Director Naresh entered Telugu cinema with the film Paagal starring Vishwak Sen. However, Paagal could not deliver the expected success at the box office. Later, Naresh began a new film titled GOAT with Sudigali Sudheer as the hero. Due to internal issues, the makers removed Naresh from the project. The producer then took over the direction. This incident created tension, and actress Divya Bharathi, who is part of the film, made a strong statement on Twitter against Naresh.
The issue began when Naresh posted a tweet in which he used harsh words. Naresh wrote, “ఏమి లేబర్ రా నువ్వు, ఎడిట్ లో తీసి పడేసిన షాట్స్ తో నెక్స్ట్ సినిమా అంతా కాలం గడిపేలా ఉన్నావు. అసలు సెకండ్ లీడ్ యాక్టర్స్ చేయాల్సింది, ఈ చిలకతో వదిలావు. పోనీ మంచి ట్యూన్ ఏం చేసావురా?” His remark calling her “chilaka” sounded insulting in the given context.
Divya Bharathi immediately reacted. She said that calling a woman “chilaka” or using similar names is not a joke. She added that the director behaved in the same manner on set and repeatedly disrespected women. She said the hero stayed silent even when this happened, and that silence hurt her even more. Divya wrote that she now chooses to work only in places where respect is mandatory and every voice is valued.
Naresh previously worked as a writer for the comedy show Jabardasth. Many people believe that the tone he used in that environment influenced his behaviour on set. The film industry is now waiting to see how he responds to Divya’s accusations and whether the matter will be taken seriously.
Divya later clarified that she does not create problems everywhere. She said she worked multiple times with the same teams in Tamil cinema without any issues. She repeated that only this one director crossed the line and that she has every right to respond. She added that she does not lose sleep over false comments and wished well even to those who speak against her.
