Maverick film maker Ram Gopal Varma knows how to get free publicity for his films, though it is a different matter that the films often get bombed at the box office after their release.
Varma either makes controversial comments or tweets about his films and generates a lot of enthusiasm and curiosity among the people.
He doesn’t mind whether it is a negative or positive publicity, but he knows how to get into headlines with his comments and actions.
He badly needs publicity for his ongoing film “Laxmi’s NTR” which is being made in counter to senior actor and Telugu Desam Party MLA Nandamuri Balakrishna’s two-part film NTR-Katha Nayakudu and NTR-Maha Nayakudu.
In fact, Varma’s project with focus on NTR’s widow Laxmiparvathi itself has generated enough controversy.
On Friday, Varma released his teaser song of the film, which is a direct attack on TDP president and Andhra Pradesh chief minister N Chandrababu Naidu, exposing the latter’s conspiratorial politics, backstabbing of his father-in-law N T Rama Rao and usurping of party and power through deceptive politicking.
He ensured that the timing of the release of “Vennu Potu” song coincided with the audio launch of Balakrishna’s film. And that did the trick for Varma, who was seeking massive publicity for his film.
The Vennu Potu song received lakhs of viewers within 24 hours and evoked huge appreciation as well as trolling.
As expected by Varma, the song evoked sharp reaction from the TDP leaders, who staged protest demonstrations in different parts of Andhra Pradesh.
In Kurnool, TDP MLA S V Mohan Reddy lodged a complaint with the police against Varma for making derogatory comments against Naidu in the song as well as his promo talk.
And Varma, too, reacted through twitter saying he, too, would lodge a complaint against the complainant, apparently for infringing upon his freedom of expression.
As the controversy rages, Varma is laughing in his sleeves for getting free publicity!
