Popular lyricist Anantha Sriram has landed at the center of a controversy following his comments at the Peddi success press meet. Some of his remarks have triggered strong reactions on social media and opened the door for fresh criticism.
During the interaction, Anantha Sriram responded to a question about item songs. His remarks about people who do not enjoy item songs drew severe backlash. He said, “Audiences who don’t enjoy item songs for what they are, those people are the real item fellows.”
Many felt that directly labeling audiences who dislike such songs was unnecessary. After all, film audiences are made up of different groups with different tastes. Some enjoy a particular type of content, while others may reject it. Both viewpoints exist in any entertainment industry.
One user commented, “Such a cheap comment from a supposedly noted lyricist in Telugu cinema. All that he’s achieved to date amounts to nothing. No wonder our films reflect the same level of regression too.”
At the same time, he also spoke about the controversy surrounding Janhvi Kapoor’s character in Peddi and revealed that he was not happy with director Buchi Babu Sana apologizing for it.
Speaking at the event, Anantha Sriram argued that filmmakers should have the freedom to create characters who behave according to the world and background imagined by the director.
“A character behaves in a certain way because that is how the director imagined it. If we do not give filmmakers the freedom to create such characters, what are we doing to creativity?” he asked.
He further claimed that audiences often react differently depending on how a scene or dialogue is presented.
“If someone uses terms like ‘vital attraction’ or ‘hormonal reactions,’ people call it aesthetic and praise it. But if a tribal hero says ‘I will grab you’ in his own language and dialect, it suddenly becomes vulgar and people accuse the film of objectifying women,” he said.
According to Anantha Sriram, such reactions can suppress creative freedom in commercial cinema.
He also explained why he disagreed with Buchi Babu’s apology.
“Buchi Babu may have apologized out of respect and culture. He may not have wanted to hurt anyone’s feelings. He may have believed that even if only one person feels hurt, it matters. But if this trend continues, filmmakers may eventually be unable to make commercial films that discuss strong ideas, and we may be left only with documentary-style storytelling,” he said.
Anantha Sriram has become a talking point, as many believe his remarks about audiences crossed a line and only added fuel to an already heated debate surrounding Peddi.
— Joker (@JokerSpeakz) June 14, 2026
