Ram Charan's latest outing in theatres, Peddi, has now become a talking point for the wrong reasons. Following its release on Thursday, netizens and critics alike have been calling out the film for its hypersexual portrayal of the film's female lead, Janhvi Kapoor.
The backlash has only been growing bigger with many female actors commenting on the onscreen misogyny. This has further been fuelled by Ram Charan's latest visit to Hyderabad's Prasads Multiplex on Sunday to catch a show of the film. The actor, who hasn't made a public appearance since the film's release, joined fans along with director Buchi Babu Sana and producer Venkata Satish Kilaru to watch the film.
When videos of his visit were shared online, many social media users pointed out why Ram Charan is not held accountable for the film's misogynistic scenes. For the unversed, apart from the voyeuristic portrayal of Janhvi Kapoor, the film also has a scene where Ram Charan kisses his co-star without consent.
With Ram Charan having voiced misogynistic dialogue in Peddi, a user asked why he was not "held accountable and hated" as much as Janhvi. Another user pointed out how women actors are always at the receiving end, quoting past examples like Triptii Dimri receiving backlash for Animal, Nora Fatehi for the 'Sarke Chunar' song and now Janhvi for Peddi.
Backlash for Ram Charan also follows after Buchi Babu Sana's apology to the audience through a statement. In the note he also mentioned that he always has utmost respect for women. Meanwhile, screenshots of Janhvi Kapoor apparent chats with fan clubs, claiming that she fought for the scenes to be removed, have also been virally doing the rounds on social media.
Despite all the controversy, Peddi's box-office numbers don't seem to be affected, as the film, also starring Shivarajkumar, Divyendu and Boman Irani, has collected Rs 150 crore in India alone.
