Actors Mohan Babu, Brahmanandam to lose 'Padma Shri title’ in film

Hyderabad: The AP High Court on Monday directed the producers of the Telugu movie 'Denikaina Ready' to remove the words ‘Padma Shri’ which were prefixed to the names of actors M. Mohan Babu and Brahmanandam in posters of the movie.

The AP?High Court on Monday directed the removal of the honorific ‘Padma Shri’ prefixed to the names of Mohan Babu and Brahmanandam in the posters and negatives of Denikaina Ready.

The court also wanted to know whether Vishnuvardhan and Manchu Lakshmi, producers, stayed with Mohan Babu.

A division bench comprising Chief Justice Kalyan Jyoti Sengupta and Justice P.V. Sanjay Kumar was dealing with a PIL brought by N. Indrasena Reddy, senior BJP leader, challenging the action of the ministry of home affairs, in not making any attempt to recommend to the President of India to cancel or annul the award of Padma Shri to Mohan Babu in 2007 and Brahmanandam in 2009.

On December 23, the HC had found fault with the action of both the actors in prefixing Padma Shri to their names in Denikaina Ready, released in 2012.

On Monday, the bench sought to know from the counsel of Twenty Four Frames Factory Pvt., producer of the movie, whether there had been any direction from the actors to use the title.

The counsel replied in the negative and said that it was as a mark of respect that the producers of the movie prefixed Padma Shri before the actors’ names. The bench directed the producers to remove the words and publicise the removal for three days in newspapers, and file a counter affidavit.

The counsels representing Mohan Babu and Brahmanandam, were directed to file their versions.

The counsel appearing for Brahmanandam told the court that there was no fault on the part of his client in prefixing Padma Shri to his name, and that his client had written to the producers for the title’s removal. The court asked him to mention this in the affidavit.

The bench also wanted to know the relationship between Manchu Vishnuvardhan Babu and Manchu Lakshmi, producers of the movie, with Mohan Babu. The court directed Mohan Babu’s counsel to file an affidavit explaining the relations between the producers and the actor and if the producers are living with the actor or not.