Creepy, cringe: After wrapping arm around Niharika Konidela's waist, director faces backlash for pulling Keerthy Suresh closer

Veteran filmmaker K Raghavendra Rao has yet again landed in controversy after a video of him inappropriately touching Keerthy Suresh went viral on social media.

He has been facing intense online criticism after footage from the launch event for director Anil Ravipudi's next project circulated widely. 

The video shows K Raghavendra Rao pulling Keerthy Suresh and Krithi Shetty closer by holding their arms. Another viral clip shows Telugu director K. Raghavendra Rao touching actor-producer Niharika Konidela, grabbing her by her waist.

The clip shows the 84-year-old Rao first reaching out to pull Keerthy closer by her arm and then guiding Krithi. He is also seen instructing Venkatesh Daggubati and Kalyanram Nandamuri on how to place their arms on the actresses' shoulders for the shot.

The next video shows him wrapping his hands around Niharika Konidela; she felt uncomfortable and then went ahead and wrapped her hand on his shoulder. 

The moment invited trolls, with many questioning why Raghavendra Rao had to touch them.

"Endi ra ee musalodu, pratisari touch cheyanike chustaduu (Why does this old man always try to touch?)," criticised one X user while posting the video

. Another wrote, "Who is this old idiot? Who gave him the right to touch women without their consent?"

One user slammed him, writing, "Why does he touch women like that? He could do the same scene without touching them. Creepy Raghavendra Rao."

"Raghavendra Rao garu, what exactly is this behaviour? This isn't the first time such visuals have gone viral. After the backlash over the Niharika video, one would expect that you had learned how to behave. Yet here we are again, having the same conversation," wrote one person, referring to the earlier controversy.

"How does #RaghavendraRao get away with all the things he does with heroines? Back then, it was understandable because there was no social media, but even today, he seems to escape criticism," wrote another.

Anil later posted pictures from the launch on social media, writing, "Nothing gives me greater joy than entertaining audiences in theatres. With immense happiness, gratitude, and a sense of responsibility, we begin the journey of #VenkyAnil5 - #NKRAR2 today. Heartfelt thanks to all our honourable guests for gracing the ceremony and making it even more special."

Previous controversy

Many questioned why the director had not learned from the previous backlash regarding his on-set behaviour. The controversy also revived actor Taapsee Pannu's 2017 remarks mocking the filmmaker's trademark style of throwing fruits and flowers at heroines' midriffs, which she experienced in her 2010 debut film Jhummandi Naadam.