Was Nandamuri Balakrishna drunk when he pushed Anjali? Gangs of Godavari makes deny, blame CGI

    In light of the controversy, a new video suggested that Nandamuri Balakrishna was drinking at the Gangs of Godavari event.

    Nandamuri Balakrishna at the Gangs of Godavari event

    Nandamuri Balakrishna at the Gangs of Godavari event

    Telugu star Nandamuri Balakrishna is no stranger to controversies. He's known for his bad temper and is notorious for throwing tantrums in public places without regard for optics. Similarly, at the pre-release event of Gangs of Godavari, where he was the chief guest, Balakrishna shocked everyone by pushing actress Anjali on stage.

    The incident was caught on tape and, as expected, it instantly went viral on social media. This led to a huge backlash, with many taking offence at the way Balakrishna treated his younger colleague at the public event.

    In light of the controversy, a new video suggested that Balakrishna was drinking at the event. The video shows a half-consumed water bottle with a colourful liquid, causing many to believe that Balakrishna was under the influence of alcohol when the incident occurred.

    "That bottle was added in the video via CG. In reality, there was no bottle," claimed producer Naga Vamsi, denying the speculations about Balakrishna being intoxicated at the event.

    Naga Vamsi also tried to downplay the incident by describing it as a friendly exchange between two good friends. He even questioned the media for giving "too much importance" to a non-issue and blowing it out of proportion.

    "For example, assume that you and Vishwak Sen were talking and you guys share a very cordial relationship. He asked you to move a little, but you didn't hear what he said, so Vishwak casually pushed you. That is what happened there," he said.

    He also claimed that following the incident, Balakrishna and Anjali exchanged a high-five, demonstrating that everything was fine between them.

    However, netizens are not taking the incident as lightly as the makers of Gangs of Godavari want them to. Besides the public, some of the leading members of the Indian film industry have also expressed outrage over the incident.