Nandamuri Balakrishna under fire for pushing actress Anjali on stage at Gangs Of Godavari event
Amaravati: Telugu actor Nandamuri Balakrishna has come under intense scrutiny following a video surfacing online, purportedly showing him pushing actress Anjali during the Gangs Of Godavari pre-release event. The incident has sparked outrage, with netizens condemning Balakrishna's behavior and expressing shock at the lack of intervention from those present.
In the viral video, Balakrishna is seen on stage addressing the audience alongside the cast of the film. Moments later, he appears to interact with Anjali, whose response he fails to hear. Subsequently, he allegedly pushes her, causing a momentary imbalance. While Anjali is observed laughing off the incident, her co-star Neha appears visibly stunned.
The video has attracted strong reactions from social media users, with many criticizing Balakrishna for purportedly disrespecting women and questioning the bystanders' silence.
Several celebs too commented on the video. Filmmaker Hansal Mehta asked, "Who is this scumbag?", while actor Siddharth wrote, "Appalling behaviour by Balakrishna and an understandable reaction by the junior artist who laughed it off, but the most horrifying part of this video is the crowd’s reaction to a blatant act of assault, cheering and hooting in approval.”
Nandamuri Balakrishna is the sixth son of legendary actor and former Chief Minister of Andhra Pradesh NT Rama Rao. He is also an elected member of the Andhra Pradesh Legislative Assembly from Hindupuram constituency.
As for Anjali, the actress marked her Tollywood debut in 2006 with the film Photo, and has so far worked in over 50 films, most of them in Tamil and Telugu.
Appalling behaviour by Balakrishna and an understandable reaction by the junior artist who laughed it off, but the most horrifying part of this video is the crowd’s reaction to a blatant act of assault, cheering and hooting in approval.
— Siddharth (@DearthOfSid) May 29, 2024
pic.twitter.com/kVO1UgYsP1
— Out of Context Telugu (@OutOfContextTel) May 29, 2024
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EU summit will focus on Iran war, loan to Ukraine blocked by Hungary
Brussels (AP): European Union leaders are holding a summit in Brussels on Thursday for talks on the Iran war, energy prices, migration and an enormous loan for war-ravaged Ukraine being held up by Hungary.
Many of those leaders have deflected entreaties by US President Donald Trump to send military assets to secure the Strait of Hormuz, a key waterway for the global flow of oil, gas and fertiliser.
Rising energy prices because of the war and fears in Europe of a new refugee crisis have pushed leaders to make the Middle East one of the top priorities at the summit.
The European Commission, the EU's executive branch, has floated the idea of a “toolbox” of measures to lower energy prices for leaders to discuss because no single policy will work across the myriad markets in the 27-nation bloc to blunt economic shocks from the war, according to a senior European diplomat who wasn't authorised to be publicly named so spoke on condition of anonymity.
ALSO READ: Iran attacks Israel, Gulf countries after Israeli strike kills its security chief
The summit will also focus on a long-brewing standoff between Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and most other EU nations.
The last EU summit was held in December at a Belgian castle, where the leaders including Orban agreed to a 90 billion-euro (USD 104 billion) loan for Ukraine for help overcoming a budget shortfall in the country as it grapples with a grinding war with Russia.
But a month later, Orban backtracked after the Druzhba oil pipeline was disabled in January after what Ukrainian officials said was a Russian drone attack.
The pro-Russia leader, who has held office in Hungary since 2010, is running an aggressive media campaign villainising both Brussels and Kyiv as he seeks reelection next month.
“If there is no oil, there is no money,” Orban said in a social media post on Tuesday.
To get Ukraine the much-needed loan, EU leaders and diplomats will lobby Orban and Slovakia's prime minister, Robert Fico, whose government has also taken pro-Russia stances.
On Tuesday, European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen offered for the EU to pay to repair the Druzhba pipeline and the development of alternative fuel lines for Hungary and Slovakia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said that any obstruction to the loan is “absolutely unfair” and that there is “no alternative” for the embattled nation than those funds as it faces a severe budget crisis because of the war, which began on February 24, 2022.
“There may be alternatives in terms of financing mechanisms, but there is simply no alternative to strengthening our army,” Zelenksyy said on Wednesday.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz told lawmakers in Berlin on Wednesday that the EU must swiftly reach an agreement on the 20th package of sanctions against Russia and the loan.
He said that he would “advocate for that emphatically” in Brussels and that “we must not take into consideration a single country in the European Union that is currently setting up this blockade in Europe now for domestic political reasons and because of an election campaign that is being conducted there.”
Merz said, in urging for more sanctions, that “the needs of the moment call for us to increase the pressure on Moscow together – the US and the European partners together."
