Amaravati: “Sorry to inform that the press meet at 4 pm is cancelled because the police stopped us and have barred my entry into Vijaywada and forcibly sending me back to Hyderabad… Hey @ncbn WHERE IS DEMOCRACY ? WHY IS TRUTH BEING BACK STABBED?” asked Ramgopal Varma in a tweet.
The director who’s next is a Telugu film ‘Lakshmi’s NTR’ is based on the life of Telugu Desam founder and former Chief Minister N T Rama Rao, was barred entry into Vijayawada yesterday. He had come to the city to promote his but was detained by the city police and sent back to Hyderabad without giving a reason.
The film maker along with his unit members and the film’s producer Rakesh Reddy were to organise a press conference yesterday in Vijayawada, but his reservation in a star hotel was allegedly cancelled by the management.
The movie passed through hurdles by the Election Commission and High Court and its release date is set on 1 May in Andhra Pradesh and is said to hit the screens in all other places early this month, and it portrays the events that led to NTR’s dethroning in an intra-party coup in August 1995 by his son-in-law Chandrababu Naidu.
Taking to his Twitter handle, Varma said, “Hotels in Vijaywada are being warned not to accommodate #LakshmisNTR team… First Hotel Novotel has cancelled us and now Hotel Ilapuram . This after they have been paid in advance .. The people in power should understand that one can misuse power to delay, but no one can stop truth.”
He posted a short video message on Twitter and said, “Police have a responsibility to maintain law and order but they are unable to say why they are preventing from entering into a city. They have no answer. That’s what is happening and I will try to update later.” His insta facebook twitter live were also blocked claimed the director.
Meanwhile, an Assistant Commissioner of Police claimed that there was no permission for the director to conduct a press meet. “We don’t know about the hotels but the election code is in force and any public activity requires prior permission. Since there is a possibility of breach of peace, we did not allow the film unit to visit the city,” the official was quoted saying.