A war of words has erupted between director Harish Shankar and cinematographer Chota K Naidu over a decade-old film, Ramayya Vasthavayya, starring Telugu superstar Jr NTR in the lead role.

The issue gained a lot of traction after Harish dashed off a strongly worded letter, slamming Chota K Naidu for "insulting him" repeatedly. The letter even ended with a warning that any more unpleasant statements against him would receive a more stringent response.

It all started with Naidu accusing Harish of being a "bad boss" to work with. He suggested that Harish denied him a collaborative space while shooting for Ramayya Vasthavayya, resulting in a deeply flawed movie. “When I worked with Harish Shankar for 'Ramayya Vastavayya,' he used to intervene every time. He would imagine how he wanted something to look and would keep interfering. I tried to explain to him, but he wasn’t in the mood to listen. I gave up and just did my work," Naidu alleged.

Naidu plainly blamed Harish for the poor output of Ramayya Vasthavayya, which tanked at the box office when it was released in cinemas in 2013.

Harish slams Chota K Naidu

Harish, however, claimed that this was not the first time that Naidu was making such comments against him. He said he was forced to issue a clarification for the benefit of fans and friends who raised questions about his silence.

“I didn't say anything wrong about you (Chota K Naidu) anywhere. But you have repeatedly spoken ill of me. Even if the person interviewing doesn't ask, even if it has nothing to do with me, I am constantly insulted," alleged Harish.

Harish also recalled that he wanted to fire Naidu from the project but refrained from doing so after producer Dil Raju advised against it. “There was a time when we discussed removing you (Chota) from the project and shooting with a different cameraman. However, because 'Gabbar Singh' (2012) was a hit, people would think I was arrogant for removing a cameraman. I completed the film with you because of what Raju garu (Dil Raju) said," he added.

Harish ended the letter with a warning for Naidu and expressed his willingness to debate him on the controversy on "any platform, any time."

TeluguCinema

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