Alleging that director Ram Gopal Varma’s new movie Kamma Rajyamlo Kadapa Redlu was aimed at defaming Telugu Desam party, a businessman filed a PIL in the Telangana High Court on Tuesday seeking direction to the Central Film Board not to issue censor certificate to the film.
The petitioner, M. Indrasena Chowdary, said the film has the potential to provoke the sentiments of people belonging to Kamma and Reddy castes and disturb law and order situation in both the Telugu States. He requested the court to pass a direction ensuring that the film was not screened at any theatre and not released on YouTube or on social media platforms.
The petitioner’s counsel made a mention about the plea before a Bench comprising Chief Justice Raghvendra Singh Chauhan and Justice A. Abhishek Reddy when it sat for hearing pleas in the morning. It posted the matter for hearing to Wednesday after hearing the counsel’s submissions. Mr. Chowdary, in his petition, said the film was made against the principles for guidance in certifying films under clause 5-B of the Cinematography Act.
The petitioner alleged that the objective of making the film was to defame Kamma caste and the film’s title confirms that. The hidden agenda in making the movie was to humiliate and belittle the Kamma community, the petitioner charged.
Mr. Chowdary said the director released a song Pappu Lanti Abbayi , which was about former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu and his son Lokesh, through Twitter, Facebook and YouTube. “Lyrics of the song are clearly defamatory words against Mr. Naidu and Telugu Desam party,” said the petitioner. The director is repeatedly posting photos and video clips of Mr. Naidu and his son Lokesh through his Twitter account, and making defamatory comments against them.
He maintained that the film had roles of real-life personalities like A.P. Chief Minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy and film star Pawan Kalyan. By introducing roles imitating such personalities and copying real-life incidents, the director insulted them, the petitioner contended.
Though the Constitution grants freedom of expression under Article 19, it has to be exercised with certain sense of responsibility, he said. According to him, the film producer and the director were using the TDP symbol and the party’s leaders’ name without their permission. They were circulating false and baseless stories against the TDP supremo Mr. Naidu and others, the petitioner alleged.
