It looks like Sri Reddy is determined to bring more trouble for Telugu film industry. The actress was recently in news for publicly stripping (and getting arrested for that) at Film Nagar in Hyderabad, after Movie Artistes’ Association (MAA) denied her membership. She said her protest was against the casting couch in the industry, as she was denied work despite indulging in the whims of the people controlling the organisation.
The incident made her famous, and director Ram Gopal Varma even tweeted out that "Sri Reddy has become a national celebrity..People in Mumbai,who don’t even know Pawan Kalyan are talking about Sri Reddy." But it looks like Reddy's stripping was just the tip of the iceberg - she is all set to open more cans of worms.
In an interview to a Telugu channel, Sri Reddy has accused Abhiram Daggubati of sexually exploiting her. The actress was quoted saying to the channel, "Suresh Babu's son cheated me so badly. The studio belongs to the government and it is meant to help and support talented people. They have to use it in a proper way. This Suresh Babu's son took me to the studio and f****d me so badly in the studio only." Suresh Babu that she mentions is a popular producer in Telugu cinema and is the father of Baahubali star Rana Daggubati. He also has a younger son, Abhiram, whom Sri Reddy was referring to. In case, you need further proof, pictures of these two in intimate poses have been 'leaked' online.
Later speaking to India Today, Sri Reddy again pointed fingers at Abhiram without taking his name. She had said, "He used to take me to the studio and he used to f**k me. He is the son of a top producer who is ruling the Telugu film industry. He used to force sex (on me). He would ask me to come to the studio and I said I will go only to talk, not for any sexual act. But after going there, he used to force (me to have) sex." Shocking claims for sure!
Sri Reddy has also accused director Sekhar Kammula of casting couch and singer Sreeram Chandra of sending lewd messages to her.
In the meantime, MAA President Sivaji Raja released a statement where they mention they are not going to give membership to Reddy. Raja said, “Our association won’t encourage such persons. We will not give membership to her. Not only this, all of our 800 members will not work along with her. The members who collaborate with her will risk losing their MAA membership. Tomorrow even others will strip their clothes demanding MAA membership. We can’t allow this.”
Who is right and who is wrong here - you can share your thoughts below. Meanwhile we are waiting to see who will be the next target of Sri Reddy.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Apr 11, 2018 12:00 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).