Vijay Rangaraju, the Telugu actor, posted a video apologising to the fans of late Kannada actor Vishnuvardhan and his wife Bharathi, after he said made some negative statements about the actor in a recent interview.
In the three-minute-long video, he cited his financial and professional struggles as reasons that led to him making negative statements on the late actor. He also apologised to actors Sudeep Kichcha, Puneeth Rajkumar, and Upendra who had called for an apology from Rangaraju.
In the interview, Rangaraju had narrated an incident about Vishnuvardhan during the shoot of the Kannada film Muththaide Bhagya. In the film, the late actor had a cameo and was shooting for a scene when he reportedly saw Rangaraju and Kannada actor Jaya Malini hug. He immediately asked them to leave the set and stated that it was disturbing for him.
“His mentality, from the beginning, has not been good,” Rangaraju had said in the interview. He went on to narrate other incidents that showcased Vishnuvardhan in a poor light.
The comments did not sit well with the Kannada film industry. According to a report by The Times of India, Vishnuvardhan’s fan association, Dr. Vishnu Sena Samiti, filed a complaint against the actor with the Karnataka Film Chamber of Commerce. The organisation has called for strict action to be taken against Rangaraju.
— Yash (@TheNameIsYash) December 12, 2020
Actors such as Puneeth Rajkumar, Sudeep Kichcha, Rakshit Shetty, and Yash had taken to social media to express their displeasure and sought an apology for the defamatory remarks made against the veteran Kannada actor.
Puneeth’s Twitter post said, “Defaming one our senior most artist Dr. Vishnuvardhan was uncalled for. We want the concerned person to provide an unconditional apology for his act. The entire film industry stands united respecting art and an artist’s contribution Let us be human first.”
Similarly, Rakshit Shetty wrote, “The veteran actor Vishnu Sir has been the epitome of dignity. To bring disgrace to such a personality is highly condemnable. He who has made such derogatory statement should revoke it and apologise promptly. Let us be mindful of our words and be respectful towards fellow artists.”
ವಿಷ್ಣು ಸರ್ ರವರು ನಮ್ಮ ಚಿತ್ರರಂಗಕ್ಕೆ ನೀಡಿದ ಕೊಡುಗೆ ಮಹತ್ತರವಾದದ್ದು. ಈ ಮೇರುನಟನ ವ್ಯಕ್ತಿತ್ವ ಹಾಗು ಬದುಕು ಅನುಕರಣೀಯ. ಇಂತಹ ಮೇರುನಟನ ವ್ಯಕ್ತಿತ್ವಕ್ಕೆ ಅಪಚಾರವೆಸಗುವಂತೆ ತುಚ್ಛವಾಗಿ ಮಾತನಾಡಿರುವ ಯಾರೇ ಆಗಿರಲಿ ಈ ಕೂಡಲೇ ತಮ್ಮ ಮಾತನ್ನು ಹಿಂಪಡೆದುಕೊಂಡು ಕ್ಷಮೆಯಾಚಿಸಬೇಕು.
— Rakshit Shetty (@rakshitshetty) December 13, 2020
Vishnuvardhan died in 2009 at the age of 59 due to a cardiac arrest.
