Ram Gopal Varma’s ‘Lakshmi’s NTR’ blocked in Andhra Pradesh
Election commission has refused to allow the screening due to political issues
Filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma’s Telugu movie ‘Lakshmi’s NTR’ will not be released in Andhra Pradesh on Wednesday as election authorities said the orders restricting the film’s screening were still in force.
Chief Electoral Officer Gopal Krishna Dwivedi asked Varma to adhere to the Election Commission’s April 10 order.
Dwivedi was responding to the director’s letter seeking permission to release the film in theatres.
RGV, as Varma is popularly known, had announced plans to release the movie on May 1. High drama marred his visit to Vijayawada on Sunday as police sent him back to the airport in view of his plans to address media on the road after a hotel denied him permission to address the press conference.
Police had cited the model code of conduct still in force for its action while RGV alleged that there was no democracy in Andhra Pradesh.
‘Lakshmi’s NTR’, which was already released in theatres in Telangana last month, deals with Telugu Desam Party (TDP) founder and former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister NT Rama Rao’s second marriage to Lakshmi Parvathi and subsequent events including the revolt by his son-in-law N Chandrababu Naidu and NTR’s death.
The Election Commission refused to allow the screening of the movie in Andhra Pradesh after some TDP functionaries approached it. They alleged that the film depicted Naidu in a negative manner and this could impact party’s poll prospects.
Elections to 175-member Assembly and 25 Lok Sabha seats in the state were held on April 11.