#GameChangerRow: Shirish Reddy apologises for saying Ram Charan didn’t call after film tanked

A day after drawing flak from Ram Charan’s fans over his remarks about the financial losses of Shankar’s Game Changer, producer Shirish Reddy issued a statement clarifying his intent and apologising for his comments. While speaking about the heavy losses incurred by the film, he said the actor hadn’t even called to check in with the team post-release. His remarks prompted producer Dil Raju, Shirish’s cousin and business partner, to provide a clarification for his comments.

What happened?

In an interview with Great Andhra, producer Shirish Reddy opened up about the financial toll Game Changer took on the production house. “The cinema business is risky, and everyone knows that.

I don’t even know what tomorrow holds for me. After the losses from Game Changer, we thought it was all over. Neither the hero nor the director helped us with the losses. Not even a courtesy call to ask how we were doing after the setbacks. As producers, we have to bear everything. I can’t even put into words how huge the losses were, but Sankranthiki Vasthunam managed to cover about 60% of those losses,” he said.Shirish’s comments quickly sparked controversy, with several fans of Ram Charan pointing out that earlier films like Nenokkadine and Saindhav also faced losses, leading to questions about why only Ram Charan’s Game Changer is being singled out in recent discussions.

Shirish’s words were emotional, not malicious: Dil Raju

Producer Dil Raju, addressed the controversy during a recent interview with 10TV News Telugu. “This was Shirish’s first time speaking to the media about these issues, and he became emotional discussing the financial strain. Some of the interviewer’s questions were manipulative, and although his choice of words wasn’t perfect, there was no ill intent.” Dil Raju also reflected on the behind-the-scenes challenges of Game Changer.

“Working with a director like Shankar came with certain limitations — restricted access to some aspects, which contributed to wastage, scheduling issues, and delays because he was held up with Indian 2,” he explained.

He further clarified that while Shirish was focused on Sankranthiki Vasthunam, he personally worked closely with Ram Charan and Shankar. “After RRR, Ram Charan prioritised Shankar’s Game Changer.

Although we suggested he consider other projects, his immense respect for Shankar led him to fully commit to this one.”

I sincerely apologise if I caused offense: Shirish clarifies

Following the backlash, Shirish issued an apology on Tuesday. “We had the full support and time of ‘Global Star’ Ram Charan for Game Changer. We share a close relationship with Megastar Chiranjeevi Garu’s family, and would never say anything to damage their reputation. I sincerely apologise if anything I said caused offense,” he said in a statement issued by his team.