Nani clarifies his ‘Jai Bhim’ post: ‘It’s like my sister got good marks but my cousin didn’t’

Telugu actor Nani faced severe backlash from Telugu fans when he expressed his heartbreak after Tamil film Jai Bhim was snubbed at the 69th National Film Awards. The actor wrote ‘Jai Bhim’ with a heartbreak emoji on his Insta status. While Allu Arjun, RRR and other Telugu films won many awards, Nani’s concern over a Tamil film didn’t go well with Telugu fans. Now, at the Indian Today Conclave, the actor has explained his stand on the controversy.

The actor said that he is happy with the success of Telugu films, but also felt bad for Jai Bhim. He called the Tamil film was like a cousin, who got poor grades and the Telugu film was his sister with good grades. He called Jai Bhim one of the best films he has watched and thought it deserved an award at least in one category at the awards. “It’s like if my sister got really good marks or rank and my cousin from next door did not, I will express my happiness for my sister and I’ll also express my (sadness for my cousin),” he was quoted as saying.

Nani faced backlash particularly from Allu Arjun fans as the Telugu star became the first Telugu star in history to win The Best Actor Award for his performance in Pushpa: The Rise. Telugu fans asked on social media why Nani had nothing to say about such a big achievement by his people.

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Nani, at the recent event, added that he was indeed proud that Allu Arjun, ‘his brother’ had made history with the award.

On the work front, Nani will next be seen in Hi Nanna, which also stars Mrunal Thakur in a lead role. Debutant Shouryuv has directed the film, which also has a cameo from Shruti Haasan.