A video from the muhuratam ceremony of director Anil Ravipudi’s upcoming film has sparked an online debate, putting veteran filmmaker K Raghavendra Rao at the center of a fresh controversy.
The film — starring Venkatesh Daggubati, Nandamuri Kalyanram, Keerthy Suresh and Krithi Shetty — was formally launched in Hyderabad on Thursday, with several senior figures from the Telugu film industry in attendance. Producer Allu Aravind gave the ceremonial first clap, while Dil Raju, Suresh Babu and others were also present. As part of the traditional ceremony, the 84-year-old Raghavendra Rao was invited to direct the inaugural shot.
In the clip that has since gone viral, Rao is seen positioning the actors for the shot — first holding Keerthy Suresh’s hand and pulling her closer, before appearing to change course and guiding Krithi Shetty instead. He is also seen instructing Venkatesh and Kalyanram on how to place their arms on the actresses’ shoulders for the scene.
The Online Reaction
The video spread quickly on X, drawing criticism from a section of users who felt the senior filmmaker’s physical contact with the actresses was unnecessary. Some of the sharper comments online described the gesture as inappropriate and questioned why the scene couldn’t have been directed without touching the actors, with one user going so far as to call the behaviour “creepy.”
The criticism wasn’t universal, though. A number of social media users came to Rao’s defence, pointing out that he was simply directing the inaugural shot and demonstrating positions to the actors — a common practice at such ceremonial launches.
This isn’t an isolated flashpoint for the director. The controversy has revived discussion around an earlier viral incident involving Niharika Konidela, with some users noting this isn’t the first time Rao has faced criticism over similar visuals. One user remarked that after the earlier backlash, many expected greater caution at public events — yet the latest clip has reopened the same conversation.
As of now, neither K Raghavendra Rao nor the actresses involved have issued any public statement addressing the controversy.
