MLA’s comment sparks T row, Adhurs bears brunt

February 8, 2010

Telangana activists once again disrupted the screening of Junior NTR’s film Adhurs after its producer and Telugu Desam Gudivada MLA, Mr Kodali Nani, made intemperate comments against the separate state movement and its leaders.
Angry agitators set fire to posters and cutouts of the film in several theatres across Telangana and attacked some theatres.
The Telangana Joint Action Committee (T-JAC), which met here on Monday, also called for the boycott of film in the region.
On Sunday, Mr Nani questioned the legitimacy of the Telangana cause and said its leaders were like Pittala Dora (jokers). “The T-agitation has been started by the politically unemployed,” he had remarked.
The TD MLA also ridiculed the family of the Telangana Rashtra Samiti chief, Mr K. Chandrasekhar Rao, by saying that his film had run successfully despite their opposition.
Though Mr Nani retracted his comments and said the media had distorted it, the Telangana activists were not convinced. When the film was released earlier, the Telangana Jagruti chief and KCR’s daughter, Ms Kavita, called for its boycott. But following pressure from various quarters, the boycott call was dropped. With Mr Nani’s comments, the controversy has been revived.
The Telugu film industry distanced itself from the comments of Mr Nani. The Movie Artistes Association, the AP Film Chamber of Commerce, the Telugu Film Producers’ Council and Telugu Movie Directors’ Association condemned the remarks.
“Just when we thought things are bouncing back to normalcy, Mr Nani has made this remark,” said Murali Mohan, actor and president of Movie Artistes’ Association.
--DC