Raghavendra Rao faces flak for grabbing Keerthy Suresh, Krithi Shetty's arms at movie launch: ‘Why does he touch?’

FIlmmaker Raghavendra Rao tended to(p) the picture show set in motion of indigo Ravipudi’s next shoot with Venkatesh, Kalyanram Nandamuri, Keerthy Suresh and Krithi Shetty. The 84-year-old veteran was invited to direct the film's first shot. A moment in which he grabbed the female actors’ arms to direct them has drawn flak on social media.Raghavendra Rao directs first shot of Anil Ravipudi’s filmAnil’s yet-to-be-titled film was launched on Thursday in Hyderabad. Producer Allu Aravind delivered the first clap while Raghavendra directed the first shot. Producers Dil Raju, Suresh Babu and others were also present at the event.Anil later posted pictures of the launch on social media, writing, “Nothing gives me greater joy than entertaining audiences in theatres. With immense happiness, gratitude, and a sense of responsibility, we begin the journey of #VenkyAnil5 - #NKRAR2 today. Heartfelt thanks to all our honourable guests for gracing the ceremony and making it even more special.” Invites flak for grabbing Keerthy Suresh, Krithi Shetty’s armsVideos from the event show Raghavendra directing the first shot. In a widely circulated video, the filmmaker is seen reaching out his hand and pulling Keerthy close by her arm. He later seems to change his mind and pulls Krithi by her arm. He continues to direct them, showing Venkatesh and Kalyanram how to put their arms on their shoulders.The moment, however, invited trolls with many questioning why Raghavendra had to touch them. “endi ra ee musalodu, pratisari touch cheyanike chustaduu (Why does this old man always try to touch?),” criticised one X (formerly Twitter) user posting the video, while another agreed, “Who is this old idiot? Who gave him the right to touch women without their consent?” One X user slammed him, writing, “Why does he touch women like that? He could do the same scene without touching them. Creepy Raghavendra Rao.” “Raghavendra Rao garu, what exactly is this behaviour? This isn't the first time such visuals have gone viral. After the backlash over the Niharika video, one would expect that you had learned how to behave, Yet here we are again, having the same conversation,” wrote one person, pointing out the filmmaker was also slammed for touching Niharika Konidela once. “How does #RaghavendraRao B.A. Get away with all the things he does with heroines? Those days, it was understandable because there was no social media, but even today, he seems to escape criticism,” wrote another. When Taapsee Pannu spoke about Raghavendra RaoIn 2017, on East India Comedy, Taapsee joked about her debut film, Jhummandi Naadam (2010), and Raghavendra’s tendency to throw fruits and flowers at the heroine’s midriff in his films. “I don't know what's sensuous about a coconut hitting my midriff,” she said. Talking to Hindustan Times about it after she faced immense backlash for ‘insulting’ the director, she said, “Er, what did I take a dig at? He’s known for that. I have stated a fact, and if you’re taking it in a derogatory manner, that’s your problem.” She also claimed that Raghavendra laughed at the video when he watched it.