Producer Dil Raju made me scapegoat, says suspended JSP leader

Anusri Satyanarayana on Wednesday claimed that he was made a scapegoat by film producer Dil Raju in a bid to rescue his brother Shirish Reddy in the row pertaining to the alleged call by the exhibitors to observe cinema theatres’ bandh in Andhra Pradesh from June 1.

On Tuesday, the JSP had suspended Mr. Satyanarayana from the party as well as from the Rajamahendravaram city in-charge post for his alleged involvement in the row.

The action followed the government’s order for a probe into the issue to know who was behind the bandh call. The probe was also aimed at unravelling the alleged conspiracy behind the bandh call in the wake of the release of ‘Hari Hara Veera Mallu’, a film starring Deputy Chief Minister K. Pawan Kalyan, on June 12.

Addressing the media here, Mr. Satyanarayana said, “It was Dil Raju’s brother Shirish Reddy who had proposed the bandh of cinema theatres during a meeting. However, the release date of ‘Hari Hara Veera Mallu’ has not been announced by then.”

“I had no role in the row. Mr. Dil Raju came to the rescue of his brother and made me a scapegoat,” he alleged.

Published - May 29, 2025 09:10 am IST