Ram Gopal Varma takes dig at NTR Kathanayakudu, says views on NBR's interview more than film's ticket sales

 NTR Kathanayakudu, which hit screens on 9 January, has collected Rs 70 crore worldwide as of 16 January, reports Times of India. Despite its ambitious premise and a strong ensemble cast, the Krish directorial failed to garner box office traction. Ram Gopal Varma took a dig at the low earnings, saying that views of Nadendla Bhaskara Rao's (NBR) interview on YouTube are more than the ticket sales of the film.

NB Rao, who served as the chief minister of Andhra Pradesh for a brief period of 31 days in 1984 and was considered to be the political mentor to NTR, reportedly betrayed the latter to ascend to the chief ministerial throne in 1984. After NTR: Kathanayakudu opened in theatres, NBR gave a number of interviews on YouTube talking about NTR and the events that took place in 1980.

Varma, in July 2017, has expressed his desire to make a biopic on the late actor and former chief minister of Andhra Pradesh. He released the first look poster of his Telugu film Lakshmi's NTR in September 2017, which will narrate the life of Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao from the perspective of his second wife Lakshmi Parvathi.

In December 2018, a complaint was filed against Varma for allegedly showing N Chandrababu Naidu in a bad light in the song 'Vennupotu', which means 'back-stabbing'.