07 August,2026 08:03 PM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Varun Tej in Korean Kanakaraju (Picture via X)
Varun Tej's latest film, Korean Kanakaraju, has landed in controversy shortly after its theatrical release, with a scene featuring comedian Satya spoofing a popular dialogue from veteran actor Nandamuri Taraka Rama Rao's film Yuga Purushudu. The sequence has upset some NTR fans, who have questioned why the makers included the scene and even alleged that the viral meme was deliberately promoted ahead of the film's release.
Directed by Merlapaka Gandhi, Korean Kanakaraju released in theatres on August 7. The horror comedy stars Varun Tej, Ritika Nayak, Daksha Nagarkar and Satya in key roles. While the film's humour has been a talking point, one particular scene has triggered a heated debate online.
The controversy revolves around a sequence from NTR's 1978 film Yuga Purushudu. In the original scene, NTR's character Rajesh confronts Chandra Mohan's Anand after a fight. He questions Anand about his fighting skills, describing his "stroke" as amateurish. When Anand says he has never fought before, Rajesh asks whether that was because he lacked an opportunity. Anand responds that it was because he lacked the necessity.
The exchange recently resurfaced on social media and became a viral meme. Korean Kanakaraju appears to reference that moment through Satya's character, Kishtappa. After repeatedly getting beaten up in the film, Kishtappa gets a brief moment of relief and jokes that his opponent's "strokes" are immature. Satya also mimics NTR's gestures from the original sequence, turning the reference into a comic moment.
However, the scene has not gone down well with several NTR fans. Clips of the sequence circulated on X, prompting some fans to accuse the filmmakers of intentionally inserting the reference after the old NTR scene began trending again.
One section of fans theorised that the meme's sudden resurgence shortly before the film's release could have been part of a promotional strategy. They alleged that the makers may have deliberately pushed the old scene online so that audiences would recognise the reference when watching the film.
Some fans went further, calling the spoof disrespectful and asking the makers to remove the scene. They argued that while Satya is known for his comic timing, using an iconic NTR scene as a joke was inappropriate.
Not everyone, however, found the sequence offensive. Some viewers felt the scene was simply a recreation of the original and did not see it as an attempt to mock NTR.
As the debate continues online, Korean Kanakaraju has found itself at the centre of an unexpected controversy over its use of a beloved classic film reference.
