Having worked on some of the biggest Indian films over the years, the Oscar-winning sound designer Resul Pookutty recently sparked controversy on Twitter with his comments on SS Rajamouli's magnum opus RRR, starring Ram Charan and Jr NTR in the lead roles.
Responding to the tweet from actor-writer Munish Bharadwaj, Pookutty called the film 'a gay love story'. Adding to that, he also made a statement calling Alia Bhatt 'a prop' in the movie.
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Now, responding to Resul's comments about RRR, Baahubali producer Shobu Yarlagadda has slammed the sound designer for his remarks while mentioning in a tweet that it's "disappointing" to see someone of his accomplishments "stoop so low."
"I don't think @RRRMovie is a gay love story as you say but even if it was, is 'gay love story' a bad thing? How can you justify using this? Extremely disappointed that someone of your accomplishments can stoop so low! (sic)," Baahubali producer Shobu wrote in a tweet to Resul.
In his defence, Resul replied saying that he was merely quoting an article which described RRR as a gay love story and had stated only something that was already in the "public domain". "Agree totally. Absolutely nothing wrong even if it was. I merely quoted my friend, the banter that already exists in public domain and nothing else. There is no stooping factor in this. You don't have to take it seriously Shobu, I didn't mean any offend to any stakeholders. I rest my case here! (sic)," Resul tweeted.
Not just Shobu, Resul's tweet calling RRR 'a gay love story' did not go down well with netizens who reacted angrily for pretty obvious reasons. Although Resul disabled the option for fans to reply to his comment, numerous users quoted his tweet and expressed their disappointment over the unexpected response from the Oscar winner.
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A user on Twitter wrote, "There is no shame & harm even if it's that kind of story #LGBT. Did not expect such low comments from an Oscar award winner. Respect should be given to the profession irrespective of its language & even if it does not satisfy us." Another fan expected his disappointment, saying, "Not expected this from an Oscar winner."
However, this is not the first time the film has been associated with the LGBTQ theme. After the film was released on Netflix, a number of international viewers were seen criticising the bromance between the two protagonists.
Commenting on Alia's cameo in the movie, Resul said that she was used as a 'prop.' However, Alia had earlier stated that her role is 'small but important' during the film's promotions.
However, the Oscar winner later clarified that he was merely quoting the statements that were made by the international viewers.
RRR is a fictional story set in the pre-independence period, based on the lives of two real-life revolutionaries: Alluri Sitarama Raju and Komaram Bheem. The movie starred Ram Charan and Jr. NTR with cameos from Alia Bhatt, Ajay Devgn and Shriya Saran.
RRR received a lot of praise for its magnanimous presentation on the big screen, earning a whopping amount of over 1200 crores globally.
Meanwhile, the hugely talented Oscar winner Resul Pookutty boasts of a respectable lineup of work, including films like Black, Enthiran, Ra.One, Pushpa: The Rise, and Radhe Shyam. In 2009, he won the Academy Award for Best Sound Mixing on Danny Boyle's Slumdog Millionaire.
(With inputs from Agencies)
