Rana Daggubati Clarifies Jokes on Mahesh Babu at IIFA

Nov 16, 2024, 16:48 IST

A recent controversy swirled around IIFA Utsavam when Telugu actors Rana Daggubati and Teja Sajja jokingly made some comments about the Telugu superstar Mahesh Babu, which hurt the sentiments of many people and later backtracked on social media.

Witty and charming, Rana Daggubati addressed the issue at the launch of his talk show, The Rana Daggubati Show. Jovially touching the topic with a trademark sense of humour, Rana remarked, "I am getting misunderstood these days. Maybe I should start giving disclaimers when I joke!"
Rana explained that he never meant to hurt someone's sentiments.

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Even Teja Sajja, who co-hosted the IIFA Utsavam with Rana, isn't letting the controversy die. The young actor, who was given flak for his performance in HanuMan, sought to clarify that the jokes were scripted and not to be taken seriously.

"Whatever we say on stage is written by scriptwriters. It's edited, and people don't see the full clip. Rana even joked about me, but I know he didn't mean it. I have worked with all these heroes since my childhood and would never think of demeaning anyone. It's a clear misunderstanding," Teja explained.

The controversy began with a funny video on social media, jokes by Rana Teja stating that there would be a clash between Teja's HanuMan and Mahesh Babu's Guntur Kaaram on Sankranthi. While it was all said in fun, the fans fell into the trap and jumped at each other's throats on social media.

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The fans of the Rana and Teja controversy needed some clarifications from the stars, and boy, did they get it. Both have clarified that their statements were never meant to offend Mahesh Babu or his fans. With their clarifications, it is seen that the controversy has more or less died down, and fans are once again looking forward to their projects.