Nowadays it seems no one knows quite how things go viral and become news. This past year, Telugu people were bemused with what made it into their daily dose of news.
From a police officer who bizarrely bowed to traffic violators to a state minister who claimed beer was a “health drink”, these news reports provided people some much-needed amusement in the year 2017.
The Andhra lawmaker and the ‘B.Com-Physics’ degree conundrum
Not just media but academic circles were shaken by the super exclusive degree which Vijayawada West TDP MLA Jaleel Khan claimed to have completed!
In an interview given to a popular YouTube channel, after Jaleel says that he had studied B.Com, the anchor asks him if he had aspired to become a chartered accountant.
“Nothing like that. I was interested in Maths. I was interested in Physics. So, I took it,” comes the shocking reply.
When the interviewer then points out that there was no Physics in the course, Jaleel counters, “It’s there. It’s there. Why won’t Physics be there in B.Com? Commerce means accounts only no?” (sic).
The sceptical anchor, revealing that he is a B.Com graduate himself, starts listing the subjects.
On the defensive now, Jaleel says, “That only is accounts... Maths means accounts only no... All that you mentioned now are correct, but even Physics will be there no?”
The interviewer replies in the negative, following which the MLA says, “Oh! Maybe I forgot, but Maths is definitely there.”
Cornered, the legislator finally ends the matter by saying, “I used to get 100 marks in Maths since my childhood.”
This led netizens to obsess over the B.Com-Physics specialisation for months. It was even used by the Opposition leader to mock the government. A few Facebook meme pages also started putting out parody memes on the B.Com-Physics conundrum.
Though the video came to light in the last week of December 2016, it continued to bring guffaws the whole of next year.
Read more here: https://www.
The Andhra minister who said Cheers to beer
In an interview given to a Telugu channel in July this year, Andhra Pradesh Excise Minister KS Jawahar created a storm when he valiantly defended the people’s right to a cold mug of beer.
Talking to TV9 Telugu in the wake of protests against the state government’s new excise policy, the minister supposedly claimed the government would promote beer as a health drink.
When the shocked anchor asked how he could make such a comment and how would he prove it, the minister retorted, “Who said beer is not a health drink? I am ready to prove it. Come here, and I will prove it. How can I prove it through television?”
The episode went viral and attracted criticism from women’s groups, with the main opposition YSRCP using it to blame the TDP government for encouraging alcoholism.
According to reports, Andhra Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu summoned the minister and gave him a piece of his mind, after which the minister claimed that his statements were taken out of context.
Balakrishna, the slapping hero
Notwithstanding his two blockbusters, Paisa Vasool and Gautamiputra Satakarni, controversies dogged Nandamuri Balakrishna year-long.
In October, the actor-turned politician was caught on camera slapping a fan who was forced to rush towards the actor when a large crowd pushed him forward. Balakrishna was distributing brochures for the “Intitiki Telugu Desam Party,” an outreach campaign, when the incident happened.
Balayya, as he is popularly known, is former Chief Minister NTR’s son, and the brother-in-law of current Andhra Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu. For this angry and hyperactive actor, getting into controversies is not new.
In March, speaking at an audio launch function, he had said, “If I play eve-teasing roles and just follow girls, my fans will not accept. Either they should be kissed or should be impregnated. That’s all. We have to commit ourselves.”
Though the row died down after he tendered an apology in the Andhra Pradesh assembly, he continued to be a newsmaker.
In August he was caught on camera slapping an assistant director on the sets of a movie. The same month, during the Nandyal bye-election campaign, Balakrishna slapped a party activist who tried to take a selfie with him.
Read the full story here: https://www.thenewsminute.com/
Mahesh Kathi: Cine-political critic vs. fans
Telugu film critic Mahesh Kathi was drawn into controversy after his reported ‘harsh’ review of actor-turned politician Pawan Kalyan’s movie Katamarayudu. Later, he also gave an interview to a web channel criticising Pawan and his party Jana Sena.
Stating that there was no correlation between the actor’s words and his actions, Mahesh said the Jana Sena has no agenda. Mahesh claimed this led to widespread trolling on social media by outraged Pawan Kalyan’s fans.
While Pawan fans called Mahesh biased and his views selective, Mahesh retorted that Pawan Kalyan’s recent political tour was a promotion event for his upcoming movie Agnyathavasi.
Mahesh claimed thousands of Pawan Kalyan fans were harassing him on social media, including on WhatsApp.
Whatever the reason, the tussle between Mahesh Kathi and self-proclaimed fans of Pawan Kalyan continues to entertain many netizens while others appeal for a healthy discussion.
RGV: Nothing has changed except the topic of controversy
Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma is, many would say, more popular due to his controversies than his movies. Cinema, crime, sex, politics – no subject is exempt from RGV’s peculiar views, which often stir up controversies, police cases and protests.
RGV’s recent promo of his web series Kadapa outraged several people from Rayalaseema for allegedly painting the region as the bedrock of violence and bloodshed.
“The goddess called Faction was born in Rayalaseema. If the temple is in Rayalaseema, the sanctum sanctorum is in Kadapa. This is the history of the Rayalaseema Reddys,” the intense voiceover sums up.
During the promotion of the Telugu blockbuster Arjun Reddy, RGV got into a verbal war with Congress senior leader V Hanumanth Rao, when the leader tried to remove the posters of the movie alleging “obscenity”.
RGV mocked the Congress leader saying he was acting with a “prehistoric” mindset and went on to deride the Congress party saying, “Your party has become thataayya.”
The recent launch of his project Lakshmi’s NTR, based on real life events of former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister NTR and apparently told from the perspective of NTR’s wife Lakshmi Parvathi, has drawn huge criticism from the TDP.
RGV’s recent mockery of the jury that was appointed for giving Nandi awards has also become controversial. With a series of social media takes, he irked the Nandi awards selection committee with sarcastic remarks such suggesting that the Nandi awards team should be given Oscars.
More here : After 'Guns and thighs', RGV releases trailer of new web series 'Kadapa'
The frustrated cop who used benevolence to deal with traffic violator
The photo of a police officer seen pleading with a biker who was clearly violating traffic rules enthralled Twitter for days and is easily one of the most memorable clicks of the year 2017.
The photo showed B Shubh Kumar, an Inspector at Madakasira circle of Anantapur district, pleading with K Hanmantharayudu, a local riding his two-wheeler, with folded hands. Hanumantharayudu’s wife sat behind him, with his sons were perched on the fuel tank and a woman relative precariously balanced behind the wife.
What prompted the cop to resort to pleading with folded hands was the frustration and helplessness of seeing such a gross traffic violation right after he had finished an hour and a half-long session on road safety.
Later in a conversation with TNM he said, “I somehow had to convey that what he did was wrong! His children were sitting on the petrol tank, there was no chance of maneuvering the vehicle. It was so dangerous! He had put the lives of his wife and children in such danger. So, my immediate reaction was to fold hands and humbly request him to follow road safety.”
As the family said they were on their way to the temple, the officer even hired an autorickshaw for them as he didn’t want to ruin their day.
Read the report here: The story behind the viral photo of an Andhra cop folding hands before a family