Nandamuri Balakrishna, a prominent yet controversial figure in the Telugu film industry, has often been in the spotlight for reasons beyond his acting career. His history includes accusations of attempted murder, incidents of slapping fans, and making derogatory remarks. It came as a surprise to many when he was recently awarded the Padma Bhushan, prompting questions about why such a prestigious honour was conferred upon him. Balakrishna is the son of legendary Telugu actor N. T. Rama Rao and has served as an elected member of the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly from the Hindupuram constituency since 2014.

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Balakrishna’s controversial past has once again become a topic of discussion following the announcement of the Padma Bhushan.

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Balakrishna’s biggest controversies

2004: Shooting incident
In 2004, Balakrishna shot filmmaker Bellamkonda Suresh and his associate Satyanarayana Chowdhary with a revolver. He claimed the act was in self-defence. While he was charged with attempted murder, the case was dismissed by the court due to insufficient evidence.

2016: Derogatory remarks about women
In 2016, Balakrishna sparked outrage during a TV interview when he made crude and derogatory comments about women. The following day, the Telugu Desam Party issued a statement saying, “Balakrishna regrets his remarks and apologises if they hurt the feelings of any section. He made those remarks as part of the fun (during the movie function) and did not aim at anyone. He also said that he inherited the culture of respecting women from his father, N. T. Rama Rao.”

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2018: On-set incident
A video from the sets of his 2018 film Jai Simha showed Balakrishna hitting an assistant on the head and ordering him to either clean his shoes or tie his laces. While the video received backlash online, the incident was quickly forgotten.

2024: Stage shoving incident
In 2024, Balakrishna was caught on camera shoving actress Anjali during a promotional event for her film Gangs of Godavari. The actor berated her on stage for being in his way. While there was a lot of online criticism, the backlash subsided after Anjali made a statement thanking him for attending the event.

She wrote, "I want to thank Balakrishna Garu for gracing the Gangs of Godavari pre-release event with his presence. I would like to express that Balakrishna Garu and I have always maintained mutual respect for each other, and we have shared a great friendship for a long time. It was wonderful to share the stage with him again.” Her post played down the incident, and the controversy quickly faded.

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