As the whole nation is in joy about the oscar win of Rajamouli’s Naatu Naatu from RRR, there is a section of people trying to label the epic blockbuster as a Telugu film, South Indian film, or an Indian film.
As we know it all started when the Oscar host Jimmy Kimmel called RRR a Bollywood film on the Oscar stage. This statement irked controversy on social media when it made a section of Telugu fans angry.
Ever since then, there is an ongoing debate on how Rajamouli’s magnum opus should be referred to. Now, this debate has taken a new turn as it is a new hot topic of discussion in the Parliament sessions. Bollywood actress and politician Jaya Bachchan also indulged in a parliamentary debate on Wednesday (March 14) about whether the Telugu film RRR be labeled as a South Indian movie or an Indian film.
Jaya Bachchan responded to some leaders’ crediting ‘South India’ for the RRR Oscar win and the documentary The Elephant Whisperers which is based in Tamil Nadu.
Sharing her thoughts on the issue, Jaya Bachchan said- ‘I am so happy and I am so glad that we are discussing the most important ambassadors of this country. And they are the film folks. It doesn’t matter whether they are from – north, east, south or west – they are Indians… I stand here with pride and with dignity for my film fraternity, who have represented this country number of times, have won a number of awards starting from Satyajit Ray onwards.
She further said- ‘I also want to contribute and say I know Mr. Rajamouli very well… The writer (KV Vijayendra Prasad), he is not just the scriptwriter, he is also the story writer as well, and he is a member of this House (Rajya Sabha). And it is a great honor. There have been many, many such people from the creative world, who have been nominated here in this House earlier and today as well. This is just the beginning and I would like to congratulate the Indian population, because of whom people in the West are recognising great work by Indian filmmakers. The market of cinema is here, but not in America.’