Filmmaker Sanjay Gupta has criticised Telugu producer Naga Vamsi for his behaviour during a recent roundtable discussion involving Boney Kapoor. The incident occurred when veteran producer Boney was discussing the South Indian cinema’s impact on the overseas market. Vamsi interrupted him in a manner deemed disrespectful by Gupta and many netizens. Gupta described Vamsi’s attitude as ‘fake and obnoxious’.
check out the post here:
Who is this obnoxious guy sitting next to a senior producer like Boney Ji and deriding him with his fake vanity?
Look at his body language and disgusting attitude.
4/5 hits dene se yeh Bollywood ke baap nahin bane na banienge. https://t.co/WhG232dG5r— Sanjay Gupta (@_SanjayGupta) December 31, 2024
Sanjay shared the video clip from the Galatta Plus interview on his X account (formerly Twitter) and wrote:
“Who is this obnoxious guy sitting next to a senior producer like Boney Ji and deriding him with his fake vanity? Look at his body language and disgusting attitude.4/5 hits dene se yeh Bollywood ke baap nahin bane na banenge (You won’t become Bollywood’s father by producing 4-5 hit films).”
Gupta could not conceal his disapproval of Vamsi’s behaviour, further questioning whether Vamsi would dare to address seasoned South Indian producers such as Allu Aravind or Suresh Babu with similar audacity. He wrote, “Would he have the guts to sit in front of senior producers like Allu Arvind Sir or Suresh Babu Sir and speak to them in this manner, pointing his fingers in their face? Learn to value RESPECT before SUCCESS (sic).”
Would he have the guts to sit in front of senior Producers like Allu Arvind Sir or Suresh Babu Sir and speak to them in this manner pointing his fingers in their face.
Learn to value RESPECT before SUCCESS. https://t.co/ec7MnctlZZ— Sanjay Gupta (@_SanjayGupta) December 31, 2024
Gupta’s criticism extended to another segment of the discussion, where Vamsi claimed that Bollywood was deeply affected by the massive success of ‘Pushpa: The Rise’. He stated that the whole of Mumbai couldn’t sleep after the Allu Arjun starrer earned over Rs 80 crore in a single day. Kapoor clarified that these figures referred solely to the Hindi belt’s earnings.
Gupta rebuffed the statement, saying, “We slept very peacefully and happily knowing that ₹86 crore was collected by our exhibitors. That might have been the case for you, but other people’s success does not give us sleepless nights (sic).”
During the roundtable, Boney Kapoor outlined the South Indian film industry’s dominance in specific overseas markets such as the US, Malaysia, and the Gulf. Vamsi countered by highlighting Malayalam cinema’s stronghold in the Gulf. He further argued that South Indian cinema had shifted Bollywood’s perspective on filmmaking, referencing blockbusters like ‘Baahubali’ and ‘RRR’.
Kapoor, however, disagreed with Vamsi’s stance , “In this forum, we can’t discuss every bit of knowledge we know. We need to speak in broader terms,” he clarified, stressing that the success of Telugu films did not imply Bollywood had no contributions to make.
As the debate escalated, Vamsi claimed Bollywood relied on South Indian blockbusters for inspiration, a statement Kapoor promptly refuted. Kapoor pointed out the universal respect South Indian stars have for Bollywood icons such as Amitabh Bachchan and cited Allu Arjun’s recent admiration for Big B.
The interaction has since sparked widespread discussions on social media regarding the evolving dynamics between Bollywood and South Indian cinema. Naga Vamsi, known for films like ‘Jersey’ and ‘Gangs of Godavari’, has yet to respond to the criticisms.
