'Bezwada Rowdeelu' rakes up heat and dust

Vijayawada: Controversial director Ram Gopal Varma's new film 'Bezwada Rowdeelu' has stirred up a hornet's nest from the day one of his announcement. Many eminent people in Vijayawada city has objected to the movie title saying it will revive old rivalry between two groups belonging to different castes.

Some political leaders have also opposed the movie title on the ground that it may disturb peace in the city. Despite the strong opposition to the movie title 'Bezwada Rowdeelu', Varma has begun shooting of the film in the city. He started the first schedule of his new movie in the city on May 17 without giving any publicity to it.

However, the film unit took permission from the city police to shoot it till May 27. The film was shot in rented buildings in Gandhi Nagar and One Town. The police provided security to the film unit. As part of the film story, Varma shot violent scenes of rowdies wielding lethal weapons chasing a youth at Kaleswara Rao market in broad daylight.

Following this, some people complained to commissioner of police Amit Garg urging him to restrain Varma from shooting violent scenes of the film in the open as they would whip up passions.

Meanwhile, Sarvodaya Mandali president and a local advocate Naraharisetti Srihari faxed a letter to chief minister N Kiran Kumar Reddy urging him to cancel the film shooting as it would disturb peace in the city.

Later, he submitted a memorandum to Amit Garg underlining the need to stop the film shooting as it might revive caste feuds between old rivals. After taking into consideration the complaints from various sections, Amit Garg cancelled permission to shooting of the film in the city.

Amit Garg said they gave permission initially without verifying the film script. On receiving several complaints from different sections of people over the shooting of the film, the police commissioner said he cancelled permission given to the film unit.

He said the police would allow shooting of the second schedule of the movie in the city only after examining the script whether its contents would lead to a law and order problem or not.

If it contains violent scenes, the police would not hesitate to deny permission to the film unit for shooting the movie in the city, he said.

Following cancellation of permission, the film unit packed up two days before the completion of the first schedule.

Storyline

The movie 'Bezwada Rowdeelu' revolves around the group rivalry between two powerful groups of yesteryears. The gang war between Vangaveeti Mohana Ranga Rao and Devineni Rajasekhar alias Nehru moved from the streets to politics with the former joining the Congress and latter the TDP in 1983. Ranga won the Assembly election in 1985 on Congress ticket.

While Ranga was observing an indefinite fast on Bandar Road seeking house-site pattas for residents of Giripuram, he was attacked with bombs and murdered on December 26, 1988. The murder of Ranga, a prominent Kapu leader, sparked riots in the city and coastal districts. Business establishments and properties of Kammas were targeted by the rampaging mobs and they were burnt.

The then SP RR Girish Kumar imposed an indefinite curfew in the city which lasted for more than a month. After Ranga's death, his wife Ratnakumari was elected as an MLA in the byelection in 1989. She switched over to the TDP in her second term.

Ranga's gang slowly drifted away into respectable professions and businesses. Ranga's son Vangaveeti Radhakrishna was elected as a Congress MLA. Later, he joined Praja Rajyam Party and unsuccessfully contested in the last elections. To counter Ranga's rise in politics, Nehru joined the newly floated TDP and got elected as an MLA. Later, he even became a minister.

After the death of TDP founder NTR, he left the TDP and joined the Congress. Over the years, he has emerged as a strong leader in the Congress.