The discussion around Ram Charan and Janhvi Kapoor’s Peddi continues to grow as new voices from the film’s team respond to the controversy, adding fresh perspectives to the ongoing public debate.
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Anantha Sriram on Peddi row (PC: Twitter)
The discussion around Peddi has taken a new turn after members of the film’s team reacted differently to the ongoing criticism. The Ram Charan and Janhvi Kapoor starrer has been under scrutiny for certain scenes involving the portrayal of the female lead. While the director had already issued an apology following the backlash, the issue has now sparked an internal disagreement within the creative team itself, bringing fresh attention to the controversy. The film continues to perform strongly at the box office, but the conversation around its content has shifted focus to questions about creative freedom, audience interpretation and responsibility in storytelling.
Controversy around Janhvi Kapoor’s character portrayal
Director Buchi Babu Sana’s sports action drama faced criticism over the depiction of Janhvi Kapoor’s character Achiyyamma. Some viewers pointed out that certain scenes appeared to hypersexualise the character, including framing choices that focused on her body rather than emotional context. In contrast, the male lead’s admiration for her beauty was shown in a different tone, which led to debates online about the imbalance in portrayal.
One of the most discussed sequences involved Ram Charan’s character expressing desire despite the female character’s lack of consent, followed by a kiss during a power cut. This led many viewers to call the moment uncomfortable and raise questions about how consent was represented in mainstream storytelling. Following the backlash, director Buchi Babu Sana publicly acknowledged the criticism and issued an apology, stating that feedback from audiences had been taken seriously and that necessary changes would be considered.
Anantha Sriram’s reaction to the apology
During a media interaction at a recent success meet, lyricist Anantha Sriram expressed disagreement with the director’s decision to apologise. Speaking in Telugu, he said, “A character behaves the same way… that is the director’s imagination. It is a character created with that imagination. Here, the one who can speak English is great. The way of thinking of PhDs and graduates is the right one.. is increasing..
He further said, “Those who are vocal on social media, those who are trolling by throwing out words they speak, are being influenced by their opinions. Apart from that, if a director is not even given the freedom to behave like this.. what have we done to creativity?” His comments reflected concern over creative freedom and the influence of public opinion on filmmaking decisions.
