Nayanthara Promotes Telugu Film, Faces Backlash

After a long gap, leading actress Nayanthara is returning to Telugu cinema with the family entertainer Mana Shankara Vara Prasad Garu, in which she is paired opposite megastar Chiranjeevi. The film is directed by Anil Ravipudi and is gearing up for release in the coming days, prompting the team to begin promotional activities.

As a New Year special, the makers released a promotional video featuring director Anil Ravipudi and Nayanthara, which immediately caught attention online. The video generated buzz, particularly in Kollywood, as Nayanthara is widely known for maintaining a no-promotions policy for her films. The promo even humorously acknowledges her rare appearance in publicity material, adding to its appeal.

However, the video also sparked debate among Tamil audiences. Many Kollywood viewers expressed surprise at seeing Nayanthara actively promoting a Telugu film, something she has largely avoided even for her Tamil releases. Some social media users speculated that the actress is currently going through a challenging phase in her career, pointing to the underperformance of her recent films as a possible reason for her change in stance.

A section of netizens criticised her sharply, suggesting that she should focus solely on Telugu cinema if she is willing to promote films there. Others pointed out that several of her female-centric Tamil films struggled at the box office, partly due to minimal promotions, unlike this high-profile Telugu project.

Despite the promo receiving largely positive feedback, the backlash against Nayanthara has emerged as a major talking point. Social media remains divided, with users actively debating whether her participation in promotions reflects professional pragmatism or selective bias.