Telugu director Naga Vamsi lashes out, challenges media to ban his movie: Watch

At a recent event for his film MAD Square, Telugu filmmaker Naga Vamsi, known for Jersey and Lucky Baskhar, got angry at the media. He challenged reporters and critics to 'ban' him, saying he could still promote his films and do well, but the media industry would suffer without him.

Telugu filmmaker Naga Vamsi held a press conference in Hyderabad on Monday to discuss the success of MAD Square. During the event, he lashed out at film critics, reacting strongly to comparisons between MAD Square and its 2023 predecessor, MAD. 

He also pointed out that some critics claimed MAD Square did well at the box office only because its competitor, Robinhood, failed to impress the audience.

He lashed out at the media, said, "Do people not know what they like and don’t like, or do you know it all? Your websites and YouTube channels run because we give you content and interviews. We provide ads too, so try not to kill cinema, because you exist because of this industry." 

When some journalists pointed out that film interviews are primarily for promotion, Vamsi reacted strongly and dared them to ban his films.

He said, "I dare you to ban me. Ban me and my films, don't review them, and don't take my ads. Let’s see how it works then. I’ll still find a way to promote my films; I’ll take on that headache. But how will you run? You exist because of the industry."

The filmmaker urged the audience not to take reviews seriously, calling them personal opinions rather than "election results." He said, "It’s not like an election result where the majority opinion counts. If a man fights with his wife at home and gives a bad review because of that, it’s no surprise. Don’t believe reviews. Everyone liked Lucky Baskhar, but reviewers didn’t praise it." 

MAD Square stars Narne Nithiin, Sangeeth Sobhan, Ram Nithin, and Priyanka Jawalkar in lead roles. It is directed by Kalyan Shankar and produced by Naga Vamsi.

The filmmaker is also producing Vijay Deverakonda's highly anticipated film Kingdom, which is currently being filmed.