Producer Ravi Shankar receives flak for ‘disrespecting’ Rukmini Vasanth: ‘No need to insult her to hype Jr NTR’

ON lord's day eventide, Hyderabad hosted a promotional case for Rishab Shetty and Rukmini Vasanth’s upcoming take, Kantara Chapter 1. Jr NTR tended to(p) the event, which also saw producer Ravi Shankar of Mythri Movie Makers there. Talking at the event about his upcoming film with Prashanth Neel and Jr NTR, fans felt like Ravi ‘disrespected’ Rukmini publicly. Here’s what happened. (Also Read: Jr NTR flinches in pain at Kantara Chapter 1 event, turns down hug from fan who broke security. Watch)What did Ravi Shankar say about Rukmini Vasanth?Ravi first praised Rukmini as an ‘extraordinary’ performer, seemingly happy that they had roped her in for Jr NTR’s film, which he’s producing. He said, “Heroine Rukmini Vasanth. She is also the heroine of our film with Prashanth Neel and Jr NTR. I have seen the way she performs up close, and she is extraordinary.”But then, Ravi also pointed out that they were looking for actors who could match Jr NTR’s talent, remarking he hopes Rukmini matches ‘at least 80%’ of it, which many took offence to. “We searched for months for a heroine who would match NTR’s talent or at least come close. We could only find her in Rukmini. She is an extraordinary performer. Maybe not as much as Anna (brother), but we are hoping you will be able to give at least 80%,” said the producer.Rukmini Vasanth fans fumeRukmini’s fans and the internet in general took offence to Ravi’s statement. One person commented on X (formerly Twitter), “Miru chese over action lo 10% kuda undadu. (It won’t be 10% of your overaction.)” Another pointed out, “Ante enni days movies chesina heroins waste annamata. (So every heroine who acted with him so far is a waste.) One claimed film industry people need scripts to even talk on stage, writing, “Eellaki kuda edanna script lu ready chesi ivvandra stage ekke mundhu. (Someone needs to give them scripts before they get on stage)”Rukmini’s fans also wondered what Ravi meant by that statement, with one pointing out that he ‘insulted’ the actor. They wrote, “Mee hero ni lepuko anthe gani ma rukku ni endhuku ra thakkuva chesi mataldam. (No need to insult Rukku to hype your hero)” Another commented, “Disrespect cheyyadam enduku? (Why do you need to disrespect?)” A fan also wrote, “No offense. Heroine ni takkuva cheydam endhuku? (No offence. Why do you need to insult the heroine?)”About Rukmini VasanthRukmini debuted in 2019 with the Kannada film Birbal Trilogy and the Hindi film Upstarts. She gained fame for her performance in Rakshit Shetty’s 2023 Kannada films Sapta Saagaradaache Ello—Side A and B. In 2024, she debuted in Telugu with the Nikhil Siddhartha film Appudo Ippudo Eppudo and in Tamil in 2025 with the Vijay Sethupathi-starrer Ace.She was last seen in AR Murugadoss’ Madharaasi with Sivakarthikeyan. She will soon be seen in Kantara Chapter 1, which will be released in theatres on 2 October. Rukmini also stars in Prashanth’s yet-to-be-titled film with Jr NTR and is rumoured to be a part of Geetu Mohandas’ Toxic with Yash.