Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma on Tuesday, December 26, lodged an online complaint with Andhra Pradesh Police against activist Kolikapudi Sreenivasa Rao for offering Rs 1 crore bounty on his head.
Sharing a clip of the video from a live television debate hosted by news channel TV5, in which Sreenivasa Rao is seen offering Rs 1 crore as bounty for those who would behead Ram Gopal Varma, the filmmaker tagged Andhra Pradesh Police on X (formerly Twitter), and requested them to treat it as his official complaint.
“Dear @APPOLICE100 ,this kolikapudi Sreenivasrao gave contract of Rs 1crore to kill me and he was cleverly aided by anchor called Samba of TV 5 channel who together facilitated him to repeat the contract killing on me 3 times ..Please treat this as my official complaint.” (sic), he wrote.
In another post, the controversial director said that he was officially filing a police complaint against Sreenivasa Rao, TV5 anchor Sambasiva Rao, and owner B. R. Naidu.
The filmmaker alleged that Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and its supremo N. Chandrababu Naidu’s representatives are publicly offering monetary contracts to behead people.
"If he is not condemned and kicked out publicly by them, contract killings will be recognised as official policy of TDP," he said.
Sreenivasa Rao, a leader of Amaravati Parirakshana Samithi Joint Action Committee – an organisation fighting for the recognition of Amaravati as the capital of Andhra Pradesh, offered the reward while lashing out at Varma for his upcoming movie Vyooham, an alleged propaganda movie against the TDP and its ally JSP.
Varma had earlier slammed Chandrababu Naidu, TDP MLC Nara Lokesh and Jana Sena Party president and actor Pawan Kalyan for a protest outside his office in Hyderabad on Vyooham.
Few protesters burnt an effigy outside Varma’s office in Hyderabad on Monday.
The film is said to be about the conditions surrounding the passing of former (undivided) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhar Reddy.
The TDP has filed a petition in the Telangana High Court challenging certificate for theatrical release of Vyooham, alleging attempts to spoil the image of Naidu in the controversial movie. The film is scheduled to be released on December 29.
With IANS inputs