Legendary actor and politician Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao (NTR) holds an iconic status in both Telugu cinema and politics, with generations of fans continuing to hold him in the highest regard. Any perceived attempt to mock the legendary figure is bound to trigger a strong reaction.
“Legendary NTR’s fans were definitely hurt by the scenes in Korean Kanagaraju where Satya imitates NTR. It was unpardonable,” says T. Prasanna Kumar, secretary of the Telugu Film Producers Council. “The kind of respect NTR commands can be understood from the fact that superstar Rajinikanth once said he would fall at the feet of only two people—Lord Raghavendra Swamy and NTR. That tells you about the stature of our Telugu icon even today,” he adds.
A section of social media users turned aggressive on Friday after NTR fans objected to scenes in Korean Kanagaraju, alleging that the sequences featuring Satya imitating the late legend were disrespectful. The controversy particularly centred on the dialogue, “Your strokes are amateurish,” with some fans alleging that the sequence was deliberately designed to mock Sr. NTR. A video featuring the controversial portions went viral and drew strong backlash.
However, actor Varun Tej defended the sequence at a press meet on Friday, clarifying that there was no intention to disrespect NTR.
“Those portions were shot last November with the same dialogue. There is a huge difference between trolling and imitation. We only imitate great actors. We never intended to disrespect Sr. NTR. For example, I imitated Pawan Kalyan garu’s role from Vakeel Saab in F3. We did it in a healthy spirit. Even during the promotional campaign, Satya imitated Krishna garu and Chiranjeevi garu,” Varun said.
He further explained that the scenes were intended purely as humour. “It’s only in a fun space. We imitate them only because they are great actors. We never had any wrong intentions. Social media reactions are not in our control. People are enjoying the scenes in theatres. Satya has imitated many actors in his previous films. There is zero disrespect towards anyone,” he added.
Prasanna Kumar, however, believes the controversy could have an impact on the film’s reception. “Social media has been determining the fate of films to a large extent these days. The film could have received more positive vibes, if not for these scenes,” he says.
“NTR is treated almost like a demi-god by Telugu audiences across the world. Given his stature and the emotional connection people have with him, any attempt to mock him is bound to be considered unacceptable,” he adds.
The incident also brings to mind the backlash faced by senior actor Rajendra Prasad over remarks about legendary Tamil actor and politician M.G. Ramachandran (MGR). During a recent public appearance, Rajendra Prasad reportedly made controversial comments about MGR, including a remark that MGR “would wet his pants seeing Kantha Rao.” The comments triggered strong criticism from sections of the Tamil audience on social media, following which the actor released a video apologising and described his remarks as a mistake.
“Some legends are beyond criticism because of the immense respect and emotional connection they command among audiences for many decades and are etched in their minds forever. NTR and MGR belong to that category,” concludes Tamil producer Keyaar.
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