Actor Vishal criticised senior Telugu actor Rajendra Prasad for his controversial remarks about legendary Tamil actor-politician MG Ramachandran, popularly known as MGR. The comment, made at a public event in Hyderabad, triggered outrage across the Tamil and Telugu film communities.
The controversy began earlier this week during the Kalaprapoorna Kantha Rao National Award event held in Hyderabad. While speaking at the gathering, Rajendra Prasad praised veteran Telugu actor Kantha Rao. However, his remarks comparing Kantha Rao with MGR sparked backlash after a video from the event began circulating online.
During his speech, Rajendra Prasad said, “MGR was scared of Kantha Rao and would wet his pants whenever he saw or knew about Kantha Rao.” The statement drew criticism from several quarters, with many calling the remark disrespectful toward the late icon.
Reacting to the controversy, Vishal took to X (formerly known as Twitter) on March 12 to express his disappointment and condemn the comments. He wrote, “Shocking and repelling to see and hear the recent comments of senior actor Shri Rajendra Prasad at a recent function (sic).”
Addressing the senior actor directly, Vishal added, “I pen down this tweet condemning your speech about our late legendary actor the one and only #MGR, who has not only been a legendary actor but also a great leader in Tamil Nadu. Your speech about another legendary actor Shri Kantha Rao garu, praising him is a lovely gesture but at the same time bringing down and demeaning another legendary actor #MGR ayya whose still remembered forever is not going down well with the sentiments of our ppl (sic).”
He further urged Rajendra Prasad to address the issue and resolve the controversy. Vishal wrote, “I request you to kindly put an end to this in a way that you know best which is a must and most important at this point. My apologies to you to mention that you tender an apology to this issue since I as an actor would do the same if someone in future speaks ill about an actor of your stature. Hoping in good faith, God Bless.”
The remarks also drew criticism from Tamil film producer G. Dhananjheyan, who called Rajendra Prasad’s speech “ridiculous and unacceptable.”
In a post on X, he stated that while it is perfectly fine to praise Kantha Rao, it should not come at the cost of insulting another legend. He also urged members of the Tamil film industry to condemn the statement and seek an apology from the veteran actor.
