Ram Gopal Varma has filed a police complaint against the activist Kolikapudi Srinivasa Rao for offering Rs 1 crore bounty on his head. The filmmaker also named TV5 news anchor Sambasiva Rao and the channel owner B.R. Naidu in his complaint he made at the DGP (Director General of Police) office in Vijaywada.
On Tuesday, December 26, the Satya director took to his X (previously known as Twitter) account, and shared clips from the live television debate on the Telugu news channel TV5, in which Srinivas Rao offered Rs 1 crore to whoever beheads the director. Tagging the Andhra Pradesh Police, the filmmaker requested them to treat this as his official complaint. Varma alleged that Rao was "cleverly aided by anchor Samba of TV 5 channel who together facilitated him to repeat the contract killing on me 3 times".
In another post, the filmmaker also alleged that Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and its supremo N. Chandrababu Naidu’s representatives are offering monetary contracts to cut people’s heads publicly on supportive TV channels. "If he is not condemned and kicked out publicly by them, contract killings will be recognised as official policy of TDP", he added.
On Wednesday, December 27, Ram Gopal Varma shared a photo from the DGP office in Vijaywada and informed that he has officially launched a police complaint against Srinivasa Rao, TV5 anchor Sambasiva Rao, and the channel owner B.R. Naidu.
Srinivasa Rao, a leader of Amaravati Joint Action Committee (JAC), offered the reward while lashing out at Varma for his upcoming movie Vyooham, which is said to be in support of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy. The film is said to be about the conditions surrounding the passing of former (undivided) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Y. S. Rajasekhara 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.
