Balakrishna flanked by Vishwak Sen, Neha Sshetty and Anjali during the pre-release event of Gangs Of Godavari.
The Telugu film industry, often referred to as Tollywood, has found itself embroiled in yet another controversy. This time, veteran actor ‘God Of Masses’ Nandamuri Balakrishna aka Balayya is at the centre of allegations involving inappropriate behaviour towards actress Anjali.
The controversy erupted during the pre-release event of upcoming Tollywood film Gangs Of Godavari. In the viral video, actor and politician Balakrishna is seen pushing the actress an inappropriate manner on stage, causing embarrassment and visible discomfort to the actress.
However, the actress managed the situation with her ‘fake’ laugh. Fellow actors Vishwak Sen and Neha Sshetty, who were on the stage, appeared to ignore the incident.
The video has garnered widespread attention and sparked debates across social media platforms, netizens are upset with this behaviour from the superstar of Telugu cinema. The video is spreading like a wildfire and has sparked a heated debate about the conduct of prominent figures in the industry.
Social media platforms like Twitter and Instagram have been flooded with posts criticising the actor and expressing solidarity with Anjali. Filmmaker Hansal Mehta was one of the famous names from the industry to respond to this incident. He reposted the video on X and wrote, “Who is this scumbag?” A fan explained that the guy is Nandamuri Balakrishna, a veteran Telugu superstar, an Andhra Pradesh MLA, and the son of legendary Telugu actor and former Andhra Pradesh CM NT Rama Rao, to which Hansal responded, “Scumbag x 100.”
However, fans of Balakrishna have come to his defence, arguing that the incident has been blown out of proportion or misinterpreted.
As of now, actress Anjali has not made any public statements regarding the incident. Her silence has led to widespread speculation, with some suggesting that she might be under pressure to maintain silence due to the power dynamics within the industry.
On the work front, Nandamuri Balakrishna is currently busy filming his 109th film, which will be released in both Telugu and Hindi.