Indian filmmaker Hansal Mehta strongly criticised Telugu actor Nandamuri Balakrishna after a video surfaced online in which he was seen pushing actor Anjali aside on stage. Mehta called Balakrishna a 'scumbag' in response to a viral video on social media.
Balakrishna, who was a chief guest at pre-release event for Anjali's upcoming film 'Gangs of Godavari', can be seen pushing her when she couldn't hear him.
Mehta's reaction to the incident sparked debate on social media, with some defending Balakrishna's actions due to his stature in the Telugu film industry.
A social media user came to Balakrishna's defense, pointing out that he and Anjali had acted together previously. The user referred to him as one of the biggest stars in the Telugu film industry, highlighting his lineage as the son of SR NTR and the uncle of JR NTR. He advised Hansal to be mindful before making public statements.
However, Mehta, doubled the criticism, by reposting his comment with caption 'Scumbag x100'. Other social media users also condemned the incident, highlighting how Anjali was treated disrespectfully. The incident occurred earlier this week, with Balakrishna joining Anjali and her co-stars Vishwak Sen and Neha Shetty on stage. Despite the push, Anjali remained calm and reacted by laughing it off.
Balakrishna has been garnering attention for his recent films like 'Akhanda' and 'Veerasimha Reddy' and is reportedly planning to collaborate with director Boyapati Srinu for 'Akhanda 2'.
Hansal Mehta is an Indian filmmaker who started his career with television show Khana Khazana (1993–2000) and gradually moved on to directing films. He is popular for his films like – Shahid (2013), citylights (2014) and aligarh (2016) and Omerta (2018). Hansal is currently working on his international project, 'Gandhi'.