An Indian actor and politician called Nandamuri Balakrishna sparked outrage on social media earlier this month after a video of him pushing a female co-star on stage at a promotional event went viral.
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| Nandamuri Balakrishna pushing co-star Anjali at a promotional event |
The incident happened during a recent event promoting an upcoming film called "Gangs of Godavari". The actor who is also a member of the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly in India, was seen pushing an actress named Anjali after briefly asking her and another actress named Neha Shetty to step aside.
The video, widely shared on social media, shows actress Anjali initially surprised by the push, as she stumbled but quickly started giggling and laughing. Nandamuri Balakrishna, however, maintained a harsh expression and scolded her before giving her a high five moments later.
This actor's unexpected move shocked the live audience and infuriated social media users, who criticized him for his misogynistic behavior.
A fan wrote
"Now some people will say "but she was laughing". Yes she was laughing and many others like her have to "laugh it off" so as to not put their lives and career in jeopardy. Anybody who understands this will know that her reaction was forced not natural."
The incident occurred while Balakrishna was serving as the chief guest at the pre-release event for actor Vishwak Sen's "Gangs of Godavari." He had been invited on stage to give a speech and take a picture with the cast and crew. He asked actress Anjali to move aside as they prepared for the photo.
This isn't the first time the actor has been involved in a controversial incident; in 2017, he made headlines after snapping at a fan who wanted to take a selfie with him.