Iran mocks Trump with Balakrishna’s ‘Bhagavanth Kesari’ clip — but there’s a Bollywood twist

Dubai: Iran has taken an unusual pop-culture route to respond to US President Donald Trump’s warning to “annihilate” the Islamic Republic, sharing an action clip featuring Telugu superstar Nandamuri Balakrishna.

The Iranian Embassy in Zimbabwe posted a 58-second clip from the 2023 film Bhagavanth Kesari on X, shortly after Trump’s remarks at the United Nations General Assembly. The intense scene shows Balakrishna’s character facing armed men in a dramatic confrontation.

Alongside the video, the embassy wrote: “Trump talks about annihilating Iran. But he knows Iran is not defenceless.”

The post added that Trump and his administration had “recently been watching Bollywood instead of Hollywood”, turning the tense US-Iran exchange into an unexpected reference to Indian cinema.

There was, however, a notable mix-up. Bhagavanth Kesari is not a Bollywood film. It is a Telugu-language action drama directed by Anil Ravipudi and starring Balakrishna, Kajal Agggrawal, Sreeleela, and Arjun Rampal.

The error was quickly spotted by social media users, who pointed out that the film is set in the Telugu film industry.

The Iranian post followed Trump’s September 22 UN General Assembly address, during which he said he faced a “big decision” over whether to reach a deal with Iran or “annihilate the Islamic Republic” if an agreement could not be reached.

Trump also said the United States wanted to prevent Iran from obtaining a nuclear weapon and suggested that a deal could allow the country to rebuild.

The Iranian embassy’s response has since attracted attention online, combining a serious geopolitical dispute with a scene from one of Balakrishna’s popular action films.

Bhagavanth Kesari, released in 2023, follows Balakrishna’s titular character as he helps a young woman overcome trauma and prepares her for a career in the Indian Army.