Why Venkatesh-starrer 1993 Film Kondapalli Raja Courted Controversy Before Release – News18

Telugu star Venkatesh has always steered clear of controversies. The seasoned actor, often called Victory Venkatesh for his victorious spell at the box office, has appeared in countless films since his debut in 1986 with Kaliyuga Pandavulu. He is also one of the few Telugu actors who also appeared in Hindi films like Anari and Taqdeerwala. He also appeared recently in the Hindi crime drama series Rana Naidu. Venkatesh’s films have hardly ever been embroiled in controversy, but there was an exception once. His movie Kondapalli Raja, which released in 1993, stirred up a controversy before its release.

Kondapalli Raja was the second Telugu remake of Rajinikanth’s Tamil film Annamalai. This itself was a remake of the Hindi film Khudgarz, which in turn was inspired by Jeffrey Archer’s 1979 novel Kane and Abel. The first Telugu remake of Annamalai and Khudgarz was Prana Snehithulu, which starred Krishnam Raju. It was released in 1988, just a year after Khudgarz was released. It was directed by V Madhusudhana Rao.

Rajinikanth’s Annamalai was also dubbed and released in Telugu with the title Birla Ramudu. This means that by the time Kondapulli Raja was being made, there were already two Telugu versions of Khudgarz. Still the director of the film, Ravi Raja Pinisetty, decided to go ahead with the film. Krishnam Raju, however, objected to the making of the film as he felt the team of Kondapalli Raja should have taken permission to shoot a similar story. He even took the matter to court, due to which the release of the film was in jeopardy.

The matter was later settled out of court and a compromise was reached. Venkatesh’s film was allowed to be released without any obstacles. The movie also starred Suman and Nagma. The late Divya Bharati was offered the role of the female lead at first, but she could not do the film. Kondapalli Raja did well at the box office.