grandfather, former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh and film star Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao, was referred. When a reporter asked him if he was “promoted” from Jr NTR to Rama Rao with this show, the actor responded by saying that his family members have always called him by different names. “I will respond to Jr NTR, Tarak or Rama Rao. You call me by any name with love, I will respond.” When asked about his entry into politics, the actor said, “Now is not the time or place to talk about it.”
Watch the promo here:
Gemini TV has acquired the telecast rights for the game show. The previous four seasons were aired on Star MAA with a slightly different name (Meelo Evaru Koteeswarudu). While the first three seasons were hosted by actor Akkineni Nagarjuna, actor Chiranjeevi was the host for the fourth season.
Jr NTR made his television debut with Bigg Boss Telugu Season 1, which was telecasted on Star Maa TV in 2017. Although Tarak is well- known for his oratory skills and fluency in Telugu, the actor mentioned that hosting the show is a “big responsibility” since the show is unscripted. “You have a script of the concept of the show, but there is no script on how you talk to a contestant,” he stated.
The actor said he is excited to meet and interact with participants coming from different walks of life. He also added that he will push his boundaries in order to meet the benchmark set by the previous hosts of the show.
Jr NTR also took the opportunity to express his excitement for the upcoming Tollywood movie RRR. He will be playing a pivotal role in the SS Rajamouli directorial, which also stars Ram Charan and Alia Bhatt.