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NTR Jr pleads to save movie from Telangana backlash

January 12, 2010 22:33 IST

The threat issued by K Kavita, leader of Telangana Jagruti Samiti and daughter of TRS President K Chandrasekhara Rao, to stop the release of new Telugu movie of NTR Junior Adhurs on Thursday has sparked off a major controversy.

While the popular star NTR Junior himself has come out with a public appeal to allow his film to be release as he did not belong to any particular region and does not believe in regionalism, Kavita told a media conference in Hyderabad on Tuesday that she and her workers will definitely stop the release of the film as it was produced and directed by anti-Telangana people.

Kodali Nani, TDP MLA from Krishna district, who had come out in support of an integrated Andhra Pradesh, has produced the film. Kavita appealed to the people of Telangana not to allow release of such films and not to spend their hard earned money on such films.

"The same money will be used against the formation of Telangana state," she said.

Kavita said that only those films will be allowed to be released in Telangana whose makers make their support to Telangana state clear.

As a sequel to her threats, some pro Telangana activists attack a cinema hall in Hyderabad and burnt the cutouts of film Adhurs. Similar incidents of protest were reported from many other places in Telangana region.

Taking serious note of the threats, Director General of Police R Girish Kumar directed the Commissioner of Police and Superintendents of all the districts to provide full protection to the theaters exhibition the film and prevent any untoward incidents by deploying additional police force.

The matter was also taken up before the Andhra Pradesh High Court seeking the protection to the theaters and the court issued directions to the police to take action against the miscreants.

Earlier, pro Telangana protestors had targeted the films of Atmacharan Teja and Allu Arjun, the son and nephew of Praja Rajyam Party president Chiranjeevi after he had come out against Telangana state.

In his appeal, NTR Junior said stopping the release of his film will result in the losses of crores of rupees and it will affect the entire film industry on which thousands of people were dependent for their livelihood.

"I was born in Hyderabad, I was brought up here and I will die here," an emotional NTR Junior said, but he avoided using the word Telangana.

Meanwhile, M Mukesh Goud, a Congress minister from Hyderabad, lashed out at K Chandrasekhar Rao's family saying they were threatening and terrorising the people of Hyderabad.

"KCR, his daughter, son and nephew everybody is threatening and blackmailing one sector or the other," he said.

He urged the Telangana Joint Action Committee to restrain KCR and his family from such activities. He said stopping the release of film Adhurs would have serious consequences, as the people will not like it.

Mohammed Siddique in Hyderabad