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Telugu actor Balakrishna in trouble over 'vulgar' remarks, apologises

Hyderabad - Balakrishna is a legislator representing Hindupur Assembly constituency in Anantapur district and a key functionary of the ruling Telugu Desam Party.

Telugu actor turned politician and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu's brother-in-law N Balakrishna has come under fire for making derogatory comments against women during an audio release function of an upcoming movie.
Balakrishna is a legislator representing Hindupur Assembly constituency in Anantapur district and a key functionary of the ruling Telugu Desam Party. While participating in the audio release function of the movie "Savitri", in which the Chief Minister's nephew Nara Rohit is playing the lead role, the actor-turned-politician said: "If I play the eve-teasing roles, and just follow girls, my fans will not accept. Either a kiss should be given or they should be made pregnant. That's all. We have to commit ourselves."
The remarks, bordering on vulgarity, made the audience squirm in discomfort. Very soon, they triggered widespread public outrage. A police complaint was lodged against the actor in a local police station in the city while some people launched a campaign on the social media, mobilizing support for an online petition addressed to the chairperson of the National Commission for Women demanding action against him.
As the issue threatened to snowball into major political embarrassment for the ruling party with his remarks drawing flak from opposition parties and women's organisations, Balakrishna apologised on Tuesday for what he called the off-the-cuff observations.
"My comments were not intentional. They were not intended to hurt anyone. If anybody got annoyed by my remarks, I apologise to them," he said. - news@khaleejtimes.com
Balakrishna (56), who is the son of legendary film star and founder of TDP late NT Rama Rao, asserted that he has high regard for women.- news@khaleejtimes.com
"I have utmost respect for women. I treat any woman as my own sister. It is a tradition I acquired from my father NTR," he said. The veteran actor said that he had made those comments while explaining the plot and storyline that is regularly picked for his movies as per the taste and expectations of his fans.
Earlier, the members of Telangana Advocates Joint Action Committee lodged a complaint with Saroornagar police in the city, seeking immediate action against Balakrishna for his "derogatory" remarks against women.
"We have received the complaint. We will take legal opinion on it and take necessary action," the Saroornagar Inspector S Lingaiah said.
Joining the issue, the opposition YSR Congress MLA RK Roja, a former actor herself, demanded an apology from both Balakrishna, her co-star in many films in the past, and Chief Minister on the issue. "While the top leadership itself has been pursuing anti-woman policies, it percolates down the line resulting in the harassment of women at various levels and such government should apologise to the women," Roja said.