Actor Prakash Raj has been projecting himself as an actor with a conscience for a while now. He’s been in the news for his skirmishes with right-wing organisations time and again. But now the actor’s professional reputation is suffering.
Prakash Raj, who is said to have humiliated actress Anupama Parameshwaran in the recent past, has now reportedly slapped comedian Saptagiri. The incident took place when he was shooting for the upcoming film Hello Guru Premakosame.
“This happened at the railway station set erected at RFC. Nearly a hundred junior artistes were also present. All of a sudden, the actor slapped comedian Saptagiri and the whole unit was shocked,” says a source from the unit. But details about what prompted the senior actor to behave in this rash manner is not known.
Generally, there seems to be a culture of silence around the actor’s outbursts. According to the source, film producer Dil Raju was on the sets when the slapping incident took place but he asked people not to speak about it.
When contacted, Prakash Raj says this incident didn’t take place at all.
“This news is false. Why should I slap him? He is an upcoming actor. I even congratulated him on making his debut as a director. I have a scene with him in coming days too,” says Prakash Raj.
And when questioned about him scolding actress Anupama Parameshwaran, and reducing her to tears on the sets earlier, he says, “That is also nonsense. When she rendered the dialogue in a wrong way, I told her to focus more. She was not well and she got emotional. Later, she posted a picture of us on Twitter, to set the record straight” says Prakash Raj. Several attempts to reach Saptagiri were futile. His phone was switched off.
When asked about the slapping incident, the film’s director Nakkina Trinadha Rao didn’t want to comment. “I was not there when the incident happened,” he said, but didn’t deny the incident either!
But Prakash Raj is no stranger to controversy. When director Srinu Vaitla had replaced him with Sonu Sood for the film Aagadu, he lodged an official complaint with the Telugu Film Chamber of Commerce (TFCC).
In the past, the TFCC has even put out a circular about Prakash Raj’s non-cooperation and cautioned filmmakers to not take him in their films.
But the senior actor is lucky to find a supporter in Dil Raju, who continues to give him opportunities in Tollywood.
