It’s well known that many top Telugu film industry actors come from legacy families like Nandamuri, Akkineni-Daggubati, Konidela-Allu, Uppalapati, and Ghattamaneni. Yet, producer Naga Vamsi recently claimed that “there’s not much nepotism in Telugu,” leaving the internet stunned. Here’s how people reacted.
Vamsi Denies Nepotism in Tollywood
When asked why nepotism isn’t widely discussed in South Indian cinema despite being a major topic in Bollywood, Naga Vamsi told Galatta Plus that nepotism is minimal in the Telugu industry. He refrained from commenting on Tamil and Malayalam cinema but insisted that nepotism is virtually nonexistent in Telugu states.
When faced with skepticism, Naga Vamsi defended his stance, challenging critics to provide examples of nepotism in the Telugu industry. He argued that if nepotism were dominant, self-made actors like Nani, Vijay Deverakonda, Siddhu Jonnalagadda, Naveen Polishetty, Adivi Sesh, Nithiin, and Sharwanand wouldn’t have risen to stardom.
Questioning the ‘Nepo Kid’ Tag
Vamsi further questioned whether Allu Arjun and Ram Charan could be labeled as “just nepo kids,” emphasizing their hard work and dedication. However, despite his claims, Nithiin is the son of distributor N. Sudhakar Reddy, and Sharwanand is the cousin of actor Ram Pothineni, whose father is producer Sravanthi Ravi Kishore.
Fans Call Out the Irony
Even die-hard Tollywood fans were left puzzled, considering that a significant portion of the industry is made up of actors and technicians with strong industry connections.
While one user wrote, ‘Naga Vamsi saying “there’s no nepotism in telugu film industry” is gotta be the funniest thing ever!’, another one added, ‘Naga Vamsi is always High on his own Self NOT AWARE World. There is no Nepotism in Telugu Industry according to him. Meanwhile: #Prabhas #Ramcharan #JrNTR #AlluArjun.’
Another user commented, “The whole Tollywood Industry is running because of the family tree. Imagine seeing Jr Ntr’s first movies and telling this.”
Some also highlighted that Vamsi himself comes from a film family, as his uncle is producer Suryadevara Radha Krishna.
