Pawan Kalyan opens up about his viral photo atop a car, why he was unable to turn fandom into votes

In the latest episode of Unstoppable With NBK, Pawan Kalyan addressed the controversial moment when he sat atop a speeding car and his stint as a politician.

Pawan Kalyan opens about his controversial car stunt (Image_ Unstoppable with NBK poster_Screengrab)

Listen to this article

00:00

1x 1.5x 1.8x

Actor-politician Pawan Kalyan recently pulled off a stunt that belongs to movies. Blurring the lines of reality and cinema, the actor, who is fondly called Powerstar by fans, sat on the roof of his speeding car while his team made sure he was safe at all times. His car was followed by many SUVs and two-wheelers. The clip went viral on social media with his fans celebrating his alleged ‘swag’, while many criticised him for violating the traffic rules and setting a bad example for his fans. Pawan, who has been silent about the stunt, finally opened up about it in the talk show Unstoppable With NBK.

ALSO READ | Pawan Kalyan travels sitting on car roof, fans in awe of his 'swag'. Watch video

When the show’s host Balakrishna asked the actor about the stunt he said it was the culmination of a lot of problems he was facing from the ruling government. Prior to the incident, Pawan Kalyan alleged that he faced the highhandedness of the YSRCP government during his political rally in Visakhapatnam.

It may appear off track to say like this but that swag 🔥 and attitude off the screen 👌👌 మన దగ్గర తప్పు లేనప్పుడు వచ్చే ధైర్యం @PawanKalyan .#JSPStandsWithIpptam pic.twitter.com/JeQ0waTYNe

— Dr.Shiva Prasad Reddy (@Dr_bspreddy) November 5, 2022

The car stunt happened after the Vizag rally when Pawan Kalyan was on his way to solving an issue faced by one of his supporters. He said, “It should be considered as the extension of the Vizag incident. We were stopped at Vizag. I wanted to go in the car but some police official said ‘don’t come out of the car, don’t greet the people’. When I was in the hotel they didn’t let me step out. They imprisoned me in four walls. That’s when I flipped.”

He added, “They said I shouldn’t go on foot. They said I shouldn’t go sitting in a car. That’s when I decided I will sit on top of the car and see who will stop me. ‘File whatever case you want to, and I will go’. It was like a protest.”

Balakrishna also asked about why he wasn’t able to turn his fandom into votes as he lost the 2019 assembly election in Andhra Pradesh despite being a massive star. After taking a moment, Pawan Kalyan said, “Fandom is one thing. Converting them into votes is different. One can earn it only with decades of work. Even you (Balakrishna) have earned it (fandom) through the years. It takes three decades of effort. To earn the popularity– that you have in cinema– in politics, you have to put in the same effort and time.”

Click here to follow Screen Digital on YouTube and stay updated with the latest from the world of cinema.