Pawan Kalyan takes a dig at Allu Arjun's Pushpa?

Bengaluru: Andhra Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister and Tollywood actor Pawan Kalyan’s recent comments on the lead character will likely ruffle a few feathers in the Telugu film industry.

Pawan Kalyan, who holds the portfolio of Environment and Forests besides Panchayat Raj and Rural Development, Science and Technology and Rural Water Supply, is currently on a visit to Bengaluru. Earlier in the day, he met Karnataka forest minister Eshwar B Khandre and made a request to him to send some Kumki elephants for the state. 

The Deputy Chief Minister said wild elephants are entering villages and not only destroying agricultural and horticultural crops but also attacking humans in some parts of Chittoor and Parvathipuram Manyam districts. He hoped Kumki elephants will help chase away the wild elephants.

Addressing a press conference here, Pawan Kalyan said he was not aware much about protecting the forests until he watched Dr. Rajkumar’s Gandhada Gudi (1973). 

He added that films made in the 80s would portray the hero as someone who protected the forests. Fast forward, the heroism means picking an axe and engaging in smuggling the trees and wood, he added. The Telugu super star further said he’s part of the Telugu film industry too and many a times, he struggles to make such films. 

Pawan Kalyan’s comments on the portrayal of heroes in the film industry quickly went viral. Social media users are interpreting his comments as a direct dig at icon star Allu Arjun. In the blockbuster Pushpa: The Rise, Allu Arjun essayed the role of a red sander smuggler. The film also won a national award for the actor and he’s now gearing up for the release of second installment Pushpa 2: The Rule. 

In the recent state Assembly elections, Allu Arjun had campaigned for YSRCP's Shilpa Ravichander Reddy in Nandyal and this probably did not sit well with Pawan Kalyan, Naga Babu and members of the Mega family.

ಕರ್ನಾಟಕದಲ್ಲಿ ಆನೆಗಳ ಹಾವಳಿ ನಿಯಂತ್ರಣಕ್ಕೆ ಕೈಗೊಂಡಿರುವ ಕ್ರಮಗಳು, ರೈಲ್ವೆ ಬ್ಯಾರಿಕೇಡ್ ಅಳವಡಿಕೆಯ ಯಶಸ್ಸು, ಕಾಡಾನೆಗಳ ಸೆರೆ ಕಾರ್ಯಾಚರಣೆ, ಆನೆ ಪಳಗಿಸುವುದು ಮತ್ತು ಮಾವುತರ ತರಬೇತಿ ಕುರಿತಂತೆ ಚರ್ಚಿಸಲು ಇಂದು ಆಂಧ್ರಪ್ರದೇಶದ ಉಪ ಮುಖ್ಯಮಂತ್ರಿಗಳು, @JanaSenaParty ಮುಖ್ಯಸ್ಥರಾದ @PawanKalyan ಅವರು ತಮ್ಮ ರಾಜ್ಯದ ಉನ್ನತ… pic.twitter.com/fmteZTccfw

— Eshwar Khandre (@eshwar_khandre) August 8, 2024

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