Megastar Chiranjeevi has broken his silence after Nandamuri Balakrishna’s comments in the Andhra Pradesh Assembly that sparked debate in the film industry and political circles. The star issued a press note from abroad, outlining the true developments that led to his meeting with then-Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy.
Chiranjeevi pointed out that following repeated approaches by actors, producers and directors, he decided to take initiative and mediate with the state government. He recounted that Minister Perni Nani connected him directly with the Chief Minister’s office, which extended a personal invitation to lunch. During that meeting, Chiranjeevi voiced the hardships filmmakers were facing, particularly with mounting budgets clashing with restricted ticket prices.
He elaborated that when the delegation was set up to meet the CM, he attempted to reach out personally to Balakrishna. However, after several failed attempts, including through producer Gemini Kiran, Balakrishna could not join the team. Chiranjeevi then arranged a flight with R Narayana Murthy and others to continue the meeting with YS Jagan Mohan Reddy and other representatives.
Chiranjeevi highlighted that his initiative led to the government’s approval of the ticket price hike. He pointed out that this decision resulted in benefits for producers, distributors, and exhibitors, and was instrumental in securing better collections for major releases like his own Waltair Veerayya and Veera Simha Reddy.
Rejecting insinuations of political pressure or self-interest, Chiranjeevi stated that his actions were guided purely by concern for the collective good of the Telugu film industry.
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