'SS Rajamouli ruined my career': Filmmaker's close friend accuses him of abuse in his suicide note

Acclaimed filmmaker SS Rajamouli is at the center of a major controversy following grave accusations from Uppalapati Srinivasa Rao, who claims to be a long-time friend of the director.

In a letter addressed to the Mettuguda police, Srinivasa stated that he has known Rajamouli since 1990 and accused him of destroying his life and causing significant emotional distress. He alleged that their fallout stemmed from a love triangle. Srinivasa shot a video and sent it to Mettu police station.

In the video that has gone viral, he is heard saying that Rajamouli is responsible for his suicide. Srinivasa, who was the executive producer on Rajamouli's directorial ‘Yamadonga’, said, “India’s number one directors, SS Rajamouli and Rama Rajamouli, are the reason for my suicide. You might think I am doing this for publicity, but this is my final letter. Everyone from MM Keeravaani to Chandrasekhar Yeleti and Hanu Raghavapudi knows how close I have been to Rajamouli for years now. I never thought a woman could come between us. I have no option but to die by suicide. Rajamouli is the reason I am still single at 55. We worked together until Yamadonga, but he ruined my career for a woman.”

“He asked me to sacrifice my love for her, and while I didn’t agree at first, I did later on. He believed I’d told people about this, and he began torturing me after we got into an argument," he alleged.

Rao reportedly went on to accuse the ‘Baahubali’ director of engaging in black magic and undermining other filmmakers. He alleged that Rajamouli resorted to unethical tactics to maintain his position of power in the industry, although he offered no evidence to support these accusations. Srinivasa emphasized that he was not seeking publicity and that he had reached an emotional breaking point in his life. Meanwhile, SS Rajamouli has yet to address the serious allegations.

(Except for the headline, the copy is not edited by DNA staff, and is published from IANS)