Actor Kiran Abbavaram recently commented that he was bluntly told no screens would be allotted to his movie KA when he tried to release the mystical thriller in Tamil Nadu last year. He added that Tamil heroes have enough market in the Telugu States, while Telugu heroes are not afforded that sort of welcome in Tamil Nadu.
On Thursday evening, speaking at the trailer launch event of Dude, star producer Y Ravi Shankar commented on the perception that there is discrimination against Telugu actors. Since his movie Dude is headlined by a Tamil hero and will be released in the Telugu States on a big scale this Diwali, Ravi Shankar was asked to spell out his position. "Tamil Nadu has about 1000 fewer screens than the Telugu States (which is why our movies may not get a good enough release). There is no bias against anyone. Dude is an extraordinary movie. I publicly promise to allot our screens to some other Diwali release this year if public demand is more for that movie. No matter how many movies are in the race, screen allotment gets adjusted from the second day depending on their worth," Ravi Shankar said.
The producer made sure not to sound as though he was differing with Kiran Abbavaram. "I am making my views public in general," he clarified.
