Rana Daggubati and Teja Sajja react to controversy from IIFA on jokes about Mahesh Babu movies not working
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At the recent IIFA awards, Rana Daggubati and Teja Sajja's tongue-in-cheek comments about Mahesh Babu's films didn't sit well with his fans. Now, Rana and Teja have addressed the uproar, saying that the jokes weren’t meant to disparage anyone.
The duo clarifies
Rana responded to the issue during the trailer launch of The Rana Daggubati Show. He joked about the whole problem. Rana laughed when asked about the stir over his jokes at the IIFA award ceremony.
He said, “I am getting misunderstood these days. Nani said one thing to me on the show (his talk show, in one of the episodes). He asked me to give a disclaimer when I joke because no one gets it. I think I should start doing that and running a scroll whenever I make jokes."
Teja also addressed the controversy at a recent event. He said, “A lot of scriptwriters work on something before it comes to us (hosts). Whatever you see is edited, no one would feel bad if they saw the full clips. Rana joked on me too. I've worked with all these heroes since childhood, I'm close to all of them. I wouldn't even think of demeaning anyone. It's a clear misunderstanding”.
About the stir
The IIFA 2024 ceremony, which took place in Abu Dhabi in September, celebrated the achievements of Indian cinema. Rana and Teja took on the hosting duties of the Telugu film awards portion, and it drew attention with their playful comments about the industry’s stars and recent blockbusters.
They sparked controversy among Mahesh Babu's fans after a video from IIFA Utsavam went viral. In the video, Rana humorously commented on the Sankranthi clash between Teja's HanuMan and Mahesh Babu's Guntur Kaaram, thereby comparing their film journeys. The comparison of industry legend Mahesh Babu with young hero Teja Sajja, who scored his first superhit film, did not sit well with Mahesh's fans.
