Hyderabad: As the popular number ‘Naatu Naatu’ made waves at the 95th Academy Awards, the Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) in Telangana took a dig at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) by bringing back an old clip in which film director S.S. Rajamouli is allegedly threatened to not release his movie ‘RRR’.
On Monday, the K. Chandrasekhar Rao-led BRS pointed out how BJP state chief Bandi Sanjay had, in the past, threatened director Rajamouli to not release the movie ‘RRR’ alleging that it misrepresents revolutionary fighter Komaram Bheem.
This was after Sanjay tweeted conveying his wishes to the team of ‘RRR’ following their win, after which BRS leaders jumped in to bring back the old clip featuring him.
In 2020, the BJP leader threatened to set fire to theatres if ‘RRR’ was released, as he objected to its trailer showing actor Jr. NTR, who plays the role of Komaram Bheem, wearing ‘surma’, an amulet and donning a skull cap.
BRS leader and Telangana State Mineral Development Corporation chairman Manne Krishank tweeted on how BJP “threatened Pathaan” was a “Super Hit” and how “BJP warned RRR” won an Oscar. The Shah Rukh Khan-starrer ‘Pathaan’ was targeted by Right-wing outfits for the saffron bikini of actor Deepika Padukone.
BJP threatened Pathaan – SuperHit
BJP Warned RRR – Oscar Award .. pic.twitter.com/sA6dvPmBpF
— Krishank (@Krishank_BRS) March 13, 2023
The BRS has been aggressively taking on the BJP ahead of this year’s polls in Telangana. It put up hoardings titled ‘Washing Powder’ to taunt Union Home Minister Amit Shah who visited Hyderabad to attend the 54th CISF Raising Day parade on Sunday.
Meanwhile, BRS leader Y. Satish Reddy, who is also the chairman of Telangana State Renewable Energy Corporation, tweeted on how the controversial movie ‘The Kashmir Files’ became a ‘political winner’ after being supported by the BJP, but how ‘RRR’ which was threatened by the BJP won an Oscar.
In a tweet tagging Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Reddy wondered whether Sanjay would now apologise or any action can be expected.
Mr @narendramodi ,
The exceptional movie as quoted that won an #Oscar for us, was backt criticised by your T-BJP President @bandisanjay_bjp.
He threatened to burn the theatres, that played ‘#RRR’ movie & also kill #SSRajamouli. Will he apologise?
Can we expect any action? pic.twitter.com/Y0Aje71whs
— YSR (@ysathishreddy) March 13, 2023
The movie ‘RRR’ could have done better if the Modi government had received support but it chose a film from Gujarat for the Oscar, he tweeted, referring to the Gujarati film ‘Chhello Show’ that was chosen as India’s submission to the Best International Feature Film category.
Back in 2020, Sanjay lashed out at Rajamouli for “distorting historical facts”, and hurting sentiments of the Adivasi community members. The Karimnagar MP even said that the film director would be struck with sticks if he tried to release the movie. “Will we keep quiet if Rajamouli tries to put a skull cap to Komaram Bheem, for sensation? Never,” Sanjay had said.
Kontham Dileep, Telangana government’s digital media director and also a close aide of IT minister KTR, also pulled up Sanjay’s old clip, tweeting how the win is the right time to remember the “venom that was spewed on the movie”.
KTR replied saying: “Not before long, the SAME Bigot will tell you the Award was given only because of Modi (sic).”
The Telangana minister also retweeted advocate and rights activist Prashant Bhushan’s tweet of how the BJP changed its stand on ‘RRR’ before and after the Oscars.
Rajamouli had clarified that the film, although based on two iconic leaders Komaram Bheem and Alluri Sitarama Raju, is not their biopic but a hypothetical story on what would have happened if the two leaders met and became friends.
(Edited by Tony Rai)
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