The Vijayawada Advocates All-Party Committee has demanded that film producer Ramgopal Varma change the title of movie Bezawada Rowdeelu.
A group of advocates from the city formed a committee under chairmanship of Bezawada Bar Association president Chalasani Ajay Kumar to wage a battle against the Bezawada Rowdeelu film title.
Addressing a press conference here on Thursday, the committee members said that the film director Ramgopal Varma was going overboard and adamant over the film title Bezawada Rowdeelu. Mr. Varma was hurting the sentiments of the people here for cheap publicity. The city was witnessing development, and there was no rowdyism. The cinema was likely to flare up caste clashes that shook the city a few decades ago, they feared.
Court approached
“The committee urges him to change the title immediately. The committee would take up legal action if Mr. Varma does not heed the request,” they advocates said, adding, “We hoped that he would rechristen the title following assurance from Vijayawada MP Lagadapati Rajagopal. But, he mistook our silence.”
City based advocate P. Gowtham Reddy filed a writ in High Court urging it to intervene in the issue and direct the filmmaker to change the title. The court has directed legal counsel of the Censor Board to probe the issue and submit the report within a week. “We hope that the court direction will come in our favour,” they said, adding, they would not allow screening of the film in the city if the title was not changed.
There has been a strong opposition to the title ever since Mr. Varma announced his plans to make Bezawada Rowdeelu movie. The people under aegis of Sarvodaya Mandali and other organisations have been protesting against the title of the film.
