Ram Gopal Varma's Kamma Rajyamlo Kadapa Reddlu in trouble after Andhra government demands change in title

The Andhra Pradesh government has sent an official letter to the Regional Officer at the Regional Board of Film Certification in Hyderabad, demanding the title of Ram Gopal Varma’s upcoming film Kamma Rajyamlo Kadapa Reddlu be altered, state reports. As per a The News Minute report, Sajjala Ramakrishna Reddy, Advisor to the Andhra Pradesh Government (Public Affairs), wrote in the letter, “The title and the poster suggest that there is a confrontation between two castes, and two trailers of the said film were released earlier to build up tempo, and the teasers have raised much commotion. We request you to direct the concerned production house to change the title as it has caste-based overtones, and civil society with social responsibility cannot accept such a title that has a direct reference to two castes.”

The letter was also sent to Prasoon Joshi, Chairperson of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) in Mumbai and to Prakash Javadekar, the Union Minister for Information and Broadcasting. RGV, on the other hand, said in case the CBFC  raised issues about the title, he was ready to change it to Amma Rajyamlo Kadapa Biddalu (Kadapa sons in the mother’s kingdom). In the recently released trailer of the film, Malayalam actor Ajmal Amir essays the character of Jagan Mohan Reddy. RGV has also cast multiple lookalikes in the film, so as to give audiences an authentic a feel of the times. Heavyweights of Andhra politics, including Praja Shanti Party’s leader KA Paul, Chandrababu Naidu, and his son Nara Lokesh have been featured by lookalikes. RGV’s last film Lakshmi's NTR also courted a fair share of controversy , especially since the film navigated veteran Telugu actor NTR’s relationship with his second wife Lakshmi Parvathy, and also allegedly portrayed ex-Andhra Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu in an unfavourable and defamatory light.