Rajendra Prasad’s speech nailed the last nail in the already disgraced image that TANA is carrying now.
TANA failed to bring in good and appropriate chief guests for the event. In the end, they could manage only Rajendra Prasad as the chief guest.
The use of "only" is justified due to his speech, in which he excessively eulogized himself.
It is well known in the Telugu world that Rajendra Prasad was a top-notch comedy hero who delivered numerous hits in the 1980s and 1990s.
Even former PM P V Narasimha Rao’s admiration for his films is known to many.
However, when Rajendra Prasad himself recalls all this — not with humility, but with pride and boasting — the value of his achievements diminishes.
On the TANA dais in Detroit, he said: “An NRI told me he’s living his life watching my films. I replied, ‘Not only you, even P.V. Narasimha Rao felt the same during his troubles with suitcases and cases. Is this not an insult to PV? Why bring up "suitcases and cases" and imitate PV’s voice mockingly?
Moreover, he boasted about poet C. Narayana Reddy’s praise: “In every Telugu household — one cot, one vessel, one Rajendra Prasad film.”
The reality is that Telugu households never had such a "need" for his films. Narayana Reddy might have said it poetically, but Rajendra Prasad seems to have taken it literally and has carried it in his head ever since.
At one point, Rajendra Prasad used the line, “Dobbesaadaa? Time ayinattu undi dobbesaadu,” referring to someone at the event.
Is it dignified for a chief guest at an international Telugu gathering to speak like that? Not just that — he said he was born in NTR’s house in Nimmakuru and mimicked his pregnant mother’s walk on stage. This didn’t sit well with viewers either.
He went on to say that TANA was born in 1977, and so was his career, making awkward gestures that irritated many.
When he mentioned acting in Kalki, someone in the audience attempted to whistle — and Rajendra Prasad whistled for himself, adding to the audience's frustration.
He must have felt he was doing comedy and entertaining people, but instead, he irritated the audience with his self-boasting and unnecessary theatrics.
At one moment, he also unintentionally insulted Sathya Sai Baba by saying, “Appudu nenu daridrangaa Sathya Sai Baba juttutho undevadini.”
He claimed he had rare opportunities to act in Pelli Pustakam and Shastipoorthi, and that the film industry celebrated both occasions for him.
In response, one netizen sarcastically commented, “Even Aa Naluguru performed final rites. Better to retire and sit at home than give such public speeches.”
Overall, netizens are trolling and expressing frustration toward Rajendra Prasad for this speech. Following a string of recent controversial remarks, he continued the streak on the TANA stage as well.
This speech further injured TANA's already struggling public image.
