‘Who is AR Rahman’, asks actor Nandamuri Balakrishna

Actor-politician Nandamuri Balakrishna, who is known for
making controversial remarks, has done it with his latest remarks on Oscar
winning composer AR Rahman. Speaking to a local TV channel, Balakrishna said
that he does not know who the music meastro is.

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In an interview to a TV channel, Balakrishna said, “All
these awards are equal to my foot. No award can compensate for the contribution
of my family to Telugu cinema. I also heard that someone called AR Rahman won
an Oscar award. I don’t even know who Rahman is,” he said.

The popular music director, hailed in India as the Mozart of
the Madras, bagged two Academy Awards, one for the original score for ‘Slumdog
Millionaire’ and the other for the hugely popular global hit ‘Jai Ho’ from the
same film.

Balakrishna also insulted the prestigious Bharat Ratna, India’s
highest civilian award, and claims it’s not even worthy of his father, late
NTR’s toenail.

“I feel Bharat Ratna NTR kaligoru ki samaanam (Bharat Ratna
is equal to NTR’s toenail). So those awards must feel bad, not my family or my
father,” he added.

Also Read: Music composer A R Rahman thanks fans for support after his mother’s death

He also compared himself to Hollywood filmmaker James
Cameron and says that unlike Cameron, he likes to finish films quickly.

“I like to wrap up my shootings quickly unlike that
Hollywood filmmaker James Cameron who stretches shootings for years. I believe
in making more movies and scoring more hits in less time. That’s my style of
working,” the actor said.

Balakrishnais currently shooting for his upcoming film ‘Akhanda’
with Boyapati Sreenu. The duo have worked together in films like ‘Simha’ and ‘Legend’
in the past. The film was slated to release this summer but was postponed due
to the COVID-19 pandemic.