Baahubali 2 director SS Rajamouli accused of 'caste slur'; police complaint filed

SS Rajamouli, the director of Baahubali 2: The Conclusion, has been accused of hurting the sentiments of a community through the use of a “caste slur” in the film. [caption id=“attachment_2612296” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  SS Rajamouli. AFP[/caption] Members of the  Arekatika Porata Samithi have filed a police complaint at the Banjara Hills police station against the director for portraying their community in a bad light. According to reports, the community is offended by one particular scene where Katappa says “Katika Cheekati,” which the group claims is a caste slur. “We Katika people indulge in the trade of butchery, to sell meat of goats, sheep and hens, to provide healthy food to the society, as part of our livelihood. We are not harsh, inhuman and anti-social people as the movies try to portray us,” the complaint reads. Additionally, the group has alleged that the children in their community suffer due to this portrayal in films, and have requested the censor board to immediately remove “Katika” from the film. The police is yet to file a case. In the wake of this complaint, an old Facebook post by SS Rajamouli, where he has spoken about caste, has resurfaced. In the comments, he has received flak for the content of the post.

Baahubali 2: The Conclusion has earned more than Rs 500 crore at the box office over the world, leaving behind Aamir Khan’s Dangal and Salman Khan’s Sultan. While the film made Rs 385 crore in India, it amassed Rs 121 crore abroad through shows at 6,500 screens in the country and 1050 screens overseas.