Even as Peddi continues its successful run at the box office, the controversy surrounding the portrayal of Janhvi Kapoor’s character remains a talking point. The latest voice to weigh in on the debate is lyricist Anantha Sriram, who openly said that he did not agree with director Buchi Babu Sana apologising over the criticism directed at the film.
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The sports action drama recently faced backlash from a section of viewers who accused the makers of hypersexualising Janhvi's character, Achiyyamma. Critics pointed to scenes that focus on parts of her body while the male lead speaks about her beauty, sparking discussions on social media about objectification and representation.
Following the criticism, Buchi Babu Sana issued a statement acknowledging viewers' concerns and assured them that changes would be made to the portions that had caused discomfort.
However, during the film’s success meet on Sunday (June 14), Anantha Sriram expressed a different view when the director was asked about his apology.
Defending the filmmaker’s creative choices, Sriram said in Telugu, “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.. 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?”
The lyricist further argued that different forms of expression are often judged differently depending on the language and context in which they are presented.
Janhvi Kapoor Was Paid Whopping Amount Of ₹8 Crore For Peddi: Report"That is, if you use big words like vital attraction, hormonal reactions, etc., it is called awesome as if it is done very aesthetically. If the hero speaks his tribal language and says, 'I will touch you, it is called vulgarity; they say that he looked at you like an object. If you do all this, it is like trampling on creativity. Buchi Babu would have apologised with great politeness, with the intention of hurting someone's feelings, or else he would have apologised with the intention of not hurting anyone. He may have apologised with the intention of saying that democracy is not 49:51, but 99:1, but if it continues like this, then we will not be able to make a great point in commercial films, except in documentary films in the first place," he said.
The controversy largely centres around Peddi's romantic subplot. Some viewers have argued that certain scenes blur the line between romance and consent. One sequence shows Ram Charan’s character expressing his desire to be with Achiyyamma despite her apparent lack of interest. Another scene, where he kisses her during a power outage without her consent, triggered strong reactions online.
Several social media users criticised the sequence, describing it as assault and questioning why the behaviour was portrayed differently from similar actions committed by a villain in the film.
Responding to the criticism earlier, Buchi Babu Sana said, "We have heard the feedback regarding certain scenes in Peddi and have taken it seriously," adding that the team would make modifications to the concerned portions.
Despite the debate, Peddi has maintained a strong performance at the box office. The film stars Ram Charan, Janhvi Kapoor, Shiva Rajkumar, Divyenndu and Boman Irani and has already crossed the Rs 200 crore mark in India.