Vijayawada police stops shooting of Varma’s movie

Vijayawada police Wednesday cancelled the permission for the shooting of eminent filmmaker Ram Gopal Varma's Telugu movie "Bezwada Rowdeelu" following an appeal by a group of lawyers from the city

Vijayawada police stops shooting of Varma's movie

Vijayawada Police Commissioner Amit Garg issued orders to cancel the permission for filming of the controversial movie, which is said to be based on the tussle between two local politicians - Devineni Nehru and late legislator Vangaveeti Ranga.

The shooting of the movie, starring young actor Naga Chaitanya, was going on in the city for last few days. The orders were issued after the police chief consulted legal experts following representations by various groups.

Sarvodaya Mandali, an association of lawyers, had urged the police commissioner to cancel the permission on the ground that it would vitiate the peaceful atmosphere in the city.

The lawyers alleged that the filmmaker was trying to portray the conflicts between two social groups.

Vijayawada city in the coastal district of Krishna was rocked by violence between two groups in 1980s. Nehru's two brothers and legislator Ranga and his brother were killed in the violence.

Ranga's murder in 1988 had led to large scale riots in coastal Andhra Pradesh, claiming several lives and destruction of property.

Lawyers' association president N. Srihari said the movie could re-open the old grudges and disturb peace and harmony. Claiming that people had forgotten the incidents, he said the movie could hurt the sentiments of the communities.

The citizens have also taken exception to the title of the movie, saying it would spoil city's image and hurt their sentiments.

"Bezwada Rowdeelu" means the rowdies of Bezwada, the old name of Vijayawada.

This is the second time in recent months that Varma's movie has sparked a controversey. His multi-lingual movie "Rakhta charitra", based on the factional war in Andhra Pradesh's Rayalaseema region, had also created a row with various groups calling for ban on the ground that it could lead to a fresh spell of violence.

The movie, released late last year, was based on the fight between two powerful leaders of Anantapur district. The people of Anantapur had also taken exception to the filmmaker using the name of their district. The protests forced Varma to change the name to "Anandapuram".

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