Pushpa producer faces backlash for ‘insulting, disrespecting’ Kantara 2 star Rukmini Vasanth to ‘hype’ Jr NTR: ‘Only Telugu film industry can get away with…’

However, Ravi’s subsequent comments did not go down well with others, as they felt he unnecessarily belittled Rukmini and her talents to butter up Jr NTR. Mentioning that they zeroed in on her while trying to find an actor who could match the male star’s skills, the producer hoped Rukmini would match “at least 80 per cent” of his talent. “We searched for months for a heroine who would match NTR’s talent or at least come close. We could only find her in Rukmini. She is an extraordinary performer. Maybe not as much as Anna (brother), but we are hoping you will be able to give at least 80 per cent,” said the producer.

Taking serious offence to these comments, one netizen wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “Only Telugu film industry can get away with such misogyny.” Several users also claimed that her performances in the Sapta Sagaradaache Ello films eclipsed Jr NTR’s entire body of work. “Bro, she is way too overqualified to compete with Jr NTR. He couldn’t even reach the bottom level of Rukmini’s acting skills in his lifetime,” another Twitterati added. “Mee hero ni lepuko anthe gani ma Rukku ni endhuku ra thakkuva chesi mataldam (No need to insult Rukku to hype your hero),” one person wrote, while another one stated, “Disrespect cheyyadam enduku? (Why do you need to disrespect?)”

Mythri Ravi Shankar:

“#NTRNeel లో #JrNTR అన్నకి సరిపోయే Heroine ఎవరని వెతికితే… #RukminiVasanth కనపడ్డారు.

NTR అన్న అంత కాకపోయినా Atleast 80% ఇస్తారని Expect చేస్తున్నాం.”#KantaraChapter1 pic.twitter.com/1Uqvj4yTi6

— Gulte (@GulteOfficial) September 28, 2025

Renowned for bankrolling movies like Janatha Garage, Rangasthalam, Pushpa: The Rise, Sarkaru Vaari Paata, Pushpa 2: The Rule and Good Bad Ugly, NTRNeel marks Mythri Movie Makers’ first collaboration with KGF and Salaar director Prashanth Neel. The project is currently in production.

Rukmini Vasanth, who rose to national fame with her performance as the female lead in Sapta Sagaradaache Ello – Side A and its sequel Sapta Sagaradaache Ello – Side B, subsequently appeared in movies like Baanadariyalli, Bagheera, Bhairathi Ranagal, Ace, and Madharaasi. She is currently gearing up for the release of Kantara: Chapter 1, which will hit screens on October 2.