SKN defends Telugu cinema after Radhika Apte's criticism: ‘Respect the industry’

Radhika Apte had shared her experience of working in a Telugu film where her character was married to her maternal uncle in the story, which she did not like.

Actor Radhika Apte's recent comments on working in Telugu films have not gone down well with several Telugu people on social media. Radhika did not name any film but said that once she was part of a Telugu film where her character was married to her mama (maternal uncle) and she had to be carried by an older actor.

SKN has said there is a difference between constructive criticism and selectively looking down upon an industry.more

What did Radhika Apte say?

The remarks quickly sparked a debate on social media, with many claiming that Radhika was referring to Boyapati Srinu's 2014 film Legend, starring Nandamuri Balakrishna. Several users also wondered why Radhika said yes to the film when she knew what was in the script. Amid this discussion, Telugu film producer Sreenivas Kumar Naidu, known popularly as SKN, has defended the film industry and called for more respect from actors. He did not take any names in his post as he stressed on the need for constructive criticism.

He took to his X account and said, “Accepting roles, working in South Indian cinema, gaining recognition and opportunities here, and then years later criticising the same industry, its stories and cultural traditions is becoming an unfortunate pattern.”

‘Respect should be mutual’

He added, “Every actor has the right to express an opinion. But there is a difference between constructive criticism and selectively looking down upon an industry that welcomed you. #Telugucinema and #SouthIndian cinema have their own cultural identity, traditions and storytelling values. What may seem unusual to someone from another region can be perfectly normal within our culture.”

He concluded, “Respect should be mutual. You cannot celebrate the opportunities and later disrespect the culture behind them. Constructive criticism is always welcome. Selective criticism and cultural superiority are not. Respect the industry that respected you.”

SKN has produced films like Baby, Taxiwala, and Manchi Rojulochaie.

Radhika Apte’s comments

While promoting Akka with co-star Keerthy Suresh on Zoom, Radhika was asked about the most challenging role of her career. She replied, “There was a Telugu film I did where I had to marry my mama (maternal uncle). That was the most challenging role. Everything about it, I hated.” While Keerthy first looked surprised and later broke out laughing, she explained to the stunned host and audience, “It’s a very Tamil, Telugu thing where you marry your uncle.”

Radhika, however, interjected and added, “Yeah, but also, like, I had to romance a much older actor. It’s a very patriarchal situation and place. For me, that was the toughest thing. And then I die in the middle of it. He had to throw me (gestures over his shoulder) and then do action. I was like, when am I going to die?”

While the actor did not name the film, the scenes she describes reveal she’s referring to Boyapati Srinu’s 2014 film Legend. Her character in the film pursues her bava (mama’s son), rather than her uncle, which is also common in the Telugu and Tamil states.

Radhika debuted in Telugu in 2010 with Ram Gopal Varma’s Rakta Charitra films, which were also released in Hindi. In 2012, she starred in Prakash Raj’s Dhoni, which was technically a Tamil film and was also released in Telugu. After the 2014 film Legend, she acted with Balakrishna again in 2015 for Satyadev’s Lion. That was the last Telugu film she ever acted in.