Director Harish Shankar, cinematographer Chota K Naidu spar over Jr NTR’s Ramayya Vasthavayya: ‘I am constantly insulted’

The dispute between Chota K Naidu and Harish Shankar erupted when the former accused Harish of meddling in his work during the production of Jr NTR's Ramayya Vasthavayya.

By: Entertainment Desk

Chennai | April 21, 2024 08:30 PM IST

3 min read

Jr NTR in a still from Ramayya Vasthavayya.

Cinematographer Chota K Naidu and director Harish Shankar have found themselves embroiled in a public feud over their 2013 film Ramayya Vasthavayya, featuring Jr NTR and Samantha Ruth Prabhu in the lead roles. The dispute erupted when Chota K Naidu accused Harish of meddling in his work during the film’s production. This prompted Harish to lash out at Chota in a lengthy post on X (formerly known as Twitter).

In an earlier interview with iDream Media, Chota alleged that Harish frequently interfered with his work on set. He expressed frustration, stating, “When I worked with Harish Shankar for Ramayya Vastavayya, he used to butt in every time. He would imagine how he wanted something to look and would keep interfering. I tried to explain to him but he wasn’t in the mood to listen. I gave up and just did my work.”

In response, Harish took to X to vent his frustrations and remind Chota of a past incident where he considered replacing him as the cinematographer but refrained due to pressure from producer Dil Raju. He wrote, “On one occasion, there was mention of you (Chota) being removed and shooting with a different cameraman. However, because Gabbar Singh (2012) was a hit, people would think I was arrogant for removing a cameraman. I completed the film with you because of what Raju garu (Dil Raju) said.”

Harish also criticised Chota for repeatedly speaking negatively about him in public, despite Harish never doing the same. He wrote, “I didn’t say anything wrong about you anywhere. But you have repeatedly spoken ill of me. Even if the person interviewing doesn’t ask, even if it has nothing to do with me, I am constantly insulted.”

Also read | Harish Shankar slams Netflix: ‘It’s becoming very tough to deal with non-Telugu heads’

Harish Shankar, who is now gearing up for the release of his Pawan Kalyan-starrer Ustaad Bhagat Singh, concluded the note by stating that he had chosen to speak out due to enquiries from concerned friends and admirers.

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