Raghavendra Rao Faces Backlash Over Launch Touching

A film launch in Hyderabad has turned into a larger argument about power, boundaries, and old habits in cinema.

Veteran Telugu filmmaker K Raghavendra Rao is facing sharp criticism after videos from a movie muhurat ceremony went viral. The clips show him positioning female actors for a ceremonial first shot, while touching their hands, shoulders, and waist.

The event took place on June 18 for Anil Ravipudi’s new film, currently called VenkyAnil5 or NKRAR2. The film stars Venkatesh, Kalyan Ram, Keerthy Suresh, and Krithi Shetty, and targets a Sankranti 2027 release.

Viral clips shift the spotlight

The film was meant to start with the usual industry warmth. A muhurat ceremony often carries emotion in Indian cinema. Elders bless the project, stars pose together, and the first shot becomes a photo album moment.

But this ceremony took a different turn online.

Videos from the event show Raghavendra Rao guiding Keerthy Suresh and Krithi Shetty during the first-shot setup. In one clip, he holds Keerthy’s hand while placing her in the frame. In another, he touches Krithi’s shoulder and arm while asking her to pose.

Another clip from the same event shows him placing a hand near Niharika Konidela’s waist. The clips quickly travelled across social media, where many users questioned his conduct.

The anger did not stay limited to film gossip pages. Search interest around Raghavendra Rao rose soon after the videos spread. People also searched for his films, his age, and Niharika Konidela.

That is how an otherwise routine film launch became a public debate.

Why the backlash grew quickly

Raghavendra Rao is not a small name in Telugu cinema. He has directed many popular films and remains a familiar face at major industry events. That seniority makes the debate sharper.

For many viewers, the issue is not one isolated touch. It is the larger pattern people see in film events, sets, and public stages. Senior men often control the frame, the pose, and the room. Younger women often smile through awkward moments.

That is why the clips have drawn such a strong response.

Nobody from the main group has publicly responded so far. Raghavendra Rao, Anil Ravipudi, Keerthy Suresh, and Krithi Shetty have not issued statements on the controversy.

That silence leaves social media to fill the room. Some users have called the behaviour inappropriate. Others have argued that older film personalities often act casually in public events. But the larger mood online has clearly asked for better boundaries.

Cinema has changed in many ways. Sets now have intimacy coordinators for difficult scenes in some industries. Actors speak more openly about consent and workplace safety. Audiences also read body language far more closely than before.

So a gesture that earlier passed as routine now faces public scrutiny within hours.

Old film culture meets new scrutiny

Indian film industries still carry a strong hierarchy. Age, box-office history, and seniority matter deeply. A director who delivered hits decades ago still commands respect in public ceremonies.

That respect can create an uncomfortable silence.

At events like this, actors rarely want to make a scene. A muhurat is not a press conference or a confrontation. It is a polished public moment, with cameras everywhere and producers watching closely.

That is exactly why viewers react strongly when they see discomfort, or what they read as discomfort. They know the people on stage may not always feel free to object.

This is not only about Telugu cinema. Hindi, Tamil, Kannada, Malayalam, and other industries have all faced similar questions. Who gets to touch an actor? Who decides what is harmless? Who pays the price if someone speaks up?

The answers are still messy.

For decades, film industries treated “adjustment” as a soft word for many things. It meant long hours, uneven power, casual comments, and physical proximity without much discussion. Younger actors, especially women, had to learn the room quickly.

That culture is now meeting a younger audience with less patience.

The film now carries extra attention

Anil Ravipudi’s project still has major commercial pull. Venkatesh brings long-standing audience affection. Kalyan Ram adds another strong Telugu cinema name. Keerthy Suresh and Krithi Shetty have their own fan bases across languages.

The Sankranti window also matters. In south Indian cinema, festive releases can make a film much bigger. Families go to theatres together, and competition gets intense.

But this controversy has arrived before the film has even begun its public journey.

That creates a tricky situation for the team. They would prefer attention on the cast, scale, and release plan. Instead, the first wave of online discussion now revolves around conduct at the launch.

This does not mean the film’s prospects have changed. Film audiences often separate controversy from box-office interest. But the makers may now have to manage public perception more carefully.

A short, clear response could calm some of the noise. Silence may also work if the news cycle moves on. But in the social media age, clips rarely disappear fully. They return whenever the film begins promotions.

For actors, this is a difficult space. If they speak, every word gets dissected. If they stay quiet, people read meaning into that too. Either way, the burden often falls more heavily on the women seen in the clips.

That imbalance is the real story beneath the trend.

A film launch should be about a new project finding its first light. This one has instead reminded Indian cinema that respect cannot only mean honouring elders. It must also mean giving younger artists, especially women, full control over their personal space. The next few weeks will show whether the industry treats this as passing online noise, or as another warning that old habits no longer get a free pass.