Mumbai: The trailer of ‘GD Naidu’, the biographical period drama starring R. Madhavan, was released on Monday.
The nearly three-minute preview offers a compelling first look at the actor’s remarkable transformation into legendary engineer, inventor and philanthropist Gopalaswamy Doraiswamy Naidu, popularly remembered as the ‘Edison of India.’
Directed by Krishnakumar Ramakumar, who also co-wrote the screenplay with Madhavan, the film marks the actor’s return to portraying a real-life icon after the success of ‘Rocketry: The Nambi Effect’.
In ‘GD Naidu’, Madhavan portrays different phases of Naidu’s life, seamlessly transitioning from an ambitious young innovator to an elderly man, with his striking makeover making him almost unrecognisable.
The trailer opens by hinting at the mystery surrounding Naidu’s later years, including rumours that he had lost his sanity and blown up his own building.
It then rewinds to chronicle his inspiring rise from a self-taught inventor to one of India’s pioneering industrialists, highlighting his role in building the UMS transport network and founding some of the country’s earliest polytechnic institutions.
Alongside his achievements, the trailer sheds light on the many obstacles Naidu encountered.
In one scene, a British official dismissively asks, “Who the h**l is this fakir?” before the screen flashes the line: “Feared by the British. Forgotten by his countrymen.”
The preview also teases the personal and political battles that defined his journey, including police raids, allegations of tax evasion and accusations of treason over his alleged business links with the Nazis.
Besides Madhavan, the film features Sathyaraj, Jayaram, Priyamani, Vinay Rai, Dushara Vijayan and Aditi Balan in key roles.
The film is backed by Varghese Moolan Pictures in association with Madhavan’s Tricolour Films.
