Nandamuri Balakrishna Says He Doesn't Know Who AR Rahman Is, Irks Composer's Fans

Nandamuri Balakrishna is known for speaking his mind out, even if it's a controversial opinion. In the past, he has been called out for making insensitive statements and not treating women properly. The actor-politician is at it once again. Recently, Nandamuri Balakrishna appeared in a television interview for a well-known Telugu channel, where he spoke about his career. During the course of the interview, he made some controversial statements about AR Rahman, Bharat Ratna, and other topics. He said, "I don't know who AR Rahman is. I don't care. He gives a hit once in a decade and gets an Oscar award." Ironically, it was AR Rahman who had composed the background score for Balakrishna's Nippu Ravva in 1993.

Balakrishna also added that he doesn't value Bharat Ratna, which is India's highest civilian award. He said, "All these awards are equal to my foot. No award can compensate for the contribution of my family to Telugu cinema. I feel Bharat Ratna is equal to NTR’s toenail. The awards must feel sad, not my family or my father" Balakrishna also spoke some controversial statements about Madhuri Dixit and called late choreographer Saroj Khan plump on a television. His comments on AR Rahman irked the composer's fans who trended #whoisbalakrishna on Twitter.