Muralidhar, son of former Andhra Pradesh CM N. Bhaskara Rao, has slapped a legal notice against Telugu actor Balakrishna, who is making a biopic on his father and former CM of Andhra, NTR. Muralidhar has alleged that the film portrays Bhaskara Rao in a bad light. He has also sent a legal notice to Tollywood director Jagarlamudi Radhakrishna alias Krish, who is directing the biopic.
According to sources, the NTR biopic is N. Balakrishna’s ambitious project on his father NT Rama Rao, who was a thespian and politician par excellence. NTR had a huge fan following and he went on to win the state elections, serving as the Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh for three consecutive terms.
According to the complainant, the biopic includes episodes from Bhaskara Rao’s life which allegedly show how he had "backstabbed" NTR with help from the Centre and formed the government in 1984 while NTR was away in the US for a heart surgery. The move had, at the time, drawn flak from politicians who launched a ‘Save democracy movement’, leading to massive anti-Centre protests against the dismissal of the TDP government. But NTR, in a span of a month, reinstated his seat as the CM of Andhra.
Speaking to The New Indian Express, Muralidhar said he had no qualms against the making of the biopic but added that what his father did in 1984 cannot be termed as "backstabbing". “We are only against presenting our father Bhaskara Rao in a poor light in the movie. It's not appropriate for anybody to portray a great leader in a negative shade for the sake of eulogising another leader,” he was quoted as saying.
Sources close to the family reportedly said that the 1984 episode was not unconstitutional and that rather Rao became the Chief Minister as per the decision taken by then Governor in accordance with Constitutional provisions. “The legal notices were sent as a caution. If they still proceed with Rao’s episode, we will file a defamation suit," they told TNIE.
Speaking to TNM, Telugu film critic Mahesh Kathi said, “ Till date no one in the public domain knows the entire script of the biopic. Hence, it's only a speculation on how Bhaskar Rao’s character is designed and depicted in the film. Court cases cannot be registered on speculations.”
"Even if the allegations are true, the complainants have no right to decide the contents of a film. They can object only after the film is out which too may not stand good," he added.