Who is Kolikapudi Srinivasa Rao? Man who placed controversial Rs 1 crore bounty on Ram Gopal Varma's head because...

On Wednesday, December 27, Ram Gopal Varma filed a police complaint against the activist Kolikapudi Srinivasa Rao for offering Rs 1 crore bounty on his head in a live debate telecast on the Telugu news channel TV5. The director also included the anchor Sambasiva Rao and the channel owner B.R. Naidu in his complaint.

Who is Kolikapudi Srinivasa Rao?

Kolikapudi Srinivasa Rao is a social activist and a member of APJAC (Andhra Pradesh Joint Action Committee) Amravati, the organisation working against the trifurcation of Amaravati. He has been participants in protests against the government's proposed plan to have three capitals in Andhra Pradesh - an executive capital in Visakhapatnam, a legislative capital at Amaravati and a judicial capital in Kurnool. Srinivasa Rao is a staunch supporter of Telugu Desam Party (TDP) and its National President N. Chandrababu Naidu, who also serves as the current  Leader of Opposition in the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly.

Kolikapudi Srinivasa Rao had once hit a BJP leader with a slipper on live TV

It isn't the first time that Kolikapudi Srinivasa Rao has landed himself into trouble because of his actions on national television. In 2021, he removed his slipper and hit BJP's Andhra Pradesh general secretary Vishnu Vardhan Reddy in a live TV debate over a verbal duel over some comments made by Reddy on former chief ministers. As their fight continued, Reddy accused Rao that he should wear a TDP flag and then debate. An infuriated Rao removed his slipper and struck Reddy on his face.

Why did Kolikapudi Srinivasa Rao place Rs 1 crore bounty on Ram Gopal Varma's head?

Srinivasa Rao lashed out at Varma for his upcoming film Vyooham, which is said to be in support of Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy. The film, which is scheduled to release on December 29, is said to be about the conditions surrounding the passing of former (undivided) Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Rajasekhar Reddy. It has also been rumoured that Vyooham shows Chandrababu Naidu in bad light, and hence it has become a bone of contention between YSR Congress Party and TDP.

Varma had earlier slammed Chandrababu Naidu, TDP MLC Nara Lokesh and Jana Sena Party president and actor Pawan Kalyan for a protest against the release of Vyooham outside his office in Hyderabad. Few protesters burnt an effigy outside Varma’s office in Hyderabad on Monday. As Varma's upcoming film Vyooham allegedly 'demonises' Naidu, the latter's supporter Kolikapudi Srinivasa Rao offered a bounty of Rs 1 crore for the former's head.

READ | Ram Gopal Varma lodges complaint against activist for placing Rs 1 crore bounty on his head on national television