Allu Aravind, Dil Raju try to butter up Pawan Kalyan after his Tollywood ‘lacks minimum respect’ for AP govt comment: ‘No one has the guts to stop his film’

Although exhibitors from the Telugu states of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh recently announced their decision to temporarily call off the proposed single-screen theatres bandh, which was scheduled to begin on June 1, the controversy sparked by the announcement appears far from over. After actor and Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Pawan Kalyan took the strike call personally, as it would have affected the release of his film Hari Hara Veera Mallu: Part 1, set to hit screens on June 12, producers Allu Aravind and Dil Raju have stepped forward, stating that the actor had every right to be upset.

A day after renowned producer Allu Aravind — who is also the brother-in-law of Pawan Kalyan’s elder brother, Telugu megastar Chiranjeevi — voiced his opposition to the theatre shutdown, Telangana Film Development Corporation chairman Dil Raju entered damage-control mode. He emphasised that Kalyan is “like a big brother to the industry” and fully entitled to reprimand them if they took a wrong turn. “Many are indirectly dragging my name into this. Honestly, no one has the guts to stop Pawan Kalyan garu’s film. He is like a big brother to the industry. If he says something, we will bear it. There is nothing wrong,” said Raju.

“We don’t close theatres generally. In my 30-year career, I have never seen cinema halls being closed. When issues arise, we may halt shootings but never shut theatres,” he added. Mentioning that the current model — fixed rentals in the first week, followed by a shift to a percentage share from the second week — was difficult for exhibitors, he noted, “There’s no unity among us. That’s why producers are individually seeking ticket price hikes. We will find a solution soon.”

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On Sunday, Allu Aravind had also distanced himself from the controversy, asserting that he was not part of the informal caucus often referred to as Aa Naluguru (those four people), which many allege exists in Telugu cinema, lobbying and influencing theatre-related decisions. “I don’t agree with closing theatres; that’s why I didn’t attend the meeting. How can you close theatres just before Pawan Kalyan’s film releases? That’s a wild misadventure. He’s the one who supported our industry during tough times,” he pointed out.

The controversy began with an attempted theatre shutdown scheduled for June 1, initiated by exhibitors advocating a move from rental agreements to a revenue-sharing model. Although the bandh was temporarily suspended later, it blew up after Pawan Kalyan came down heavily on the Telugu film industry, accusing it of showing insufficient respect towards the Andhra Pradesh government.

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“At a time when the government is thinking of giving industry status and developing the film industry, including ensuring that their (filmmakers) respect is not lowered, they do not have even minimum respect or gratitude towards the Andhra Pradesh government,” he said in a press release.