Esquire India’s Cover Star NTR Is The Modern Icon In Motion

He’s been famous for a long time. Long enough that most people forget just how early he started—17, baby-faced, shouldering the weight of a surname that still looms large in South Indian cinema and politics. Call him the Man of Masses, Young Tiger, or just Tarak – as millions across the country do – but don’t mistake the fandom for frenzy. What powers NTR’s stardom isn’t just charisma, but craft and precision.

He didn’t exactly get a quiet start, but what he’s done since then has been far more interesting.

Born into cinematic royalty but never one to coast on legacy, NTR has spent over two decades defying expectations—and, in many ways, redefining them. The grandson of N.T. Rama Rao, a matinee icon turned Chief Minister, NTR was born into a lineage steeped in Telugu cinema and political legacy. But he was never content being a footnote in someone else’s mythology. At just 17, he made his lead debut in Ninnu Choodalani, but it was Student No. 1 and Aadi that really set the tone.

He carries the film before the frame, and brings with him a kind of earned authority. He came in with the kind of ferocity and emotional depth that instantly made him stand out, even in a sea of young male leads. He was intense, yes, but also technically sharp—a trained Kuchipudi dancer with the kind of fluidity and control on screen that directors dream of. He could do action, but also tenderness. Mass appeal, but with method. And so, he built his own—a filmography that spans commercial blockbusters, critically acclaimed roles, and now, a new chapter with the much-hyped Bollywood debut in War 2.

His filmography is studded with hits (Temper, Janatha Garage, Aravinda Sametha), but it’s his performance in RRR that shifted the calculus. The global juggernaut. If you were paying attention before, you already knew he had the range. But RRR cracked something open—domestically, globally, viscerally. There was a new kind of recognition, and not the algorithmic, streaming-sort. This was the old-school kind, where audiences were genuinely moved by his performance.

Now, as he steps into Hindi cinema as a known force with War 2, he plays the antagonist opposite Hritik Roshan in what is already shaping up to be one of 2025’s biggest releases. It’s his first Bollywood role, technically—but that label barely sticks. At this point, NTR doesn’t need a formal crossover. He’s already there.

Off-screen, he’s equally compelling. A polyglot, a philanthropist, a grounded family man. In an age where every move is curated, NTR remains refreshingly unfiltered—low on gimmicks, high on grace. He doesn’t court the spotlight, but he’ll never be eclipsed by it either. What you see on screen is what you get. What you get is a man who knows exactly what he’s doing.

And that’s why he’s Esquire India’s next cover star. Because if there’s one man who embodies the modern Indian icon—rooted in tradition, wired for reinvention, and never afraid to go full throttle—it’s him.

This is NTR for Esquire India. The cover is here.

The rest will be unveiled soon.

Chairperson: Avarna Jain

COO: Jamal Shaikh

Editor: Rahul Gangwani

Styling and Creative Direction: Vijendra Bhardwaj

Photographer: Ben Cope from MMG Artists

Editorial Mentor: Saira Menezes

Managing Editor: Sonal Nerurkar

Deputy Editor: Mayukh Majumdar

Words: Nitin Sreedhar

Hair: Aalim Hakim,

Hair Team: Nitesh Parariya

Grooming: Ravi Naramruta

Bookings Editor: Varun Shah

Chief Assistant Stylist: Mehak Khanna

Fashion Team: Komal Shetty

Destination Partner: Visit Dubai

Hospitality Partner: Jumeirah Marsa Al Arab

Location: The View Palm Jumeirah

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Artist Management: Collective Artists Network

Esquire India Editorial: Saurav Bhanot, Prannay Pathak, Abhya Adlakha, Rudra Mulmule, Riti Ghai, Kashish Mishra