Police Complaint Filed Against S.S. Rajamouli!

Hyderabad: A complaint has been lodged at the Saroornagar Police Station by the Rashtriya Vanara Sena against renowned director S.S. Rajamouli, alleging that comments he made about Lord Hanuman during the teaser launch event of his upcoming film Varanasi hurt the religious sentiments of Hindus. The incident has sparked widespread debate on social media.

The grand launch event of Varanasi, starring Mahesh Babu, Priyanka Chopra, and Prithviraj Sukumaran, took place at Ramoji Film City in Hyderabad, where the film’s first teaser was unveiled. Over 50,000 fans attended the event, but technical glitches caused a significant delay in screening the teaser. Frustrated by the delay, Rajamouli, during his speech, said:“I don’t have much faith in gods. My father told me that Hanuman would guide me. But how are these glitches happening? Isn’t this his guidance?”He further mentioned his wife Rama’s devotion to Hanuman, adding, “She talks to Hanuman like a friend. I even got angry with him today.”

As soon as these remarks went viral on social media, many criticised them as hurtful to religious sentiments. Although Rajamouli has previously identified himself as an atheist, his films like Baahubali and RRR are said to draw heavy inspiration from Hindu mythology. Following the controversy, members of the Rashtriya Vanara Sena filed a complaint at Saroornagar Police Station on November 18. The complaint alleges that “Rajamouli’s statements insult Hindu deities and are intended to incite religious hatred.”

Police officials have confirmed that the complaint has been received, but no FIR has been registered so far. Rajamouli has not yet responded to the complaint. It is worth noting that the Varanasi teaser reportedly features a Hanuman sequence, and the film is said to be based in the Treta Yuga.