The Oscar Award for the Naatu Naatu song from the movie RRR has brought great joy to India. Numerous celebrities have expressed their happiness, believing that this recognition has made the glory of the Indian film industry, particularly Telugu Cinema, universally acknowledged. However, BJP leader Bandi Sanjay Kumar, who made contentious remarks about the movie RRR before it was released, threatened to burn the movie’s reels and theatres that screened the movie. Now his tweet praising the film unit and the director has outraged many netizens.
During this time, netizens shared videos of Bandi Sanjay’s old remarks and warned against engaging in such petty politics. Bandi Sanjay Kumar has been criticized and ridiculed as someone who holds an umbrella against the sun. Several people retweeted his post and accused him of lacking any sense of shame. They also cautioned against resorting to such intimidation tactics. Although the film’s award has been trending, netizens’ response protesting Bandi Sanjay’s behavior has also become a trending topic.
During a public meeting in Dubbaka, Sanjay had made divisive remarks regarding the character of Kumram Bheem wearing a skullcap in the movie, ignoring the fact that the story was fictional. Sanjay chose to unearth communal tensions and hurled accusations at the film, claiming that portraying Bheem as a Muslim was an insult to Adivasis. In addition to threatening to burn the movie reels, he also threatened to set fire to any theaters that screened the film.
On Monday, Sanjay joined the rest of the country in celebrating the film’s success. However, Twitter users quickly uncovered his past tweets and videos that showcased his notorious tendency to spread hate through his speeches.