RGV steps into Sri Reddy-PK fiasco; lands his foot in the mouth

The Sri Reddy-Pawan Kalyan saga took a scandalous new twist on Wednesday when a phone conversation the actress had with fellow artiste, Tamanna Simhadri, was leaked online. Accusing Ram Gopal Varma of hatching a big plan to kill her fight against sexual exploitation, Sri Reddy is heard saying: “Varma offered me 5 crore, but I did not accept it. He is the one who told me to call Pawan Kalyan ‘mad****od’.Because I used that expletive, the whole movement has gotten diluted and all the junior artistes have turned against me.” Within no time the phone conversation became the talk of social media. A few hours later, Ram Gopal Varma released a video ? admitting that he had indeed instigated Sri Reddy to abuse Pawan Kalyan. “It was me who influenced Sri Reddy to say that to Pawan Kalyan, it is not her fault,” (sic) posted the filmmaker, sharing a link to the video he posted, late on Wednesday night. Admittedly, RGV advised Sri Reddy to call PK ma*****od, inspired by how the expletive caught the imagination of the public post the hit film, Arjun Reddy! That’s not all. The filmmaker went on to claim that he also offered her `5 Cr to drop her case (if any) against Abhiram Daggubati. The video went viral, and was trending at #2 on YouTube on Thursday morning. While the filmmaker took the moral high ground claiming responsibility for the entire fiasco and even tendered an apology to “Pawan Kalyan and all those who were hurt”, a close look at his speech reveals that the video was a desperate attempt to save his face!
‘I offered Sri Reddy `5 Cr as ‘settlement’ without Suresh Babu’s knowledge to protect Ramanaidu’s legacy,’ says RGV
I saw the allegations Sri Reddy has been making against Suresh Babu’s son Abhiram. I know Suresh well; when I talked to him he told me he wants the law to take its own course. He said, ‘If my son is guilty, the law of the land will punish him. If not, he will be proven innocent.’ He didn’t want to go for an out of court settlement. But I believe laws are obviously sided towards women. I strongly believed the Ramanaidu legacy needs to be protected. So, I reached out to her without Suresh’s knowledge and asked her to settle for `5 Cr. I told her she had already gotten what she wanted, she exposed and embarrassed them. I told her she would gain nothing by putting a criminal case on them. I told her, cause ki publicity emi radu. It is not just about Abhiram, andari peru bazaar loki tesuku vastav ani cheppa. Elago aipoindi aipoindi, she needn’t drag the issue. I didn’t even know if Suresh Babu would agree to this, but this is what I offered. I even told her they might help her out in the future. But she said ‘no…’. It surprised me! She impressed me.
Lame excuse or a desperate attempt to save sexual predators in Tollywood?
When a woman is crying out loud about being exploited by men in the film industry, what kind of a man would try to lure her with money? And that too with the claim that she got the publicity she wanted, so she shouldn’t drag the issue. By warning Sri Reddy that her cause — fight against sexual exploitation — would only get lost if someone who allegedly exploited her would be proven guilty and sent to jail, RGV clearly proved on whose side he is. And it’s not lost on anybody. Like this social media user commented, “Nice try to save your face with Sri Reddy and as well as the TFI... Suresh (Babu) cannot respond because you said he doesn’t know anything. Sri Reddy anyway is silent. No evidence for actually what happened...”
'I suggested she call Pawan Kalyan ma*****od because the word became famous after Arjun Reddy,' says RGV
While her semi-nude protest brought the cause into focus, I suggested she take it further to make a stronger statement. Great orators have come into limelight and stayed in it when they have challenged someone powerful. Around that time she was calling out to Pawan Kalyan to lend support to her cause, I suggested she abuse him like that. Whether it was right or wrong, I don’t know, the point is, it’s me who suggested she abuse Pawan Kalyan in the same meter that Vijay Deverakonda did in Arjun Reddy so that it makes an impact.
'Well tried, but sorry, RGV. The TFI knows you are exposed, and how!,’ says RGV
As creative as this story is, it doesn’t look like anyone is buying it. Not the film industry folk, not the fans, and perhaps, not even Pawan Kalyan himself. “RGV should restrict his creativity to his movie scripts. This is a pathetic attempt at saving face. Using a woman who’s fighting her own war and piggy backing on her to settle his old scores — that’s what this looks like. RGV should retire. We looked up to his work once, but now, he’s just becoming an embarassment,” said a filmmaker who didn’t want to be named.
'I apologise to Pawan Kalyan and anyone else who’s been hurt by that word!,’ says RGV
It was under my influence that she acted that way, which is why she hasn’t been able to explain why she took that step clearly. That is what she tried to do in that video she released. Since she couldn’t explain, I have a moral responsibility to own up my mistake, which is why I have released this video. Whether it was right or wrong I don’t know, but if anyone needs to apologise for this fiasco, it should be me. I apologise to Pawan Kalyan and anyone else who’s concerned and hurt with that word.
'Taking the moral high ground doesn’t mask the inherent misogyny of it all,’ says RGV
RGV would have thought this was a master plan, no doubt. Instigate Sri Reddy, influence her to say what he wants to perhaps, but can’t cough up the guts to, and make it seem like he is doing it all so she can win favour with Suresh Babu, who’s the uncrowned movie mogul of Tollywood. But from the choice of the expletive, to the channel through which which it was delivered to Pawan Kalyan, to the manner in which he tried to buy his way in — it all reeks of plain misogyny. Telugu film historian Harikrishna Mamidi sums it up best saying, “Casting couch has always existed in Tollywood but for the first time the issue has become a subject of discussion due to Sri Reddy and it seemed like her protest will lead to some concrete measures that could put an end to the menace. Sadly, powerful men like RGV are manipulating her to settle their
political scores and in turn, the issue of sexual exploitation is getting sidelined.