Jr NTR's shoulder surgery reshuffles Dragon shoot, Salaar 2 prep moves ahead

Jr NTR’s shoulder surgery has led to changes in the shooting schedule of his upcoming film Dragon, but the production is not expected to come to a complete halt during his recovery. With the actor expected to take two to three months to return to his normal routine, filmmaker Prashanth Neel is likely to use the window to advance pre-production work on Salaar 2: Shouryaanga Parvam.The injury means portions of Dragon involving NTR will have to be rescheduled. However, according to a source close to the development, the team plans to continue work on portions that do not require the actor.Prashanth Neel to advance Salaar 2 workWith NTR temporarily away from the sets, Neel is expected to divide his time between the two films, using the break to push ahead with the writing and pre-production of Salaar 2, his next collaboration with Prabhas.“Neel garu had anyway planned to move into the next phase of Salaar 2 after completing Dragon. With NTR garu now needing time to recover, he has a window to push the pre-production of Salaar 2 forward. He plans to use this period for writing, action planning, pre-visualisation and other groundwork while the Dragon team continues with work that does not require NTR,” the source said. The source clarified that Neel will continue to remain involved with Dragon and that the film’s production will continue around NTR’s recovery schedule.“It is not that Dragon has come to a complete standstill. There is a lot of work that can happen without NTR garu, and the team will continue with those portions. The schedule will obviously be adjusted around his recovery, but we are not looking at this as a situation where the entire film has to stop,” the source added. This would allow Neel to work on both films at different stages - overseeing the portions of Dragon that can be filmed without NTR while simultaneously preparing Salaar 2.NTR’s recovery remains the prioritySources said there is no plan to rush NTR back to the sets before he has recovered. Given the physical demands of Dragon, the actor is expected to take the required time before resuming his portions.“Right now, NTR garu’s recovery is the most important thing. Nobody wants to rush him back onto a physically demanding set, especially given the scale and nature of Dragon. Neel garu is completely on the same page about giving him the time he needs to recover properly,” the source said.The recovery period could also give Neel additional time to prepare Salaar 2, particularly its action sequences, which are expected to require extensive planning.“Salaar 2 is a very ambitious film, and the action blocks require extensive preparation. Neel garu plans to use this window to sit with his team, work out the sequences and get the pre-production in place. By the time NTR garu is ready to resume Dragon, Neel garu will make considerable progress on Salaar 2,” the source said.Will Dragon’s release be affected?Dragon marks the first collaboration between NTR and Neel. The film’s first glimpse, released on NTR’s birthday in May, introduced the actor as Luger and offered a glimpse of the period action drama.The film stars Rukmini Vasanth, Anil Kapoor and others and is currently scheduled for a June 2027 theatrical release. The timeline gives the makers some room to accommodate changes to the shooting schedule following NTR’s injury.At this stage, the production does not expect the schedule change to affect the announced release date.“This is more of a scheduling adjustment than a setback for Dragon. The film has a fairly long runway before its theatrical release, so at this stage it would be premature to say that the film’s release will be affected. The immediate focus is on reorganising the schedule and making the best use of the time available. The team will take a call on the subsequent schedules once NTR garu is ready to return,” the source said.NTR, who was shooting for Dragon in late July, sustained a shoulder injury during the production. He underwent arthroscopic surgery at KIMS Hospitals in Secunderabad on August 12. The procedure was successful, and the medical team said the actor was doing well and is expected to resume his normal routine within two to three months.- EndsPublished On: Aug 13, 2026 19:21 IST